There comes a time in our lives when we hit rock bottom. Regardless of where we come from, how we were brought up, what our achievements are and what values and priorities we have, we all reach that point where our limits are being tested, where we are being stabbed, burned, scratched and wounded really badly until we begin to ask ourselves, “How far can I bend before I break?” People always say that life is a rollercoaster ride, and this is true. None of us are exempted from the ups and downs of reality. Yes, we all have our moments of joy, but we also have our moments of weakness – moments when you just want to let go of your sword and walk away from the battle.
In general, people are ashamed of their failures and of the moments in their lives which they consider as miserable. This is very evident in our society. If you take a look at your friends’ and family’s social media accounts, you see a filtered, sugar-coated versions of them that only feature the highlights and the ups of their lives. You’ve probably even heard of world-famous artists like Miley Cyrus saying things like, “I don’t do drama; I’m just all about fun.” And we follow this. We live our lives in the effort of avoiding “drama,” pain and misery because being not all about fun has been widely viewed as uncool especially by the recent generations. So we smile. We put on a big glittery mask and pretend everything’s okay when it’s definitely not.
The party boy understands this. For three years, he has started each day with a half-a-glass of milk followed by two shots of whiskey. He then sits on his parents’ couch as he stares aimlessly outside the glass window, wondering which bar he’s going to visit in the evening. In the evening, though, he ends up not visiting any bar at all because he is too busy drinking with his buddies on the corner of his street. At midnight, he goes to a nightclub by himself, and that’s where he begins to feel alive. Inside the nightclub, he drinks some more. He dances as he drinks, and he frequents the exit door to smoke outside. He chats with random strangers because he feels confident. He feels hot and handsome and mighty, like he can do anything and everything. However, in the morning, he loathes himself. He knows that he is spiraling down a bottomless staircase where the deeper he goes, the faster he falls.
Today is the day he decides to seek help. Today, the party boy admits he needs alcohol rehabilitation. The question now becomes: is he actually going to go for it? Is he actually going to take this major step to getting better?
In the United States alone, 15 million people are currently affected by alcohol abuse or dependency, but only 13% seek help. It’s not fair to say that society is the only one to blame for this small percentage of people who seek help, but it definitely is a huge factor that contributes to the stigma that surrounds alcoholics.
Let’s start viewing alcohol rehabilitation not as a derogatory process, but as a reminder that everyone deserves a second chance – a reminder that even the party boy deserves his cup of green tea.
