WHY I WROTE “THIS IS NOT BRANDON”

I wrote “THIS IS NOT BRANDON” for several reasons:

ONE, to highlight the beautiful, sensitive soul that Brandon was as a person.  I never knew anyone with such a compassionate heart for other people as Brandon. I wanted people to know who Brandon really was. As sick as he was, he wanted to help other people who suffered from addiction. 

Also, to take away the stigma that all addicts are losers. Everyone knows someone who has some kind of addiction, and they are everyday people.  So that stigma has to end.

TWO, to bring attention to the reality that addiction is about internal pain and suffering, and a need to escape those emotions.  In Brandon’s case, it was childhood trauma that was the beginning of his descent into addiction.  

Lasting sobriety goes way beyond physical sobriety.  The long-term need is to deal with the mental and emotional aspects underlying addiction.  That is something that needs to be dealt with for the rest of a recovering addict’s life, as triggering events will happen.  Unfortunately, the rehabs don’t offer too much in the way of mental and emotional help.

THREE,  When addiction is thrown into a family, many people don’t know how to deal with it, where to start, how to respond, what to do….nothing, as was my situation.  However, you never give up on that person.  The dependence on the drug/alcohol/prescription drug…whatever it is, is so great that they can’t function without it.  Completely controlled by the drug, people are not themselves and are thinking from what I used to call a heroin brain.However, they are still humans who deserve a chance to live again.  They are someone’s child, parent, or relative and are completely worth whatever needs to be done, however long it takes, and however many times they relapse.  When you love someone, you never give up.  There is life again after addiction.