Patricia Rosen, founder of The Sober World Magazine, lost her son to the disease of addiction – a chronic, often relapsing brain disease. Steven had been living a clean and sober life for seven months when he relapsed. He was 28 years old when he died.

As a mother of two daughters, I can only imagine Patricia’s pain. I can only imagine.

But I deeply, deeply admire her courage to turn her pain into founding and monthly publishing The Sober World Magazine in order to help parents, families and others who have a loved one addicted to drugs or alcohol, as well as helping the drug addicts and alcoholics, themselves. It is my honor to share Patricia’s post on the founding of her magazine.

Sharing on the Founding of The Sober World Magazine by Patricia Rosen

Many parents and families hide their head in the sand and are ashamed to reach out for help when they find a loved one is using drugs or alcohol. They feel they will be judged. Many thoughts go through their head, wondering where they went wrong, what they could have done differently etc.…

After losing my son to a drug overdose, I wanted to do something to help not only the addict, but also the parents and families, as I believe they are the ones who truly suffer. I know how overwhelming it is when you are trying to find the right treatment for your loved one and don’t know where to begin.

Like most families out there, I thought my son’s drug use was a phase. I knew he was smoking marijuana, which although I didn’t condone, I thought he had his head screwed on straight. He graduated high school, graduated college; he even started his masters program. Unfortunately, he experimented with a drug that took over his entire being. I watched a brilliant shining star that could have soared into the universe become stuck like a Ferris wheel that goes round and round, but always ending up where you started because the drug doesn’t let you out of it’s grip.

I tried the typical parenting of talking until I was blue in the face, yelling, taking away his car, not giving him money and anything else that could have knocked some sense into him, but the truth is — nothing matters to an addict except their drugs. Whatever you do or say falls on deaf ears. They will lie, cheat and steal to get their drugs. I always look for the good in people and was always hopeful each time I thought my son had stopped using, but the truth is, they can’t stop on their own. I finally gave my son an ultimatum, he either went for help or he needed to leave my house. Luckily, he chose treatment. He went into detox, and then to a program for 45 days. He decided he still needed more help and went into another program.

Unfortunately, no program is a lock down, and where there is a will, there is a way no matter where you are.  He was given an overnight pass because of how well he was doing and decided to relapse. For whatever reason he justified using drugs that night, his body wasn’t able to tolerate them since he was clean for seven months, and he overdosed.

The difference between addiction and other diseases such as cancer or leukemia is, this is a disease they will have forever. There is no pill or medicine that will make you better. People with cancer or leukemia will do anything and go anywhere to get better. The addict truly has to want to be clean and nothing anyone can do or say will make that happen except them.

What you can offer your love one is the gift of treatment. I truly believe almost every addict wants to be clean. The problem is, when they are under the influence they don’t care about anything, and talking to them is like talking to a wall.

The first step is to try an intervention, whether on your own or with a professional to get them to go to detox. Detoxification is such an important part of recovery; I would say it’s probably the most important part. Once the drugs are detoxed from the addict, their brain begins to heal and they start thinking more rationally.  This is the period of time when they will hopefully agree to go into Treatment. Recovery is possible, and with good therapy they can begin to address the issues that trigger them to use and self medicate.

There is an epidemic in our country. Addiction is reaching everyone- rich, poor, old, young, doctors, lawyers, plumbers, and electricians-EVERYONE.

The mission of The Sober World is to bring an awareness to people that addiction happens to good people too. Rather that pretending the addiction doesn’t exist, try to get your loved one help before it’s too late.

There are wonderful articles from clinicians, doctors, and authors from all over the country, as well as resources that can take your loved one right through the recovery process.

In conjunction with the magazine, our website www.thesoberworld.com is intended to expand our mission throughout the United States and offer resources to everyone in need.

If you know of someone suffering from addition or you yourself have a problem, please go to our website- you may save a life.

 

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