When you meet a clean drug addict
You meet a hero.
Their mortal enemy slumbers within them:
They can never outrun their disability.
They make their way through a world of drug abuse,
In an environment that does not understand them.
Society, puffed up with shameful ignorance,
Looks on them with contempt,
As if they were a second-class citizen
Because they dare to swim against the stream of drugs
But you must know:
No better people are made than this.
~Friedrich von Bodelschwingh 1831-1910
My reflection: Addicts are often considered second-class citizens, junkies, losers and scourges in the community. While it’s true that our loved ones in active addiction are not contributing to society, it’s also true that when they find the strength to live in sobriety, they return to life with a commitment to service, to help others and to make a difference.
Today’s Promise to consider: It takes courage for someone addicted to drugs to pick himself up and to change his life. It takes strength for him to live a life of abstinence. It takes grace for him to serve others and to give back. Today, when I meet a person in recovery, I’ll tip my hat in honor of his journey.
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