Intervention

It has been one hell-of-a week. Our family has been in the middle of our very own intervention.

Tuesday it all began. My Aunt April has been struggling with an addiction to pain pills as long as I can remember.

Although I have been pushing her brothers and sister (my uncles and mother) to confront her and stop supporting her habit, nothing has been done. I have tried to put my foot down with my mother by refusing to be at any family function where my Aunt would be, but no luck. I tried everything within my power without completely alienating the whole family. Well, Tuesday it finally exploded. My Aunt's daughter and her ex-husband reached out to my mother. The whole family knows that April has a problem, but everyone has been willing to make jokes about it and turn the other way. I have worked with addicts and could see that my Aunt was falling deeper and deeper into addiction. No one in the family wanted to take any of my advice. Believe it or not I know what I am talking about. Addiction runs ramped in our family and I, myself have struggled with drugs. Besides my first hand knowledge I also have been to college where I studied addiction. Yet, no one cares to ask. I think it is important to have a united front and give the addict two choices, get help or get out. Although my Mother and Uncle confronted my Aunt and explained she needs to get help, they left it open for her to get the help. My mother is the ultimate optimist and thinks that my Aunt will magically go get help. I have a different opinion... that she will be dead before she is 50. I love my family very much, but I do not understand how they can stand around and watch a family member kill themselves through addiction. I feel completely helpless to the outcome. I am sadden to think that I might loose my Aunt but more than that, I know that my mother will feel responsible. As I am headed to sleep every night, I cry alone with my feelings of how to reassure my mother that she is doing the right thing. My mother and her siblings don't know how to express their feelings appropriately, and most choose drugs or alcohol. I am thankful everyday day that my dad was around to help me feel every emotion, sad or happy. I don't think it is my place to confront my Aunt myself, or force her to enter rehab, but I feel an extraordinary amount of pressure to be there for my mother.

I pray that April will get the help she needs and this family can heal.