The Shoulder to Lean On

I had been at my boyfriend’s prom for about an hour. At this point, we were all sitting down for dinner, when I suddenly get a call from my best friend. Since she was the one who got me ready for this day, I knew something was up. Answering hesitantly, I was immediately greeted by a sobbing girl explaining that her best friend and first love, had passed away via overdose. This was a shocking moment that I will never forget, and one I don’t think anyone saw coming.

I chose to write about this story because, having a relationship with Leah closest to that of a little sister, I saw the entire ordeal through her eyes: not only the death, but all of the years and happenings up until that point, and I think this is a side of the sory of addiction that is often overlooked.

The path of caring someone with an addiction was not an easy one, and it was not easy to watch her go through it. The first time it seriously affected her was when the two realized that they could no longer be together because her family was not okay with her dating someone with these habits. The love had not faded, and the desire to be together was stronger than ever, yet it transformed into a forbidden love that does nothing but damage all who are involved. Nonetheless, the two occasionally kept secret relations, exclaiming how much they loved and missed each other. Once his addiction took him to jail, she had more responsibilities on her plate than ever. He had lost his family to drugs and therefore at only 18, she was put in charge of all of his legal matters, everything from lawyers to visiting hours to paying for his toothbrushes, yet the love never faded.

Eventually, he got out of jail and each person carried on into new relationships with new people, yet the love still hadn’t faded.

And up until his last breaths, and for her time after his death, the love between the two had stayed strong, yet forbidden.

Watching this all unfold as an outside third party showed me more levels of hurt in her than I knew human beings could feel. She felt heart break when his addiction separated them, ending their relationship even thought neither one wanted it to be over. She felt heart break when he was sent to jail and she had to see him in this helpless environment day in and day out, being strong for the both of them because she was all he had. She felt heart break when they both had to move on to new lives without each other, all while their flame was still burning just as bright as it always had. And lastly, se felt heart break the day his addiction took his life, taking him out of hers.

I think many people focus on exactly how addiction affects the addict and his life, and on the fact that it breaks the hearts of those who love the addict, yet so many people miss the reality of just how it breaks the hearts of those who love him, in so many varying ways, yet none less painful than the others, and I think this is just as important as the other facts about addiction.