Those Aches and Pains

I’ve read various posts that claim drug addictions are victim-less crimes.  While it could be said that an addiction to anything simply affects the person that is addicted, I have a strong rebuttal for anybody that takes that position.

I was married to my first wife for 24 years before we were divorced.  Things started off quite normally.  We were both in our early 20’s and things seemed to be quite good for us.  I really can’t say what the catalyst was that started her on the road towards addiction.  I really had no clue what it was like for a person to have a drug addiction so I wasn’t aware of the signs.

She started having headaches and would get pain medication from her doctor.  It was, normally, Lortab and she would call for them on a regular basis.  Now, I know that there are people that do suffer from debilitating headaches,  I’ve had a few doozies of my own.

She started wanting to head to the ER for Demerol shots.  The dosages started at 75mg and went up to 150mg over the years.  One year she went in 19 times for a shot.  I did express my dislike for these trips, both for it not being good for her and due to the cost.

She used to be quite active.  Little by little she did less and less, ending up sitting in the recliner watching TV or simply sleeping most of the day.  We even went to marriage counseling and she didn’t even care if it helped or not.  I guess her need for the ‘fix’ was stronger than her need for us.

During the divorce we were fighting for custody of our minor children.  I expressed my opinion that whoever received custody should stay in the home so their lives would be impacted as little as possible.  I relayed my concern about her drug use to the custody evaluator so she was told to request a copy of her State Controlled Substance Database record for the previous five years.  It showed that she had received over 20,000 doses of opiates during that time and a doctor determined that she was, in fact, addicted to opiates.

I was, finally, awarded custody of our children which was a great relief to me since she was diagnosed with a Bi-Polar disorder many years prior to this time, which can make life a living hell.  Interesting note – I was awarded custody and I was required to pay her alimony.  Go figure…

What I’m trying to get to is…

My children, my marriage and myself are all victims of a drug addiction.  We have been affected by her drug addiction.  I lost the girl I fell in love with because of drugs.  My children’s home was torn apart because of drugs.  How could anybody say there are no victims with drug abuse?

So, if anybody tries to tell me there are no victims with drug abuse I’ll have a thing or two to tell them.

Ronald