The Addiction Challenge
We Must Fight Addiction Like We Fight Cancer:
A Call to Arms
America is at war. We're bleeding from an addiction epidemic that's ravaging our streets, our homes, our families. Fentanyl. Heroin. Pills. Meth. These aren't just words—they're weapons killing our children, our siblings, our loved ones. For me, this battle is personal. My brother fell at 37. My nephew at 39. And I'm still standing, still fighting.
When my father was diagnosed with cancer, we mobilized like soldiers. The family moved as one unit. We drove hundreds of miles. We coordinated treatment schedules. My sister, a nurse, made the trek from Idaho to Montana month after month. Cancer was the enemy, and we fought.
But when my nephew drowned in addiction and alcohol? Silence. Shame. When I tried to break that silence—when I called for help, attempted an intervention—I became the villain. Two hours later, my own sister delivered him vodka like a lethal weapon disguised as love.
This has to change.
Twenty years ago, cancer was "the C-word"—whispered, feared, hidden. Now? We organize meal brigades. We start GoFundMe campaigns. We fight it together, openly.
But addiction? We treat it like leprosy. We exile our addicts to the corners, make them family secrets. We tell them: Go fix yourself and come back when you're worthy. We've built prisons of shame around people already drowning.
Here's what most people don't understand:
Addiction isn't a choice—it's a response to unbearable pain.
Most addicts didn't chase the high. They chased oblivion. One dose. Two. And suddenly, the pain stops. The child abuse—sexual, emotional, physical—the neglect, the abandonment—it all goes quiet. Social media amplifies this devastation for our teens, turning bullying into a 24/7 assault on their sense of self.
So they use. And use again. Until their brain rewires itself, until the addiction becomes automatic—like driving to work on autopilot, unaware of the journey.
Then one trigger—a song, a memory, a sight—and before conscious thought can intervene, they're using again.
And then the avalanche begins.
Job lost. Dignity stripped. Stealing from family. Burgling homes. Arrested. Felony charges. Released from jail clean and sober—and shattered. No home. No family who'll trust them. Fines. Fees. Probation officers. Court dates. A curfew they can't afford to break.
No job. No resources. Worn out their welcome on every friend's couch. Now they're sleepin in doorways and parks—and that's when you see them. That's when you write them off as losers.
You're right, they've lost everything
But not because they're weak. Because we abandoned them. It's time to declare war on the disease, not the person.
Treat addiction like cancer. Rally around the afflicted. Organize meal brigades. Start GoFundMe campaigns. Get them to treatment. Visit them. Believe in their recovery. Fight the stigma with the ferocity of soldiers.
Because addiction isn't a character flaw. It's a war wound. And our addicted deserve the same fierce, unconditional love we give to anyone else fighting for their life.
Many people think a relapse happens in an instant and that it is just an impulse that over comes us and we can’t help ourselves or can’t see it coming In most cases that is not true and there are many factors and stressors that lead up to the actual event of taking that drug or the first drink.
I have seen it first hand and have learned to watch for the big signs and then begin to watch for smaller ones. The big signs are attitude, isolation and outburst etc. There are others, which have been judged by some to be accurate predictors and they call these clues “dry relapse symptoms”. They say that if you use a tool call the Faster Scale you can see the behaviors in yourself which could lead to a relapse.
The F – A – S – T – E – R Dry Relapse Pattern
“F” = Forget Priorities (Denial; flight; a change in what’s important; how you spend your time and thoughts.)
Secrets; bored; less time/energy for God, meetings, and church; avoiding support and accountability towards people; superficial conversations; sarcasm; isolating yourself; changes in goals, flirting; obsessed with relationships; breaking promises/commitments; neglecting family; preoccupation with materials things, television, or entertainment; procrastination; lying, overconfidence, hiding money.
“A” = Anxiety (Getting energy from emotions.)
Worry; using profanity; being fearful; being resentful; replaying old, negative thoughts; perfectionism; judging others’ motives; making goals and lists you can’t complete; poor planning; mind reading; fantasy; masturbation; pornography; co-dependent rescuing; sleep problems; trouble concentrating; seeking/creating drama; gossip; using over-the-counter medication for pain, sleep, and weight control.
“S” = Speeding Up (Out-running depression.)
Super busy; workaholic; can’t relax; driving too fast; avoiding slowing down; feeling driven; in a hurry; can’t turn off thoughts; skipping meals; binge eating (usually at night); overspending; can’t identify own feelings/needs; repetitive, negative thoughts; irritable; making excuses for “having to do it all”; dramatic mood swings; lust; too much caffeine; over exercising; nervousness; difficulty being alone or with people; difficulty listening to others; avoiding support.
“T” = Ticked-Off (Getting high on anger; aggression.)
Procrastination causing crises in money, work, or relationships; sarcasm; black and white, all or nothing thinking; feeling alone; feeling that no one understands; overreacting; road rage; constant resentments; pushing others away; increased isolation, blaming; self-pity; arguing; irrationality, can’t handle criticism; defensive; people are avoiding you; having to be right; digestive problems; headaches; obsessive (stuck) thoughts; can’t forgive; feeling grandiose (superior); intimidation; feeling aggressive.
“E” = Exhausted (Out of gas; depression)
Depressed; panicked; confused; hopelessness; sleeping too much or too little; can’t cope; overwhelmed; crying for “no reason”; can’t think; forgetful; pessimistic; helpless; tired; numb; wanting to run; constant cravings for old coping behaviors, thinking of using sex, drugs, or alcohol; seeking old unhealthy people & places; really isolating; people angry with you; self-abuse; suicidal thoughts; spontaneous crying; no goals; survival mode; not returning phone calls; missing work, irritability; no appetite. Exhausted then leads to:
“R” = Relapse
Returning to the place you swore you would never go again. Giving up; giving in; out of control; lost in your addiction; lying to yourself and others; feeling you just can’t manage without your coping behavior, at least for now. The result is usually shame, condemnation, guilt and aloneness. Each one of these go into details on what each
Now you may not agree with these same predictors, but I assure you there are predictors. Any addict being honest and of clear mind with tell you they began to have thoughts days or even weeks before they actually relapsed. They begin to think about the past, how they felt, and even fanaticize or justifying why one time won’t hurt anyone and no one would know. Just one… there is not just one for an addict. There is a saying 1 is too many and a 100 is not enough. I first heard this from one of my dad’s drinking buddies when I was about nine and had no idea back then what it meant.
Here is the problem with the faster scale;
1. You have to be aware of the faster scale
2. You have to actively work the faster scale
3. You must be willing to take corrective action
If you are missing just one of these three the scale breaks down and becomes useless.
The three problems underneath the problem
Access is a fiction on paper. "Treatment is available" and "treatment is available to this person, today, in the state they're in right now" are entirely different sentences. Waitlists, sobriety prerequisites, insurance gaps, and transport all sit between the two.
We ask for the wrong thing first. Many programs require stability before they'll offer help, when help is what produces stability. That order is backwards, and it's the single most expensive mistake in the field.
Relapse is treated as a verdict. In every other chronic condition, a return of symptoms triggers more care. Here it frequently triggers discharge, eviction, or a lost place in a queue. We built a system that removes support at precisely the moment support is needed.
What actually helps
Low-barrier entry to treatment. Medication for opioid use disorder offered without moralizing. Treatment more than 30 days, beyond the pink cloud. Housing that hinges on treatment not just on abstinence. Peer workers who have been where the person is standing. And time — long enough for a relationship to form, because a relationship is the delivery mechanism for everything else.
Nobody has ever been shamed into recovery by a person they didn't trust.
Where this touches the other circles
Substance use is one of the fastest routes into homelessness and one of the hardest things to stop while homeless. It is also, for a large share of people, an attempt to manage psychiatric symptoms that were never treated. Address it alone and you are treating a third of a person.
Return to Use After Treatment/Hospitalization
One study found that among individuals released after a 3-day inpatient opioid detoxification, only 21.3% self-reported not using opioids after 30 days, though urine samples suggested the rate of non-use was closer to 12-15%. This means approximately 79-88% return to opioid use within 30 days following inpatient treatment.
Re-Overdose Within 30 Days
The more recent data on overdose survivors specifically shows: Within 30 days of hospital discharge following an opioid overdose, 6% experienced another overdose.
The Important Distinction
It's crucial to note that a 6% re-overdose rate is much lower than a 79-88% return-to-use rate because:
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Not everyone who uses opioids will overdose
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Some may use at lower doses or in safer conditions
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The gap highlights that many people return to use but don't immediately re-overdose