The Land of 10,000 Dreams

The following is a piece I wrote this morning as part of the application to my ideal job as a substance abuse writer for a regional website. Honestly, it made me cry.

From January to June of 2008 alone, nearly 10,000 citizens of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area were admitted into chemical dependency treatment programs. In that same period there were over 5,000 drug-related visits to local emergency rooms (sadly, over 2,000 of said visits were for underage drinking.) These staggering numbers are indicative of a society in desperate need of reform in the manner in which its populace enters and matures.

Too easily those in CD treatment are viewed as the lower-class dregs of our society. Quite the opposite is true. These are 10,000 troubled spirits, 10,000 misguided souls, 10,000 dreams waiting to be realized. Every addict carries the hope for something better. Whether that vision is a place to call home, a family, a stable job, health insurance, or simply to live a clean and sober life, the potential is in everyone to realize that goal.

It has become clear to me that addiction stems largely from a lack of true spirituality. The use of chemicals offers a false sense of fulfillment, relief, happiness, inspiration, compassion, empathy, and worth, to name a few. Such satisfaction can only truly be achieved by a personal understanding of the spirit that surrounds us and resides within us. Tackling the problem of alcohol and street drugs strictly through law does nothing to address the underlying issue of addiction and its impact on our society. First and foremost a sense of purpose in life needs to be imbued before addictive transgressions are allowed to manifest themselves. This is a tender endeavor as everyone possesses their own psychological make-up. Spirituality cannot be forced but only nurtured.

The Bible says we are here to hold dominion over the Earth, but I feel our Earth-bound mentality has kept us from understanding the greatest of God’s laws…love.


© 2009 Uncover/Recover