Does a drug addict ever get to say, “I am no longer an addict?” Before answering this, you must understand that addiction or being hooked on drugs involves not one but TWO hooks– one hooks your body, the other hooks your mind (See Chapter 2 of the Book).

The hook that won’t let you body go is called Dependence. This is the reason for withdrawal symptoms. Being “dopesick” is the body reacting to the hook with vomiting, diarrhea, cold sweats, jitteriness, abdominal and bone pains, etc. This is what “detox” is all about – getting the addict past withdrawal symptoms. Dependence is terrible, but it ends. 

The second hook is called Addiction. This is the hook that won’t let your mind go. This is the far more important hook because fatal overdoses are due to addiction not to dependence. 

Addiction fades but never goes away entirely. This is why if you go to an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting, someone might stand up and say, “Hi, my name is Bill. I am an alcoholic. My last drink was 20 years ago.” 

“What? Twenty years? Why are you still coming to AA meetings?” Bill would answer, “Because I am still an alcoholic.” Not drinking for 20 years means Bill’s body is no longer hooked but he knows darn well that his mind is not free. 

I describe addiction as a rut in the road of life that the addict has to travel every day. When an addict gets sober, it merely means we’ve pulled the tire out of the rut. Unfortunately, there is no way to fill up that rut. If the addict’s tire gets too close, it will fall right back into the rut.

It is easy to steer clear of the rut on a bright, sunny day. It may be much harder when it is dark and rainy, or the road is full of potholes you also have to avoid.

Many addicts think the hard part is getting over the withdrawals. Once they have stopped using, they think they have beaten addiction. Wrong. They have only defeated dependence. It is easy to believe you will never fall back into the rut when it is bright and sunny. You may believe you will never go back to using drugs when you are doing well in life; but there is no guarantee life will stay good. What if you lose your job, find your spouse cheated on you, or some other calamity befalls you?

What I am saying is that stopping drug use does not mean you have won the battle. Most overweight people will agree that losing weight isn’t the hard part. Keeping weight off is much harder. 

My book is called Abstinence Kills because for opioid addicts, being off all opioids including buprenorphine and methadone, means you will have no tolerance left. The drug scene is now so toxic that the first time you relapse might be your last. Seven out of 10 fake pills have enough fentanyl to kill. 

Being drug-free means you’ve pulled out the hook of dependence. Well done! Sadly however, addiction isn’t over. Dependence keeps people using drugs. Addiction pulls them back after they have stopped. Stay on medicines – your life might depend on it. Don’t gamble on abstinence.