I've seen many people, especially family members of those who are addicted to a substance, find themselves baffled by their loved one's condition. It's not uncommon to hear, "Why don't they just stop?"
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In reality, the addicted person often does want to stop the pain and chaos that can come along with addiction. Unfortunately, the addicted person can have a hard time conceptualizing a life in which they can have all the emotional numbness, physical relaxation, mental tranquility, or positive self-perception that sometimes comes with the substance without actually using the substance.
People fail to realize that the weed or the alcohol or the cigarettes or whatever other substance a person may be addicted to is something that this person has come to love and feel is absolutely critical to their survival.
You can get a taste of this feeling if you (granted you don't have any respiratory issues that could be aggrevated by this activity) take a deep breath and hold it. As you get to the point where you want to exhale--keep holding your breath. Now, imagine that I told you that you could never use oxygen again. In order to keep your family in tact, keep yourself out of prison, keep your health, and maintain your future sanity, you would need to figure out how to live life without another breath of oxygen. ***Please start breathing normally again if you haven't already done so.***
My hope is that this post will give people a tidbit of compassion when it comes to people struggling with an addiction. Yes, technically, the person can "just stop". Millions of recovering addicts do it every single day. However, it takes positive support from family and friends to help show this person that they don't need the substance to feel beautiful, have fun, relax, numb pain, or be loved and appreciated by others.
Read more about this topic:
http://newlifehouse.com/cant-addicts-stop-using-heroin/
http://www.themountainpress.com/opinion/x1763672537/Curtis-Trotter-Addiction-Why-can-t-they-just-stop
http://www.chicagonow.com/moms-who-drink-and-swear/2014/04/alcoholics-anonymous-one-size-does-not-fit-all/
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