Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Reviews

Rain in my Heart

BMJ 2006; 333 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39041.457199.59 (Published 23 November 2006) Cite this as: BMJ 2006;333:1127

Rapid Response:

Addiction Free

Addiction begins in childhood. Our parents reward us for good
behavior with
sweets like ice cream, candy, and soda. What a pity that the sweetness of
childhood is ruined by the sweetness of junk food.

As teenagers, we copy our parents' addictions to bitter substances
like
alcohol, tobacco, and coffee. By the time we've reached our twenties,
addiction has taken over our lives, and we're chronically sick. What a
pity that
the sweetness of young adulthood is ruined by the bitterness of addictive
substances.

Sometimes we experiment with drugs and lose our independence,
dignity,
and sanity. When we ask our parents and doctors for help, they give us pep

talks and pills, but no practical advice.

In order to escape from addiction, we must review the mistakes of
childhood.
As children, our lives revolve around family, food, and fun - but not
health.
By giving us sweets, our parents unwittingly squander the magical health
that
Mother Nature gave us.

Mother Nature is wise and forgiving. She wants us to be healthy, but
we must
listen to her. She wants us to understand that childhood does not last
forever,
but the mistakes of childhood do. It is our responsibility to review our
childhood and to correct the mistakes that were made. We must give up our
craving for sweets and shift our focus from fun to health.

We must understand that our parents are not perfect, and that we
should only
copy their good habits, not their bad ones. Alcohol, tobacco, and coffee
do
not make us mature - they make us sick. Drugs do not make us cool - they
make us cruel. When we take drugs, we hurt ourselves and others.

We must accept our limitations and understand that addiction is
stronger
than us. There is no way to compromise with addictive substances or to use

them in moderation. We must eliminate all addictive substances from our
life.
This will enable us to regain our birthright - the magical health of
childhood.

Competing interests:
None declared

Competing interests: No competing interests

29 December 2006
Hugh Mann
Physician
Eagle Rock, MO 65641