Addiction
John Chamoun
I must’ve been twelve when it first started. My sister has and always had a problem. I remember the first time my parents noticed. I wonder if they ever wanted to solve the problem or if it was just part of everyday life for them. They walked in on my sister, pills all over the floor everywhere. I remember the fighting from the other room. Wondering what had happened. I’d never enter the room though. There was always a lot of fighting.
When I moved into my friend Tristan’s house at fifteen or sixteen, I really realized what was supposed to be the everyday normality. Tristan was a kind kid, he was a little larger than me at the time but not much larger. He always backed me up whenever something happened. He had an older brother named Logan who had the same problems as my sister. Addiction seemed to flood every household in my little neighborhood that was in the heart of Baltimore, Maryland. It really made me realize how abnormal my household was when I saw how his family handled the exact same problem. I hated living at home, but I never cared much where I was until I started hanging out with friends more.
Tristan’s family had a problem and it’s name was Logan. He still is a problem even today, but the way they handled it was still better than the way my sister had the problem handled. Instead of turning a blind eye to everything that happened with Logan like my parents did with my sister, it was highlighted. It made me understand that they cared a lot about what happened to Logan. It wasn’t until then that I realized that whatever occurred inside of my household and what occurred in their household were two entirely different worlds. Sure, Logan had a problem, but with the proper support eventually he would get over it, or so I’d thought. Looking at how the families interacted and what changed between the two families because of these problems made me acknowledge how truly horrible my parents are.
Logan had screamed and fought and stolen and hurt everyone in his household. Just as Katy had, but instead of being ignored or just letting it continue, everyone bonded against him. In a way the children all saw what was going between the parents, they understood the dynamic, and everyone bonded together to help Logan, a family of four. But mine, a family of nine can’t bond together to help one person. Everyone seemed to separate more so than they did connect. It’s an odd sensation thinking about the subject. It’s hard to think about whether or not there’s something I could’ve done about it. But, I still talk to Logan and my sister Katy, as often as I can. The way they both ended out was very different. I have to go to Maryland to talk to Katy, I can call Logan whenever I want. Addiction kills. Not just the users, but the families, everyone takes a hit when the user becomes the used.
When I moved into my friend Tristan’s house at fifteen or sixteen, I really realized what was supposed to be the everyday normality. Tristan was a kind kid, he was a little larger than me at the time but not much larger. He always backed me up whenever something happened. He had an older brother named Logan who had the same problems as my sister. Addiction seemed to flood every household in my little neighborhood that was in the heart of Baltimore, Maryland. It really made me realize how abnormal my household was when I saw how his family handled the exact same problem. I hated living at home, but I never cared much where I was until I started hanging out with friends more.
Tristan’s family had a problem and it’s name was Logan. He still is a problem even today, but the way they handled it was still better than the way my sister had the problem handled. Instead of turning a blind eye to everything that happened with Logan like my parents did with my sister, it was highlighted. It made me understand that they cared a lot about what happened to Logan. It wasn’t until then that I realized that whatever occurred inside of my household and what occurred in their household were two entirely different worlds. Sure, Logan had a problem, but with the proper support eventually he would get over it, or so I’d thought. Looking at how the families interacted and what changed between the two families because of these problems made me acknowledge how truly horrible my parents are.
Logan had screamed and fought and stolen and hurt everyone in his household. Just as Katy had, but instead of being ignored or just letting it continue, everyone bonded against him. In a way the children all saw what was going between the parents, they understood the dynamic, and everyone bonded together to help Logan, a family of four. But mine, a family of nine can’t bond together to help one person. Everyone seemed to separate more so than they did connect. It’s an odd sensation thinking about the subject. It’s hard to think about whether or not there’s something I could’ve done about it. But, I still talk to Logan and my sister Katy, as often as I can. The way they both ended out was very different. I have to go to Maryland to talk to Katy, I can call Logan whenever I want. Addiction kills. Not just the users, but the families, everyone takes a hit when the user becomes the used.
My name is John Chamoun. I'm from Baltimore, Maryland. I enjoy snowboarding, umbrella hats, and taking goofy pictures. I haven't been writing long. I enjoy playing video games and spend my summers working either on farms or in a construction field.