he·ro [heer-oh] –noun, plural -roes;

1. a man / woman of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his / her brave deeds and noble qualities.

2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.

Life is filled with ups and downs. No one can avoid bad experiences and have a life that is perfect. That’s just unrealistic. Regardless, it is clearly how we deal with our challenges that will make or break us.

It is important to understand that many people will experience difficult circumstances, trials, and tribulations that may appear overwhelming. During a period of hardship they will have an opportunity to address their problems or, if weak, avoid their problems.

If you have a problem with drug or alcohol usage, you may feel overwhelmed. You may feel that the odds are against you and that life is not fair. These feelings are normal and to be expected. Especially when someone is trying to stop drug usage and is beginning to embrace sobriety.

However, what may appear to be a bad thing is often a great opportunity. Understand this: no one can become a hero unless things are massively fucked up. You can’t do heroic things when everything is going fine and dandy. Ever watch a cowboy movie? Think– you see a drama building up—you get to know a character and see his strengths and weaknesses. Then you watch him as he is put in a situation that seems certain to end in doom.

Yet, the Hero doesn’t give up. In fact, he begins to fight even harder. He gets his head together and develops a plan. He often has other people that he trusts assisting him. Finally, even though the odds are obviously against him, our Hero triumphs over adversity.

Dealing with addiction is very similar. If you have a drug problem and are in treatment, feeling overwhelmed, or in trouble with the law—clearly things are massively fucked up. Instead of giving up and falling back into using, please be a Hero!

Go out swinging. Go out guns blazing. Never waste an opportunity to be a Hero by giving up and being a coward. Never waste an opportunity to kick addiction’s ass.

Please have the courage to face addiction and fight for your freedom. Remember, this is America. We love a comeback story. Just make sure that comeback story is you and not someone else.