While the crack addict goes through their own hell in their struggle with addiction, the families are also affected. Many families are torn apart by the effects of crack addiction. The pain and agony caused by an addiction is far reaching and does a lot of damage. Having a crack addict in the family, or as a friend can cause so much emotional turmoil and heart ache.
One family in the Midwest US was once a picture perfect family living in a rural area. The mother and father had 3 children and a very successful farm, which was to be passed down to the children. The eldest son, Eric, started to hang out with the wrong people while he was in high school. It started with a little marijuana and escalated from there until eventually Eric was introduced to crack. He was addicted instantly. He didn’t plan on it; in fact, he thought he had everything under control.
Eric’s parents noticed the change in him almost instantly. At first, they let it go, thinking it was just normal adolescent behavior. As time went on, they realized something was very wrong. Like most parents, they tried talking to Eric, who denied everything and told his parents to mind their own business. Soon the talking became arguing as his parents became more and more frustrated. If Eric was home, there was an argument.
His mom and dad hesitated in getting help since they lived in a small rural community and feared rejection or humiliation if anyone found out. So, the arguing continued. Eric just wanted to be left alone and be able to “enjoy” his drugs and his friends. He began stealing money from the family and trying to cover it up. Finally, his parents had had enough. They told Eric to get off of the drugs or he would not get a dime of the inheritance. In fact, he would be taken out of the trust all together. Needless to say; Eric was not happy about that, but no one expected what happened next.
One Friday night as Eric’s mom and dad sat and watched television, two young men in masks came through the front door. Although they didn’t know it at the time, it was Eric and one of his friends. Eric lifted a shotgun and aimed it directly at his mother’s head. He then turned to his father and shot him in the chest. He then walked to the car and actually joked about the “mess” they had made.
Eric is spending the rest of his life in prison now and his siblings are dealing with the loss of their parents. The message they try to get out now is; “Get help for crack addicts”, it could save some lives.
Authors bio is coming up shortly.