03/19/2026
For those of you that know, this is my daughter, Madi.
For those of that don’t know, this is my daughter, Madi.
For those of you that know, you know.
For those of you that don’t know, she is an addict.
I have been on this journey with her since she was 14 years old. She will celebrate her 20th birthday in 37 days. Which is ironic because I was 20 when I had her. We are 6 years and 3 rehabs in. Read on.
Did you know that addiction is classified in the DSM-5? It’s a mental illness that lives in the brain stem: the same brain stem that serves a critical role in regulating certain involuntary actions of the body, including heartbeat and breathing. Pause on that. Addicts feel that they need their drug of choice (DOC) the same way they feel they need to breathe. Pause on that.
Did you know that our society treats addiction as a moral issue and pawns it off on law enforcement to “control”? The average stay in jail is 14 days or less. Where addicts are left to detox alone…outside of medical supervision.
Did you know the detox process can be violent and result in death if not monitored by medical professionals?
The addict is then released at the time their serotonin levels are at their lowest, leading to a high rate of relapse. It’s a pun to say this is criminal. It takes an average of 14-16 months of sobriety for an addict’s brain to balance serotonin levels to that of a neuro-typical brain. Did you know that? Did you know that most insurances will only pay for
