My family is full of alcoholics, but I refuse to associate with them. My father and my mother do not have any drug addictions, though, for some time my mom had a cocaine problem, but that went away when the coke stopped coming to the area and she had a bypass. Now, she knows no more coke.
My grand mother and aunt are alcoholics. You can tell when they call you, the ice clings the glass in the background. I really don't have much information on my mom's side of the family and I wish not to know anything unless it effects me. I have valid reasons, but I won't get into it.
My husband is an alcoholic whether or not he wants to admit it. It completely changes him when he drinks and he doesn't know when he has had enough. He drinks nightly, because it is going to "help with pain." He does have 4 bulging disc in his spine and metal plates in his neck, plus bone missing from his hip. He hurts a lot, but alcohol doesn't help.
My mother in law is addicted to pain medicine, but also as many other medications a 65 year old women is taking plus the over the counter stuff. She is just addicted to taking a pill to fix every issue. She goes to the Dr 2-5 times a week. That is more her addiction. She gets something simple like a sore throat, but nothing actually wrong and is confused why she didn't walk out of the doctors office with a prescription. Her medication over dose put her in a coma for 3 weeks. We all thought she was going to die. The cause was Tylenol, which is a filler for he pain medicine, plus she takes Tylenol PM, and Tylenol for arthritis. It was shutting down her liver and stopping her heart from beating on its own, which caused her to pass out in the hall way as well. She lives alone, so no one found her for at least 36 hours. When they admitted her 36 hours at least after she passed out, she had toxic Tylenol doses. We still can't seem to help her out much with it. She is completely addicted to all the medicine the Dr gives her and won't listen to us that she needs to go through detox and change her ways. All she is worried about is cashing in her prescription, especially for her pain meds.
My step Uncle (has been my step uncle since before I was born) is addicted to alcohol, but also Meth. He went to prison for meth for 4.5 years and was released on parole. He had to behave for 6 years. Addiction does not go away and when you hang out with the same people you end up with old patterns. He wasn't out of jail for a year before he went back. Now, he will be gone for another 10 years. He has a child who is 5 and a 2 year old, who will never know him. And I don't blame the mother for not wanting the to know him. He became crazy on the meth and kid napped her by knife point.
I, so far, have no addiction issues. I just must not be wired like that or know when to part ways with something that is too good. I have done many drugs and played around multiple times with hardcore ones. I never found myself with addiction issues. Not everyone who does them becomes addicted, but they can really ruin your life. I stick to my Marijuana to this day. It doesn't make me do things I regret the next day.