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Lies, Manipulation and Broken Trust in Addiction
I once knew a man who was a heavy cocaine user.
By heavy, I mean regular binge episodes titrated with Johnny Walker Red, stretching out for days until either the money ran out or his nervous system could withstand no more poison. Then came weeks-long crashes of days asleep and nights haunted by depression and desperation.
Cocaine is not a cheap substance to binge. To sustain his habit, he took out loans from his parents, friends and even his wife’s family members.
He, of course, concealed the true purpose of these loans with elaborate lies about fabricated emergencies and down payments on what he billed as an illustrious future.
One day in our rehabilitation facility — where I met him as a fellow patient — he told a story about how he’d left his wedding reception to go “check on their pet.” He instead raced across town to his cocaine dealer.
During his final week of rehab, his wife served him divorce papers. She’d had enough.
His is a cautionary tale to everyone mired in the wasteland of addiction. Sometimes the lies, manipulation and broken trust leave no room for relationship repair.
