Images of Addiction

At the last meeting I went to, someone posed the question, "What image represents addiction to you?"

One older woman said it was an ugly demon.

A young man stated in contrast, a beautiful, seductive demon.

Most agreed the Grim Reaper was an accurate representation. 

I see chains.

One kid, a teenager, provided one of the most poignant answers -- a lens. Everything you see is through the lens of addiction, the way you see your family, friends, life in general. When you remove that lens, everything is different. I think that's why it's difficult for a lot of people to remain in recovery. They stop taking drugs, but they continue to see everything through that lens. Suspicion, solitude, distrust, manipulation, they are part of that lens, and it's hard to function like a normal person when that is how you see life. I just thought that was such an effective way to sum it up, I had to record it and share.

Here are a couple images I have relating to the topic:

My husband did this sculpture using an artist's mannequin, the piece is titled "Consumption" and the concept was based on bitterness and how it consumes you, but I can't help but relate it to addiction as well.

 

He lets us fall sometimes.

 

This is a painting I did recently. I actually dreamt this up. My mother's favorite flower is a sunflower. The yellow and white things are morphine capsules, the kind she takes.

"This is where the healing begins
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken withing
The Light meets the Dark"
lyrics by Tenth Avenue North

 

This is another painting I did, titled "Freedom". The background text is excerpts from the gospels containing the death and resurrection of Jesus.