Beautiful Boy by David Sheff Essay Example

Introduction

Addiction is a mysterious dilemma in modern society. Many people have a perception that addiction is an individual problem and requires no external intervention in curbing the issue. Additionally, the society perceives that those rooted in drug use lack morals as well as principles to choose to stop drug use at choice. However, drug addiction is a disease that requires attention just like any other diseases. Quitting drug addiction can take more than medical intervention and personal strong will and good intentions to quit. Regarding researchers' knowledge on the effect of drugs to the brain, clinical and psychological treatments have been discovered to help addicts in recovery and improve the productivity of their lives (Volkow & Koob, 2015).

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Drug addiction is characterized by a compulsive urge that exceeds control in seeking drug use regardless of the consequences of using the drug (NIDA., 2018). People have a very different perception of addiction. As described by David Sheff in his personal narrative on firsthand experience on addiction, addiction is a disease, and Sheff calls upon everyone to treat addiction as a disease and not just an individual matter. In David Sheff's experience as a struggle with his son's addiction, he realized that addiction is not only an individual matter but also increases codependency relationships. This paper takes a comprehensive insight into the themes of love, betrayal, trust, guilt, shame, isolation, loss and forgiveness and letting go in David Sheff's Beautiful Boy. This paper is poised to highlight the individual themes in Sheff's and his family's perspective.

Love

The theme of love is dominant in Sheff's Beautiful Boy. Upon Sheff realizing that his son was suffering from addiction, he struggled with denial and which was later transformed to his strength to source for help for his son Nic. Sheff's love for Nic led to his struggle to accept the fact of watching his son struggle with meth addiction. Not only does Sheff struggle with denial but also subjects himself to self-blame for not being there for Nic from the onset of using drugs until he had already accustomed himself with both soft drugs and hard drugs; and in this case highly addictive crystal meth. David applied his journalistic skills to use by researching on addiction. Accepting to face the facts behind addiction and resolving at aiding Nic out of addiction shows his life for him. At some times, he risked not to ever talk to Nic just in the quest to have him recover from addiction (Sheff, 2018). As brought by David, his son's addiction turned out to be his addiction which gives out an impression of how his love for Nic enhanced his dedication to accord him help. David is affected by codependency from his son's addiction which he blames himself for being late to realize how far his son was getting regarding drugs consumption. Finally, someone has said it: So, it is my fault that Nic has been increasingly sullen and shadowy and is now lying and stealing (Sheff, 2018). Basically, his struggle with the denial of Nic's addiction shows his love for his son.

Betrayal

Sheff's family brings out the theme of betrayal as they feel they betrayed Nic in his time of need. According to BHPB. (2018), family members should identify the basic changes and facilitate balance as well as maintaining order. In this light, Sheff family failed to spot Nic's addiction until it was at a critical level. Learning on the extent of Nic's condition entailed his family and close friends falling victims of the basic consequences of addiction. Stealing from family members and close friends to get money to meet their compulsive urge for drugs is (Palmer, 2014). Similarly, Sheff's family underwent the same with Nic stealing, lying and spending on the streets (Sheff, 2018). In this scenario, Sheff blames himself and the family for not watching out for Nic and therefore feeling that they betrayed him.

Guilt and shame

Guilt and shame surround Sheff in his personal narrative on his journey with his son's addiction. Sheff is seen to second guess on his parenting skills due to the misstep in identifying Nic's addiction until it was late. He is filled with guilt, anger, and hopelessness as he figures out what befalls his boy. According to Sheff, Nic had a lot of potentials and was in a possible to come out successfully in all the things he could do. However, as Sheff struggles through the emotional denial, he is filled with guilt as the once athletic and successful boy turns out to retreat with addiction dominating his decisions. The shame for not being there for his family especially Nic crushes him down as he sometimes wishes that he could run down the idea of Nic's issue in his mind and live like nothing ever existed (Sheff, 2018). According to the Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches' definition of the roles played by each in an addict's family, Sheff plays the role of the hero (BHPB., 2018). Therefore, by failing to get facts right regarding the effects of addiction and the ways to intervene seemed to be a let down to him and therefore was filled with guilt. Each addict's situation is unique, to that effect, identifying the causative factor for one's addiction may be difficult (BHPB., 2018). However, as pointed out in Sheff's narrative, Sheff struggles to figure out the cause of Nic's addiction. This adds to his misery and feeling of shame for missing out on the basic developmental changes in his son's life.

Isolation and Pain

Most addicts undergo a lot of agony, physical pain, withdrawal and the fear of looming withdrawal. On the other hand, family members are also in fear of losing their loved ones to addiction. The feeling of losing a loved one in a family increases tension, fear, guilt and internal family feuds which if not handled appropriately can result in the disorientation of the family. Additionally, family members may face withdrawal and suffer depression due to the impact of codependency in their lives. Sheff faces withdrawal, and to some extent, he seems obsessed with his son's addiction more than anything else. He uses his journalistic skills in trying to seek help as well as learning more about addiction so as he can understand his son well. As he describes it, he is also a victim of anxiety and depression that comes along with his son's addiction. "I do not relish, but I am used to the perpetual angst and humming anxiety and intermitted depression that comes with Nic's addiction" (Sheff, 2018). The anxiety and depression in Sheff are an indication of his loss and isolation he faces in his son's journey with addiction. Sheff expresses his pain by describing addiction as a disease, "Fortunately there is a beautiful boy. Unfortunately, he has a terrible disease. " By admitting that addiction is a disease, he as well as admits his loss of Nic to a disease he had little knowledge to mitigate. Sheff also laments of Nic being a prisoner of addiction, and he terms his addiction as a ghost. Methamphetamine is highly addictive and increases the dopamine activities retarding the positive reward and therefore resulting in withdrawal and lead to the sullen character (NIDA., 2018). Sheff shares his loss through his choice of words in describing the impact of addiction to the health and psychological position of Nic. "He is condemn prisoner" (Sheff, 2018). While describing to the type of addiction exhibited by Nic, he points out that "Nic's addiction is a ghost" (Sheff, 2018). The pain of the deep depression in his son could not spare him isolation just like his son.

Forgiveness and letting go

The theme of forgiveness and letting go are highlighted in David Sheff's work on his journey with his son's addiction. Sheff blames himself for the accelerated addiction, and he falls a victim of depression as well as anxiety from his son's condition. In this case, he lags behind in seeking help for his son and dwells in self-blame. However, he rises from his fear and blame to share his experience with the world which he finds helpful by listening to other people's stories. By forgiving himself and his son, he finds peace of mind that allows him to seek help for his son. Additionally, after sharing and listening to other people's stories, he came to understand the impact of depression, and ways to intervene to enhance the recovery of his son.

Addiction is a way of self-medication to some addicts as they drown in drugs evading reality. By maintaining a high consumption of drugs, most addicts are able to neutralize the pain, anxiety, and depression they face in their lives (Palmer,2014). They struggle with their strong compulsion of drugs and the anxiety as well as the depression they are faced with and therefore try to obstruct the feeling of loneliness, anger, and self-rejection (Palmer,2014). In this case, addicts are portrayed as redeemable people whose choice of crime arises from necessity. Therefore, addicts deserve understanding and help to help them recover from their condition. The detrimental part of the recovery process of addicts is their vulnerability to relapse. However, a relapse should only call for a change in the treatment plan.

After a period of denial, Sheff accepted the reality behind his son's addiction. Consequently, he resolved at sharing his son's condition which resulted in him realizing much about addiction. He not only realized that addiction was redeemable but was also victims are also prone to relapses (Sheff 2018). Letting go of his fears, self-blame, anger, and guilt enhanced his ability to offer help to his son.

Conclusion

Addiction is a serious and severe condition that is highly neglected in society. Many people term it as a personal problem, but on the contrary, it is as serious as other medical conditions such as heart attacks, diabetes, and stroke. In this case, people suffering from addiction should be accorded the required help to bail them out of the addiction prison. At the time it is considered as a self-imposed complication as people run to drugs when they try to avoid facing reality. Addiction affects an individual and their families and therefore, it is not only a personal issue but a matter of concern to the entire family and friends of the addict. As expressed by Sheff in his narrative of his addiction journey with his son, addiction requires dedication to help out the addict. However, the detrimental factor in prioritizing the addict's life is the impact of codependency on the family members. They may also face suppressed feelings which may result in anxiety and depression. In this light, addiction is a disease that requires standard intervention to enhance the recovery of the affected individuals.

References

BHPB. (2018). The Impact of Substance Abuse and Addiction on Families - Behavioral Health Of The Palm Beaches. Retrieved from https://www.bhpalmbeach.com/recovery-articles/impact-substance-abuse-and-addiction-families/

MHA. (2018). Co-Dependency. Retrieved from http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/co-dependencyNIDA. (2018, June 6). Understanding Drug Use and Addiction. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/understanding-drug-use-addiction on 2018, October 10

Palmer, S. (2014). How the World Sees a Drug Addict. Retrieved from http://henryharbor.com/how-the-world-sees-a-drug-addict/Sheff, D. (2018). Beautiful boy: A father's journey through his son's addiction. Simon and Schuster.

Volkow, D., N & Koob, G. (2015). Brain disease model of addiction: why is it so controversial?. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2(8), 677-679.