One of the happiest parts of aging for me has been seeing many of my nieces and nephews get free from addiction.
Addiction is truly a family disease — not only a genetic predisposition that people can inherit, but also a disease that can thrust a whole family into chaos along with the individual who is actively addicted.
All five of my brothers died young from addiction-related conditions. Those that had children passed addiction on. When the first young person in my family got sober, it had a domino effect. It showed others that being free of drugs and alcohol was possible for people in our family, and that life could be immeasurably better.
Here’s a friend link to a story about addiction and incarceration in my family.
Michele Sharpe 
What a story you have to tell, Michele. Addiction runs through the current of my family life also and I think that if I wasn’t just trying to survive, I might have succumbed too. The idea of families getting sober is an inspiring one.
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Hi V. J.! My aunt (born the same year as me) has never touched drugs, alcohol, or tobacco, too anxious she’d turn out like others in our family. She’s generally anxious, and I think a lot of addiction is self-medication.
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For sure it is. And there is more than one way to be addicted.
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