A short YouTube monologue by Amber Hollingsworth (video uploaded June 13, 2019) addressing people who live with someone with drug or alcohol addiction. The speaker uses a demon-possession metaphor to explain the unpredictable, hostile, and baffling behaviors of an addicted loved one, advises listeners not to engage the ‘demon’ (i.e., argue with the addiction-driven behavior), and promises practical tools and support to cope and ‘win’ against the addiction’s effects.
Chapters
Does it ever just feel like your.
Loved one is possessed by some sort of demon? I mean, like, full on exorcism style. Well, that's probably because that's what it.
Feels like to live with someone with.
A drug and alcohol problem. It feels like you're living with a possessed person. Seriously, dealing with people addicted to alcohol.
And other drugs is about the closest.
I've ever seen to a real, like, demon possession. And sometimes it's actually helpful to kind of look at it through those lens. I mean, that's why it's so frustrating sometimes. Just like on all those movies you see where someone's possessed by some sort of demon. It's like sometimes you can see like the person, the person that you love, your child, your husband, your spouse, your parent. And it just seems like, oh, there they are, it's their regular self. And that soda and that sort of.
Like lulls you in. And then other times it's like, what the heck? Who are you? What is going on? And where is my family member?
I mean, sometimes it's like their little.
Head spins all around on the shoulders and spits green pea soup at you.
Yes, they will do that.
They will pick a fight with you.
Just like on the movie the Exorcism, where the priests are sitting there with like the crosses and the holy water and that thing is like. And that demon is like saying every.
Nasty thing at them, trying to suck.
Them into an argument. That is exactly what addiction will do. That is what it feels like to live with an addict or an alcoholic.
And sometimes when it gets tough, that's.
Exactly what I want you to remember. But the key is your loved one is still inside of there. And no matter how much pea soup.
Gets spit, don't spend your time arguing with the demon.
It's a waste of time. Just like on every crazy possession movie you have ever seen. When someone comes in to do like the exorcism or whatever the heck happens, they almost like bypass this demon thing over here. Being crazy, saying crazy things, because it's just a distraction. It's trying to throw you off course.
And you've got to remember that you're smarter and you're here on a mission and you are going to win. And if you'll just stick with us, we are going to give you all the tools that you need. We're gonna give you your own little cross and holy water and whatever else that you need to beat this demon.
That'S got a hold of your loved one.
It can be done.
And we're gonna show you how and on where. You know that demon is spitting venom at you. You just keep your head on straight because we're going to win this battle.
