My son has chosen to get sober. I’m not sure I’ll ever really know exactly what all he’s taken, or dabbled in, where drugs are concerned. I don’t think he’s tried anything really hard like cocaine or heroin. I shouldn’t have felt relief when he got his drug card, but it was. It meant whatever he was using was clean, just marijuana, no boosters to enhance the experience.
My son got sober and his “ride or die” friends don’t want to hang out anymore. As his mother, who hated these little jerks all along, I should be happy. I’m not. I’m sad that my son is learning this painful lesson during a time when he needs solid friends to help him the most. He’s learning: the friends he chose over his family, for years, were using him for his marijuana card, for his ability to smoke up at a moment’s notice, to have “a good time”. He’s learned the painful lesson about fair weather friends.
The good news: My son discovered he’s not the only one getting sober; there are two others. He’s not alone. The other two were always on the outside of the group, but he likes them and now they have something in common.
My son will never be alone, but I don’t really qualify as a buddy, and I’m fairly certain he will never confide in me like he does his friends. But I hope he always knows I’m here for him. I hope he continues to see that being sober outweighs the paranoia, extreme mood swings, and never-ending need of the drug that he once depended on to get through the day. I hope he continues to take control of his own life instead of allowing the drugs and outside influences controlling him.
