All diseases are to be cured. All ailments are to be healed. This is the philosophy that propels modern medicine — with each day serving as an experiment in theorems and formulas, trying to discover the answers to all questions. No problems are to defy solution. They are all instead to be understood. And every illness is to be conquered, defined to easy prescriptions and easier treatments. No worry is to last… except for addiction.
Though it is defined as a disease (and is formed of tragic effects and physical dependence), addiction cannot be cured. There are no medications that will completely erase it. There are no procedures that will render it defeated. It is instead invulnerable — a product of both mind and body — and cannot be truly healed.
It can instead only be countered.
Those seeking to end their addictions will have to endure a lifelong diligence. Therapy must be sought; support must be found; and temptation must be avoided. Abstinence is the only proven method of managing this illness — and individuals must remove all traces of their preferred substances or behaviors from their routines.
Even this is not enough to eradicate the ailment, however. Those who suffer from addiction will bear the burden of it for all of their days. It never disappears; it simply wanes. And this distinction is vital in deciding to seek treatment. There can be no expectation of a cure. There can instead only be the realization that substances can be refused and their effects can be tamed. Dependency can be shaped into a far easier memory — but it will always be part of the body.
And this is a truth that cannot be forgotten.