When most people think of addiction, they think of stoners and alcoholics. While these are the most common types of addiction, there are also more bizarre things like sex addiction and gambling. In a certain sense, every person has a form of addiction. Weather, caffeine, food, or cleanliness are all little types of addictions. For example, if you don't drink your daily dose of triple espresso in the morning, you will go crazy, or whenever you feel an extreme emotion, you feel the need to eat. There are some people who have extreme addictions, who destroy families, tear themselves down and lose everything they had, just for a drink or a few puffs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Having an addiction can scare a family and leave charred relationships in its wake. Most people who deal with addiction have done so for most of their lives and have no intention of stopping, or even realize they have a problem. Denial is normal in such situations. Because they deny that anything is wrong, the other party in the relationship begins to question their own habits. Growing up with an alcoholic father, I spent much of my childhood questioning myself. I didn't understand why he forgot to pick me up on Sundays, or why there was always a pint of Black Velvet in the back seat of his truck. When he was drunk, he would call me and tell me that my life goals weren't good enough and that I should consider other avenues. He would comment on my weight (which was never really an issue) and criticize my every move. He lied about scrapes, bruises and broken ankles from bar fights, blaming it on his job. My mother lived with these habits for seventeen years before she finally had enough. His addiction had taken over his mind and actions, until he was no longer the person he was. He was an indifferent human being, obsessed with alcohol, willing to lose his wife and child for a bottle. Alcohol has destroyed my family and I know I'm not alone. If you think about it, people who quit smoking experience a drastic physical and personality change. So why do we expect people with drug addictions to quit and be fine? We feel like drugs are so bad that people should just quit them and get on with their lives like normal people. We don't stop to think how hard it might be for them and their emotions. When addictions are present, the person's previous personality is lost. They change based on their needs in the moment and how their addiction affects them. Every now and then, you see the person that could be and you wish so badly for that person to always be there. My boyfriend had alcohol and drug problems. I lived every day for two months watching him go from the kind, sober, caring person I knew, to the belligerent, drunk, jealous buffoon his addiction created. He drank alone when I wasn't home, got angry when his friends did cocaine without him (and blamed me for losing it), and spent all his change and extra money on beer. Eventually it escalated to the point that I was terrified of my own boyfriend because he was so sporadic. His mood changed like the ocean waves and I was never quite prepared for what would happen next. He had threatened to kill himself because he was afraid that I no longer loved him and he made me feel responsible for his life. I realized that that environment wasn't healthy for me, so I have it.