At some point in practically everyone's life they have known someone or had a family member who had problems with drugs or alcohol. It almost seems like a requirement to being human is to deal with drug or alcohol abuse with someone in your life. Well, as you may know, it is a very difficult and daunting thing to have to confront and deal with. The hardest part is getting the person to admit they have a problem. And from what I am seeing today, I think it is about time that we all admit we have a problem. We are, as a country and as individuals, addicted to oil.

According to the National Library of Medicine, the following are telltale signs that a child is taking drugs:
* Change in friends. Hanging out with a new group.
* Seclusive behavior - long periods spent in self imposed isolation.
* Long, unexplained absences.
* Lying and stealing.
* Involvement on the wrong side of the law.
* Deteriorating family relationships.
* Obvious intoxication, delirious, incoherent or unconscious.
* Changes in behavior and attitude.
* Decrease in school performance.

Now I am not going to go into detail about each and every one of these items on the list. We can all put two and two together. It seemed pretty interesting how one could go down this list and practically identify each of these signs with actions our country has gone through in the last few years; changing friends between Old Europe and New Europe for example, going at it alone in a “seclusive” fashion, lying and stealing, involvement on the wrong side of the law, etc., etc. Now, this is not meant to turn into a political discussion or rant. It is only meant to try to chisel away at that wall of deceit and lies we tell ourselves when we are addicted. Hopefully, little by little, our minds will clear up and we will start to ween ourselves off of this junk.

(1) Signs and symptoms of substance abuse. (n.d.). Retrieved Jan. 31, 2006, from Addictions.org Web site: http://www.addictions.org/signs.htm.