Is your money disappearing in the house? Is your toaster gone? Is someone in your house an addict?

Okay, so that's just to get your attention, although I am going to address the question further on in this piece. First, however, the business of the day. It took me days to get over Rafael Nadal losing to the Serb, Djokovic. I even dreamt about Djokovic last night, which shows how much I love tennis, and of course, a huge fan of the Spaniard. In the semi-final I could see the hunger of the Serb; he was foaming at the mouth. And yes, he is a superb athlete and earned that final win. But has anyone tested these players to see if this superb strength comes from the gods favoring him, or from a syringe? No, no, I am not a sore loser; I just will not be able to see my boy pushed to number two. May the next tournament decide. Just had to share that.

Now about all those missing items in your house. It's not a laughing matter if someone in the family has an addiction, whether it be a sex addiction, a drug addiction, an alcoholic, or a gambler. The devastation is the same for all of them. And you know, once an addict, always an addict, even though you might be clean for ten years. Did you know Anthony Hopkins is an alcoholic? He's clean for more than ten years now, but he still has to say at Alcoholics Anonymous, My name is Anthony Hopkins. I'm an alcoholic. You can never cure an addiction; you can only arrest it.

I want to create an outlet for addicts and parents of addicts and loved ones who have been smitten by the disease. With knowledge comes understanding, and information is powerful. After writing Confessions of a Gambler I was beseeched by people, especially women, who told me their stories and confided in me. One Muslim woman came up to me in Pick 'n Pay and said, I want to tell you something. My life has been very hard. If I wasn't Muslim, I would've been an alcoholic. That's pretty deep.

Write to this blog if you are interested in commenting or have a problem and want to discuss it. If no one is interested and no one leaves a comment, we can't take this further. You need not leave your name; that way you can share your experiences living with an addict and be truthful. Remember, addiction is a disease. You can't fix it with a pill. It is hard work pulling out of it, but it can be done. You owe it to a loved one.

Rayda