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

Watch out for this writing scam

I'm an article writer as well as writing novels, scripts, etc....but last week I responded to a buyer who wanted an article written within 24 hours. He was in such a hurry for this 1000 word article, that he promised in the online ad that I should read what he had, rewrite it, tell him that I agreed to extend the article from 500 words to 1000, after which he would immediately put the money into my account. I agreed to write it and let him know. I told him that I could only use Paypal to receive the money. Because I had to go out as it was a Sunday and he would not be available for 24 hours, I decided to trust him and extended the article and sent it to him using the email he provided. He never responded. He took the article, never paid what he owed me for 1000 words, and changed his email address.

Rafael Nadal!!!

What about that game yesterday. I felt bad for Federer, but couldn't have him win at the expense of the Spaniard. In a way I would even venture to say that I was glad Federer beat Djokovic the day before. I felt that Federer sort of paved the way for Rafa to win. Federer and Rafa are friends after all. Yes, yes, I'll admit it..I was a little scared that Djokovic might take the cup from Rafael with Rafa being a little insecure these past weeks. But the Spaniard came through. People didn't speak to each other in my house. They had all bet on Federer. But I knew I could rely on Rafa to carry the day. Vamos Rafa!!!