What a great post!!!
My condolences to the Granju family, and friends.

I write the following with Henry in mind. R.I.P dude, I can tell you where somone I could chill with.

Having firsthand knowledge on this subject which includes my own personal demons and I’m someone who has to watch his older brother suffer with a dual diagnosis head injury because of self medicating substance abuse …(that’s a long story about two brothers coming together under the warm blanket of opiates).

I’m better now and live with the constant stigma of my fellow Americans. I’ve never relapsed, I don’t have hepatitis (thank god) and I don’t hang out with “old friends” but it will never be enough. In America the free, we treat our addicts like they are gross time bombs, waiting to blow up and hurt us. Heck, we even treat recovering / recovered addicts like they are “broken” people. So I’ve learned that people just don’t understand, and will NEVER take pride in my achievement of sobriety. They don’t want to hear about it. White, sheltered, suburban America has really got to get a grip on reality. We are a nation of over medicated kids who are told that there is “better living through chemistry.” Should we really be shocked that some of us fall into experimentation and self-medication?
If I was a parent, I would (and do) support local anti-substance abuse causes and non-jail-time diversion programs and even methadone clinics. Why??? Because you never know when your kid or wife/husband brother/sister mom or dad might need an awesome community (free) support program like I did. I was saved, my brother was not. You can’t help everyone, but you will be glad to know help is out there if you need it.