Wasted: Exposing the Family Effect of Addiction | Sam Fowler | TEDxFurmanU

After her brother was diagnosed with the disease of addiction, Sam Fowler and her family had to change the way they lived their lives. In her talk, she tells about her experiences suffering from “the family disease."

[owqvpcz]

You are lucky if you’ve never seen drugs change a person you love

[kissablestyles]

Watching someone you love do bad things is the hardest thing ever

[axzy]

Honestly, I’m happy I’m not the only person who has had to live with this. Thank you for this.

[pamelacunningham]

My brother died 9 years ago, on Christmas Day. He literally drank himself to death. It was heartbreaking to watch. No words can describe the agony of alcohol addiction.

[annettea-o]

Standing by someone who is slowly killing themselves is the most sad, and terrible suffering, especially for a mother. I just recently have been going thru this-I am fighting for guardianship for my 2 grandchildren. God help me.❤️

[roberts]

What a sweetie.
I’m so sorry young lady
We lost our 16 year old son 4 years ago and now have a addicted daughter and our lives are crushed. Your the first person who we have heard mention the pain and what addiction does to the family

[JuliaFF]

my brother has been an addict for 15 years, never worked, always took money from my family, and affected my mother's health who got cancer at a young age partially because of the stress. He has been a complete monster abusing everyone I love. I moved out when I was 18 but I never managed to heal out of trauma and everytime I think of the family which I love so much or come to visit them, the terror and trauma is refreshed. My parents are codependent and cant make him move out or react coherently and jointly to his abuse, forgiving him too much or getting mad and fighting with each other instead. We invested so much money into the rehab but he returns to the habit 1st day he comes back. He doesnt have any friends and just parasites on us, exhaust our life energy.
I am so grateful that this lady spoke of the damage the addict makes on the family because they always treat me like I should not even worry because i live away and they dont acknowledge the trauma we all have. what keep me unresponsive is the fact that she says that she still loves his brother and he is brilliant while I feel like I hate him with the core of my soul and this hate keeps on growing in me knowing how much my family suffers because of this demon. When he is high he behaves like he is the king of the world, doing compulsive insane talking, never leaving them in peace even for a moment. I dont think he deserved the love she shares for his brother and often I am dreaming of his death or killing him to save


I have never revealed that and now I feel better knowing I amnt alone with that. I am just afraid I might get crazy or kill him one day. Does anybody else have these feelings also?

[youngche]

As someone who has struggled with addiction himself. I will say, i firmly believe all addicts have had something traumatic happen or have a chemical imbalance and are very depressed. No one goes thru the madness and pain of addiction for just a defect. The feeling you get from your chosen substance, is the feeling of normal. You finally feel balanced and soon you can’t live without it. Everyone searches for the thing that helps. Sadly for addicts it’s something that also hurts us. It’s our crutch, only difference is our crutch only makes our “broken leg” stay broken and continue to become more damaged.
Amazing talk for real.

[madeuprose]

My Brother who we all adore, is also an addict. It’s devastating for our family as he will be ok for a while, then slip back into it. I think yours is such a great perspective about addiction. As families, we all suffer in silence too much. We have Cancer awareness and support...Why not addiction awareness?! I hope this becomes a recognised thing in future. 💕

[wilf]

I'm a opiate addict of 10 years and I'm so so sorry for the things we do but we truly do not wish to hurt anyone. Thank you for your talk.

[reglagirl]

She has tremendous courage talking about these things in Public And I think it will help quite a few people so thank you

[OnyxMoon]

Darkness thrives in the darkness… amen.

Thank you for being so brave and speaking with clarity and sense.

[IDiveInFirst]

21 years old and probably one of the best Ted talks I've ever heard youre amazing kiddo and thank you for your words you mean the world to me. I have struggled with Alcoholism my entire life and hearing you speak the way you did on this Talk made me feel very different about my disease and how I can heal it. Thank you so much

[barryheckman]

I am a Substance Abuse Prevention Teacher who visits schools and churches to teach about drugs, addictions, and how to love others through all this. I have never gotten such good training as I got today from watching this video. Bravo!

[nancysblessednest]

Great job, This has helped me to realize how my son’s alcoholism is affecting his siblings.

[Rainyploom]

When you said that you didn't care about your life anymore like going to school, doing homework, meeting friends that really hit me because that was how I felt growing up. I couldn't understand how all the kids in school were focused on getting good grades and school drama and friendship groups when all I could think of was my dad and what he had done the night before or if he was going to be okay and what would happen.
It just takes away your childhood and happiness.

[mellady]

My younger brother is struggling with addiction. It has been very hard on all of us lately up to the point that all of us are desperate. I love my brother very much and fear for his life and not just his but also my family. I am the oldest sibling and want to fix all of it but don’t know how to be of help.. either to him or the rest of my family. Shame is a very big part of all of it.. his actions, what other people think and if we are the bad people. Thank you for sharing your story! It was very relatable and gave me the feeling we are not alone in this. I hope my brother will win his battle. I know that there will always be love for him even when it’s hard. He is not his addiction ❤

[alifreeman]

my therapy is listening to others stories about how they deal with their loved ones addictions, and I thank you all for sharing about your hardships. my big brother is sober now from drugs, thank god and I am so proud of him. but my two little sisters have now taken his place in active addiction. At different points, I have lost all my sibling to this disease and it is the most lonely feeling. I constantly live with anxiety and fear... living with this feeling everyday causes a lot of pain, but I do my best to be someone they can look up to if they ever decide to come back into my life. anyway, thx for reading <3

[AB-xxlj]

Thank you. I'm so frustrated with my voicelessness.

[patrickhanson]

I grew up the child of a very mean alcoholic mother, and yes a lot here felt the same way as a kid. I ended up drinking heavily for 30 years and cutting her out of my life (14 years now) because I couldn't cope with it anymore. Finally sought help, got into treatment and started looking into what happens growing up with an alcoholic, and videos such as this. I now realize the fact that she was above all completely sick. An illness she did not choose! Which I believe will help with recovery in dealing with and letting go of the past. Thank you so much for this strong, positive speech. A tremendous spark to what therapy was already moving me towards.