Overcoming Addiction In Sonny's Blues

Addiction is a condition in which a person is compelled to continue an act even if it interferes with ordinary life responsibilities. Life with addiction can become overwhelming and even stressful because there is such a need for a specific item. Addictions cause harm, abuse, fatality, behavioral problems such as, aggressiveness, loss of self-control and paranoia. In “Sonny’s Blues” we see a different type of addiction than what we see in “A River Runs Through It.” In “Sonny’s Blues” Sonny was addicted to heroine, a drug that triggers a release of dopamine into the brain. In the story “A River Runs Through It” Paul was caught in the wrath of alcohol and gambling. Addiction overtakes Paul’s life in “A River Runs Through It” by excessive drinking

In the story “A River Runs Through It” the father was very understanding on the fact that family needs to be there to support and help the addict. During his sermon he stated, “Each one of us here today will at one time in our lives look upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question, ‘We are willing to help, Lord, but what, if anything, is needed’ It is true that we can seldom help those who are closest to us. Either, we don’t know what part of ourselves to give or, more of then that not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it is those we live with and should know who elude us, but we can still love them. We can love them completely without complete understanding.” He was showing that forgiveness is crucial to help a recovering

He/she must feel compelled to completely change their lifestyle and work every day to complete their task. The next thing a recovering addict must do is explore treatment options to help cope with the stress and feelings that may happen. Another way an addict can recover is by reaching out for support from family, friends, or therapist. Lastly, the addict needs to base their new life on a meaningful addiction free life. He/she must always focus on obtaining their goal to ensure they will be addiction free. In the story “A River Runs Through It” Norman was able to understand that overcoming the wrath of addiction is not an easy task. “To him, all good things- trout as well as eternal salvation- came by grace; and grace comes by art; and art does not come