CosmopolitanAustraliaJune2015 .

...TO DRUGS

He wasn’t just

high on life.

“I never thought I’d

end up turning my boyfriend

of seven years – my very best

friend – in to the police.

Will and I were high

school sweethearts. He was

outgoing, athletic, kind and

good-looking. We both come

from very close-knit Italian

families and over the years

we came to love each other’s

families like our own, even

spending holidays together.

About five years in, I

noticed him and his friends

popping oxycodone, which

is in prescription painkillers,

before going out to bars. I

was worried and confronted

him about it, but he said it

was just for fun, that it was

under control. But shortly

after, he started changing.

He and I always used

to wake up early to go for a

run. Suddenly, even getting

out of bed was an issue. We

would be sitting on the couch

having a conversation, and

he’d stare off into space. He

started making excuses as

to why he didn’t want to have

sex, like, ‘I just don’t feel like

it.’ I figured it was just a rut

but it got to the point where

it would be three, four, five

months straight of nothing.

I started to realise how

oddly he was behaving when

there was a hurricane in our

area. Our town was totally

shut down, so we were both

home from our jobs. Every

single store was closed but

Will said, ‘I’m going to pick

up milk.’ When he came back

to the house he passed out.

Soon after that, cash

started going missing from

my wallet. Then money was

dropping like crazy from a

joint account I shared with

my mum. Eventually, a lot

of my jewellery started to

disappear. My parents told

me they thought it was Will.

They’d watched him change

into a completely different

person and they wanted me

to finally see it, too. That

was when I said to myself,

‘Christina, open your eyes.’

I’d been in denial.

When I accused Will

of stealing from me, he told

me everything. Taking oxy

once a week had turned into

twice a week, then four times,

then every day. It had turned

into a $500-a-day addiction.

He’d stolen over $50,000 of

money and jewellery from

me and my family. He said

he couldn’t stop – when the

high wore off the withdrawal

was horrible. He said he felt

like he was going to die and

he didn’t even care if he did.

‘Why couldn’t you just

have told me sooner? I could

have helped you,’ I said.

My parents are quite

old-school, so rehab didn’t

even come up. The way they

saw it, Will had committed

a crime in stealing from us.

After he came clean to me,

my dad said to him, ‘Should

I call the police to come and

arrest you, or will you come

with me to the station?’ Will

didn’t put up a fight. I just

stood there in total shock,

thinking, ‘This is the last

time I’m going to see him.’

I was crushed, but I almost

wanted him to go to jail ’cos

I was so worried that he was

going to die of an overdose.

Will was convicted of grand

larceny and sentenced to

seven years, and he ended

up serving the minimum of

two years in jail.

I went to see Will in

jail, to check on him and get

answers. He’d detoxed and

was sober, and he actually

thanked me for calling the

police on him. It was like he

was back to the same person

I’d met seven years ago when

we started dating.

I did wonder if I could

give him a second chance.

But eventually I realised that

I would always feel as though

I couldn’t trust my husband

around my wallet.

It’s been two years,

and people tell me I look so

different, that my eyes are

bright again. Will’s drug

addiction wasn’t affecting

only him – it was sucking

the life out of me, too.”

CHRISTINA, 28 #

ARE YOU

WORRIED YOUR

BOYFRIEND IS

AN ADDICT?

TALK TO HIM ABOUT IT

If he brushes you off,

share your concerns

with his friends and

family. Chances are,

you’re not the only one

worried about him.

URGE HIM TO GET HELP

Reach out to an

addiction counsellor

or therapist who has

experience treating

addicts for advice on

whether he needs

outpatient treatment,

rehab or another course

of action. Or call your

local Alcoholics

Anonymous, Narcotics

Anonymous or Gamblers

Anonymous.

GET HELP FOR
YOURSELF
Loving an addict can
mean feeling betrayed,
damage your sense of
trust, and lead to
depression, anxiety
or trauma. It’s
understandable if you
need therapy, too.
SOURCE: ADI JAFFE, EXECUTIVE
ADDICTION DIRECTOR TREAT ALTERNATMENT ACTIVEENTER.S
AS
TOLD TO MICHELLE RUIZ. A

LL PHOTOGR

APH

S A

RE OF PROFE

SS
ION

AL MODEL

S A

ND A

RE FOR ILLU

STR

ATIVE PURPO

SES

ONLY. J

ENNIFER ROBBIN

S/THE LICEN

SING PRO

JECT;

ANDREY P

AVLOV/

STOCK

SY

love & lust

COSMOPOLITAN June 2015 147