At the age of eighteen I was homeless, having burned quite a few bridges already. I was huddled behind a dumpster in a Dunkin' Donuts parking lot in Maine, trying to ignore the smell. It was cold, and I was hungry. Between uncontrollable shivering and my ever- growing anticipation of the day-old donuts about to be thrown away, I began to wonder how I had arrived at this point. Maybe I could have prevented this, if only...
Just as quickly as these thoughts appeared, they were washed away by the creak of the hinges on the back door to Dunk's as it opened and the smell of sweet sugary donuts escaped. My stomach growled in anticipation, and just like that, my introspective moment was over. My survival instincts resumed control. Somehow, the unacceptable situation that I was in had become acceptable once again.
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Key ideas in this chapter
- The gradual progression into unacceptable situations
- How families compromise their values gradually
- The slow boil effect in addiction
- Recognizing the compromises along the way
"Somehow, the unacceptable situation that I was in had become acceptable once again."