Heroin and the One Ring

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them
One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkenss bind them,
In the Land of Mordor, where the Shadows Lie.

I have a friend who has been gripped in a pretty hard core heroin addiction for over 2 years. He recently lost his job, lost his residence, has been in detox several times. Now he's got two options: go to a long term recovery program for 3 months and stick with it, change his life; or go into the whole long term heroin thing with law breaking, robbery, pimping, stealing to support his habit.

He has chosen the former.

I can only pray for him. Give him my support... like my country to make right decisions, but I can't impact the bottom line for either when it truly comes down to it. I can for my friend. My best friend.

We gave him a ride to the detox center this weekend. I can only say that it irritates and disturbs me deeply that someone would do this to themselves, someone so bright, so talented, so well liked and loved. That he'd throw his whole life away and for what... nothing in return.

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I'm re-reading "The Lord of the Rings" again, for the umpteen millionth time so I have it all fresh in my mind to criticize the movie when it comes out.

The thing that is most apparent and striking to me right now is the power of the One Ring... it is a lot like what the hold of heroin is on someone.

Bilbo couldn't part with it and just had to walk away, fighting with his best friend Gandalf... Frodo lives in constant temptation to use it, even though he is in awareness of how evil it is. Destroying it in the Cracks of Doom is the only option.

It isn't as if you can hold it in your hand and not want to use it, or just possess it and say you can live with it and control it... but no, it controls you and rules you. Having it in your possession means you'll use it and fall under its control. The longer you use it, the harder it is to break that connection. Gollum is the perfect example of someone so ravaged by the possession of the ring, that he returns to the Enemy, the ring's maker and informs him of it's existance.

I think it's often funny how literature, music, art, take on different meanings based on different states I find myself in. I'm not surprised that I see LOTR as connected to heroin, especially because my friend is a big Tolkien fan... How we don't see that which controls us and ruins us until it is too late... that's sticking with me right now.

I wish him the success of Frodo and his merry hobbit friends.