For Her.

My friend, you are not your addiction.

You are strong and beautiful, you are confident and witty, you have life and love flowing through your veins. Your energy is infectious, your friendship is loyal, your sense of humor is superior to many people I have met. You are relentless and you fight for what you believe in, you find joy in the smallest things, and you have an easiness about you that makes others feel at home. You have a harsh exterior, but you are only defensive because you know what you want in life and will not let any one steal that from you. That is who you are.

The struggle you are dealing with every day does not define the women you are or will be. It is a bump in the road, it is a thorn in your back, but it is not your soul. The choices you are making are not the best, and you know that, but choices and character are two separate entities. Do not ever believe that you cannot survive this battle and do not let the guilt and worthlessness that is in your head win.

I do not know what it feels like to be in your shoes. I have no idea what living life day-to-day with dependency on a substance feels like. I can never understand what it is like to feel the need to take something in order to be a "better" version of you and make it through the day. I can never relate to the internal battle you have with yourself every day. But I do how to love, and how to hold your hand.

I will walk beside you on the days you cannot stand up. I will remind you every day of the potential you have within you. I will constantly support you even if you stumble along the way because you are stronger than the war waging inside. Today you are struggling, and hurting, and lost, but you can only make it through this one day at a time. You cannot become a gold medal Olympian in one day; it takes good days and bad days. Moments of doubt and wanting to quit to feeling the highs of beating your personal best. The struggle is constant, but tomorrow is the shining light at the end of the tunnel.

In my eyes, you are a champion. You are fighting with every ounce of strength you have within you. You get knocked out some days, and it is hard to recover from those moments, but you still wake up and press on. The fight will last more than one round, but I am in your corner cheering you on until the day you hold your arms up in victory. You are more than a habit, you are a hero.