In my life, the gateway friend made an appearance this past week.

What is a gateway friend? They are the friend that the recovering addict, maybe not always, but sometimes used with. They have the potential to steer the recovering addict back into their vicious cycle of use.

In my particular situation, the gateway friend was someone who used to obtain drugs from the recovering addict. They were someone that presented themselves as a friend in order to secure the trust of the addict. The addict did anything to help his friend, so sharing and obtaining drugs was normally the result.

This flipped my life upside down for a few days because the recovering addict only saw the friend, not the potential for damage. At least that’s what I was told. As we know, addicts are notorious liars. I had to set my boundaries. I felt horrible. As much as I want this person to be free of their addiction, they have to do it themselves. There are always going to be these obstacles and the only thing we can do as family and friends is to pray and hope for the best.

As this situation is winding down, the recovering addict has admitted that the gateway friend only spoke of their drug use. All conversation was concerning drugs. More than likely, as in the past, this gateway friend was sniffing around to obtain drugs. The recovering addict admits that, in hindsight, this friend is not someone that should be in their life. Be it the truth, or not, the recovering addict has at least said what should have been said and admitted to making a mistake at the time. The truth will always reveal itself over time.

No one is perfect. Every recovering addict is a work in progress. There’s enough guilt and shame associated with their addiction, they don’t need it in their recovery. Its there. Its up to the recovering addict as to whether they can get over that hurdle.