Every time I listen to This American Life[TAL] (the show I wish I had created), I am temped to write about it. (The same is true with Scott Adam’s blog.)
The Dec. 1st edition of TAL was entitled “sink or swim”, about people in situations where they were over their heads. Second act touched my heart.
I was about a man who was a heroin addict for 27 years. Many of his friends and his wife died of over doses. At 40 he was living in his parents basement. One day he heard of a radical treatment and traveled to Amsterdam to try it. He was desperate.
The treatment is a single does of the drug ibogaine. Ibogaine is a powerful hallucinogenic drug. Most trips last many days, but for some reason after this powerful trip people often come out the other side with out the craving for drugs.
Obviously this is not a leagal treatment here in the States, and I have no idea if it works. Nor would I recommend trying it. What I was touch by, though, was this mans story.
After coming clean in 2002 he decided he needed to share the good news of this treatment. He get hooked up with the underground ibogaine treatment network in the States and started providing treatments himself for others.
I was touched by:
1) He knew how hard the life of an addict was. The physical pain it caused the person. The emotional pain it caused friends and family. He wanted to help. In his experience, there was only one way he knew worked. It was a way, that if he got caught, would send him to jail for the rest of his life. It required movent in secrecy and the need to be always looking over his shoulder. BUT, he simply had to help people who no one else was helping in an effective way. (Interesting enough, most of his referrals came from drug dealers.)
2) The way he talked about the addicts he worked with. “I love this guy.” He is such a great guy.” “He is a beautiful person.” “He is such a great musician.” Never a cross word. Never a judging word.
Only love.
Always love.
It was as if he was seeing them, the way that God see them. Perfect being deserving of love. He saw past the rough outside, poor choices and addiction. He just loved them. And some cases loved them back into health.
If Jesus walked the earth today, he would not be sitting next to me a church. He would be walking with the drug addict and letting them know that they are worth love and are loved.

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