Would you give an addict a second chance?

[Justin89]

This isn't about me, but about my younger sister. She dated a man who was heavily into drugs, lets say his name was Jerry. Jerry and my sister dated for quite a while, but Jerry started to show signs of drug abuse early into the relationship. My sis didn't didn't think much of it at first, but she started to notice he was tired a lot, and flaked on things out of the blue, saying he had to take a call or something. We thought he was cheating, but I ended up catching him snorting something days later. 

I told my sis right then and there, and she was in denial. Anyway, fast forward a couple more years, and he started to get abusive. He was also heavily drinking and passing out. My sis was tired of it, and gave him an ultimatum to quit drinking and the drugs. He said he would and he tried, but fell back into his old habits. She ended up breaking up with him, and that was the end of it for 3 years or so. 

Fast forward again to a few weeks ago, my sis ends up seeing him at a local store, and she said he's looking healthy and is doing well. She then mentions that she's going out to eat with him this weekend sometime, so they can talk about what's been going on these past few years. I told her I thought it was a dumb idea, but she's free to do what she wants. 

The question at hand. Would you ever let go back into a relationship with an addict? I personally wouldn't, because I know from history how that works. But, if all else, I hope he is truly better and sober and isn't taking drugs anymore. 

[James]

It will depend on the addict and what they are addicted to. I have a few members on my team that are x addicts and they are doing great. I am aware though they are one bad life situation away from relapse. 

If they were addicted to some of the hard drugs or prescription pain killers it would really depend on how long they have been clean and how it looked their life was going. 

I have a soft spot for addicts as I am an addict myself. I consider myself a fully functioning member of society but do have the things I feel like I need. Now I do not enjoy anything hard and I have all the things I "need" budgeted out to keep me under control. 

I have also had family members that were addicted to things like meth and heroine that I would never lend a helping hand to as I know they did not want to change. They were doing whatever they could to fund that lifestyle and I needed them to hit rock bottom and have the awakening first. 

So I guess it depends on the type of drugs, the type of addict, and how in control are they have there addiction. I attribute my addictive personality to a lot of my success. As an addict I find it easy to fall into consistent routines. I am not addicted to anything "hard" though. 

You just have to be aware of the situation and understand you are on a tight rope of someone reverting back into old behavior. There are always signs and you have to make sure you are not blind to that. 

[Mila]

Addiction comes in many forms... Drugs, legal stimulants (caffeine, nicotine), food, alcohol, and even sexual ones. 

While there is a general agreement that once a person becomes a dependent on any substance or pleasure, there is a greater risk of them returning to it. This is not to say all people will but many do. Sometimes it takes them trying a few times before they fully quit. 

That being said, I feel this greatly depends on the individual. If they are an otherwise kind, caring person who is struggling and truly got help and plan on sticking it through, I would give them a second chance. 

[EagleEye]

I would forgive an addict, but I would have also learnt my lesson (or atleast I'd like to believe). Such that I would be much more cautious and not fall into it again.

[Scarlett]

I am very weird with drugs and alcohol. For me, personally, I likely would not be able to get that trust back. I don't like dating anyone who smokes or drinks in excess. That should be something done in moderation and on occasion, not daily, not even weekly. 

[Yonder]

I think it would be difficult to trust that they wouldn't relapse, but I feel like society shunning addicts is what make sit easier for them to relapse. So yes, I would give them a second chance.