This obituary is shared with the hope that others will read it and have more insight into the mental health crisis our children face and it's direct relationship to the disease of addiction.
Mac was a solid student and a happy kid. With his seemingly endless positive traits, he had the potential to be anything from a captivating politician to a brilliant engineer, but addictive behaviors began to creep into Mac's life before leaving for college. Recognizing his struggles and strife, the family engaged in counseling with the hope to provide Mac with a toolbox for life.
He graduated from The Salisbury School in 2011 and received the Presidential Scholarship to attend Rollins College, Winter Park, FL. He left for college in fall but his anxiety and depression plus his addiction impeded his education. From there, the next four years were a blur of drug rehab facilities, moments of recovery, followed by relapses..
Read more here
20 comments:
So sad of a story of a lost life. So brave of the parents to lay it out there that anyone from any walk of life can be destroyed by drugs.
Brave of the parents to share. Thank you. Perhaps some other young person will see this and think about what could happen to them.
No one chooses to be an addict. Hopefully the parents sharing his story will help save someone else.
Glad the parents wrote or had the obituary written as it was. I don't know about being brave so much as more like telling it like it is. I applaud them for that. So very sorry that their son had to die like this and hopefully people of all ages will read this and see what drugs really do. Condolences to the parents/family/friends of this young man.
Very, very sad for the parents, other family members, and friends. Not so sad for him. The struggle with addiction (which is not a disease by definition) is over.
No, addiction is not a disease but rather a physical condition brought about by a conscious decision made to introduce a drug into the body. Whether the decision was made at the direction of a doctor or not, the drug was introduced to the human body intentionally. The body then reacts to the drug and the rest is, as they say, history. The cure does not exist in court ordered rehab. Addicts become first rate con artists, even if they were the most naive person you've ever met prior to their addiction. They quickly learn how to game the system in order to stay out of jail. One rehab program after another designed by the justice system created to provide opportunities for the "poor addict" have been
proven to be dismal failures because they actually only create one more opportunity for the addict to game the system.
The only hope is to create a circumstance wherein these addicts genuinely want to beat their addiction rather than satisfy it.
In many cases, the largest problems these addicts face are parents who enable them by rewarding bad behavior. I've actually seen parents give their children money to buy heroin rather than see them suffer the symptoms of withdrawal. The parents who do this are selfish. They serve only to make themselves feel better by not having to watch their children go through the withdrawal process. That's selfish. Those who are addicted to heroin actually see enabling parents as a resource for funds with which to buy more heroin. And they will ride that train as far as it will go. Don't be that parent!
There are no easy answers. If there were, heroin addiction would have been eradicated long ago.
I think the Wessels are using this tragedy as an example to save lives. Kind of like an organ donation. A part of their son might be able to help another young life by giving them the right guidance. It is truly admirable of them. They have been a major part of this community for many years. Please support them in any way you can in their time of mourning. They're " good people".
I agree addiction is not a disease. That's fluff dreamed up by the Recovery Industrial Complex now billions of dollars of business. If all addicts were suddenly clean the business of recovery has gotten so big the economy would collapse. The way addiction is treated needs to be readdressed.
Thank you, Michael and Debbie, for your willingness to share the truth about this tragic situation.
Anon 7:49 comes down pretty hard on it, but doesn't account for the process that is caused by brain chemistry that isn't right, and the effect that has on a person's whole outlook and ability to deal with life.
Depression and anxiety can be symptoms of many things, but they can be greatly helped if the underlying chemical imbalances can be treated.
I've been studying this in relation to the drug crisis we have in this country, and I've found that there ARE things that can be done that are effective in correcting the imbalances. Correcting certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies (particularly B-3, B-6 and magnesium) can have a major impact on one's whole outlook and ability to function. A psychiatrist/biochemist named Abram Hoffer, MD, PhD did major work on this, and his writings are a very valuable resource.
I'm very sorry for your loss, and I hope your willingness to share this will save lives.. God bless you!
Only reason I said "brave" is that it takes courage to share intimate details of your personal life and take the risk of other people knowing of your personal struggles.
As was said on "This is Us' - taking the sourest lemon life has to offer and trying to make something good out of it. Great courage and thoughtfulness from the Wessels. Blessings to you.
Thank you, Michael and Debbie, for your willingness to share the truth about this tragic situation.
Anon 7:49 comes down pretty hard on it, but doesn't account for the process that is caused by brain chemistry that isn't right, and the effect that has on a person's whole outlook and ability to deal with life.
Depression and anxiety can be symptoms of many things, but they can be greatly helped if the underlying chemical imbalances can be treated.
I've been studying this in relation to the drug crisis we have in this country, and I've found that there ARE things that can be done that are effective in correcting the imbalances. Correcting certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies (particularly B-3, B-6 and magnesium) can have a major impact on one's whole outlook and ability to function. A psychiatrist/biochemist named Abram Hoffer, MD, PhD did major work on this, and his writings are a very valuable resource.
I'm very sorry for your loss, and I hope your willingness to share this will save lives.. God bless you!
7:49 AM Troll much? POS.
7:49 what planet are you from. You like most liberals lump all into one basket.
I almost never have a positive comment but I do this morning because The Wessels are basically exposing their private grief in hopes that it will maybe help someone.They are brave to do so and should not deal with trolls. Everyone assumes addiction is a ghetto thing,a "wrong side of the tracks" thing,but it is not.The Wessels personal story is proof that it can happen in ANY family.
If either of the Wessels are reading,please accept my sympathies for your loss and thank you for your courage.If it helps one addict or their family,its worth the read!
"One rehab program after another designed by the justice system created to provide opportunities for the "poor addict" have been
proven to be dismal failures because they actually only create one more opportunity for the addict to game the system."
Not designed by the justice system but by legislatures heavily influenced by the recovery/treatment lobby. A lot of the facilities are run by 'non profits' whose directors and other staff are making large salaries all paid for by tax payers. They are contracted out by governments. Now all who have health insurance are too paying because in order to be obamacare 'compliant' plans had to include addiction treatment.
The American Medical Association AMA says that addiction is in fact a disease
happens all to often in every community in amerika!
1:34 Do you know what the AMA is? It's a lobbyist group-period end of story. They exist to advance their own interests-period end of story. They exist to line their own pocketbooks-period end of story. Wake Up! Educate yourself as to what really goes on "inside the beltway."
"Anonymous said...
The American Medical Association AMA says that addiction is in fact a disease
January 25, 2017 at 1:34 PM"
Do you always believe what one of the biggest lobbyists in Wash DC tells you? Nearly 80 percent of doctors say the AMA does not represent their views. FYI Less then 25 percent of doctors belong to the AMA. It's a professional association is all it is.
Correct. The AMA only represents the views of approximately 20% of physicians in the country. The disease debate goes on within the treatment community also. The reality is treatment is more successful when you take the disease excuse away.
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