As a disclaimer, but this is not the case with every addict, and absolutely not for every substance user. This is a veeeery specific kind of hole, and there’s signs for spotting it.
The red flags are usually theft, failure to give back borrowed money/cars/goods, going back on their word, bringing the drugs into your life without your permission, putting you in physical danger, threatening self-harm… This is Void territory, but it’s the worst case scenario and there’s plenty of addicts who benefit hugely from a consistent reliable support network and financial/material help.
All I'd like to tell you is thank you for sharing these infos, I had no idea but it does bring so much context to his behavior. Thank you for sharing your knowledge Dis. ♡
Aw thank you for saying that!
As a former addict myself this was suchhh a good take!!!
ahhh I’m glad… It’s hard to communicate this kind of stuff to people who’ve never had to deal with it, and it’s a relief to hear i’m not just projecting
Saw a couple comments from people feeling bad for Gren, and while I completely understand that he’s a tragic character and his dumpster fire of a life isn’t his fault… (without judgement) it’s very easy to tell who has had to deal with an addicted friend/relative and who hasn’t.
Gren, as he is now, is a void. He’s a very specific kind of addict, who’s been in his hole so deep for so long that his entire thought process bounces between ‘my next hit’ and easy, spontaneous ‘solutions’ for his terrible life. People in a state like this don’t want to get better, they just Want. Their vision of a rescue is myopic, where those who love them are bled dry, and they see nothing wrong with that.
Look at how easily Gren suggested that Shin live on the streets with him, how even his trip to rehab wasn’t really ‘getting clean’ until Shin told him it was that or getting out of his life. His desperate attempt to get Shin to ‘promise’ to take care of him. It’s the blind, addled selfishness of a hard addict. It’s been too long since he last thought like a ‘person’ and he’s forgotten how.
Sobering up is hard work, and Gren has never thought about it seriously, and Shins tough love might feel selfish, but it’s honestly kind of breathtaking that he’s still holding hope in his heart when he could have just cut him off. I think that’s what I like the most about this webtoon; it’s such a textured and realistic depiction on the way you become hard towards people you love when you realise they’re ready to poison you before they get clean.
It’s not a nice feeling; everyone wants to be someone who would stand by struggling family, and the choice to cut someone loose before they drag you down is brutal. Poor boys.