My Addicted Son Response

The touching story, “My Addicted Son” by David Sheriff, is full of intense emotion. The story reaches out to teens and parents, informing them about how hazardous, horrific, and detrimental drugs are. David’s son, Nick’s, drug addiction, impacted not only Nick, but his entire family as well. By taking drugs, Nick ruined his future. Instead of attending college, for many years, Nick was checking himself in and out of rehabilitation centers. His frequent arrests and hospital visits worried not only his parents, but his younger siblings as well. Nick clearly was not the proper role model for his two younger siblings. Nick lies and steals from his younger brother and sister causing them to feel pain and fear. The author’s story contains a lot of emotion, which helps the audience connect with his words. The most prominent emotions portrayed through the story are pain, sorrow, and empathy. He captures these emotions with his vivid imagery. In one part he describes Nick’s skin as “rice-papery and gaunt, and his hair was like a field, with smashed-down sienna patches and sticking-up yellowed clumps, a disaster left over from when he tried to bleach it.” The reader gets a sense of Nick’s sickly and frail look, inflicting emotions of hurt and sadness. As a reader, I wanted to reach out and help Nick. I wanted to help him realize how awful drugs are. Not only does the reader feel bad for Nick, she/he also feels distress for David as well. No father should have to watch his son go through such a thing. David is constantly taking the blame for his son’s issues. The repetitive dialogues throughout the story also help to portray the sorrowful essence, because the reader becomes involved in the family’s relationship. The most moving part of the story was the ending, when David reads Nick’s letter to his little brother, Jasper. In closed is the $8 that he stole earlier in the story. The conclusion of this story is very touching. The fact that Nick was in and out of rehabilitation centers, having difficulties with relapses, and in the end he overcomes his issues, really makes this story touching and uplifting. The author tells his story in order to create an essence of hope. He wants to spread his story to families, teens, and anyone who has a drug addiction. He wants the public to be aware of his son’s story so he can make people feel optimistic about their futures. This story also warns people about how bad drugs are and how destructive they can be to not only ones body, but family, and life all together. This story conveys a lot of emotion and hurt. We sympathize for the family for David, and Nick. David’s descriptions of Nick’s loss of identity and self-destruction truly convey David’s sorrow and hurt for his son. This story is definitely moving and motivating. It teaches how bad drugs are. This story was very touching, and it did bring me to tears. I am so happy that Nick is not giving up hope, and I do wish him and his family the best of luck. I hope he can continue staying clean, and live a long happy life.