--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you love someone who's an addict and…" description: "\"If you love someone who's an addict and their use is life-threatening, you don't wait until they hit bottom because that can mean that they're going to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/david-sheff-7087_die_if-you-love-someone-who-s-an-addict-and_1910504.jpg" --- # If you love someone who's an addict and their use is… ![“If you love someone who's an addict and their use is life-threatening, you don't wait until they hit bottom because that can mean that they're going to die. You have to do everything you can to get them in treatment.” quote by David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/david-sheff-7087_die_if-you-love-someone-who-s-an-addict-and_1910504.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/david-sheff-7087_die_if-you-love-someone-who-s-an-addict-and_1910504.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/david-sheff-7087_die_if-you-love-someone-who-s-an-addict-and_1910504.jpg) > “If you love someone who's an addict and their use is life-threatening, you don't wait until they hit bottom because that can mean that they're going to die. You have to do everything you can to get them in treatment.” [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When a loved one’s addiction endangers life, early intervention is crucial; waiting for a crisis can be fatal. **In simple terms:** Act early to help addicts before they hit rock bottom. Key Takeaway Seek help promptly. Themes addiction intervention care Mood concerned urgent Type advice practical When to use this quote - family crisis - friend in danger - health emergency - support groups Key Concepts public health risk management Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take now to support safe treatment? - How do you balance empathy with urgency? A Different Perspective Intervention may strain relationships and cause resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addict/) [Addict Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addict-use-2874687/) [Die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die/) [Die Treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-treatment-2874688/) [Everything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everything/) [Going Die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-die/) [Life Threatening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-threatening-491616/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Wait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wait/) ## Related quotes > [It's my theory that comedy is going to die out in the year 6000.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-miller/it-s-my-theory-that-comedy-is-going-to-die-out-in-the-year-6000/) [Ben Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-miller/) > [I'm going to die one day. I know it's coming for me, too. I'll be a mountain, I'll be a stone on the beach.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-m-going-to-die-one-day-i-know-it-s-coming-for-me-too-i-ll-be-a/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [We all know that we're going to die, but we don't know when. 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It's a fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-harper/i-m-happier-because-i-had-to-face-what-all-of-us-try-not-to-face-that/) [Valerie Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-harper/) > [Nonfiction is never going to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/nonfiction-is-never-going-to-die/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [Before you turn 40 you think, 'everyone else is going to die, but not me,' then you realize death is certain for everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ol-parker/before-you-turn-40-you-think-everyone-else-is-going-to-die-but-not-me/) [Ol Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ol-parker/) > [I've had people say so much, that I'm a fraud. I've had people email me and say, 'You're going to die.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-hughes/i-ve-had-people-say-so-much-that-i-m-a-fraud-i-ve-had-people-email-me/) [Mike Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-hughes/) > [All of us are going to die. Every single one of us. So, while you're alive, be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-harper/all-of-us-are-going-to-die-every-single-one-of-us-so-while-you-re/) [Valerie Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-harper/) > [I think about death all the time. I think that's a good thing because we're all going to die, and the only thing we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gleason/i-think-about-death-all-the-time-i-think-that-s-a-good-thing-because/) [Steve Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gleason/) > [I had to come to terms about becoming an addict, which, for a long time, I lied to myself about the status of until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/i-had-to-come-to-terms-about-becoming-an-addict-which-for-a-long-time/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [I think people like it when I tell them, 'I'm lucky to be here, because they are, too. Ain't nothing to do with age.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-womack/i-think-people-like-it-when-i-tell-them-i-m-lucky-to-be-here-because/) [Bobby Womack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-womack/) ## More by David Sheff > [I was ashamed. My son is a drug addict. What does this mean about me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/i-was-ashamed-my-son-is-a-drug-addict-what-does-this-mean-about-me/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Elvis Presley's music said, 'Free your body.' The Beatles said, 'Free your mind.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/elvis-presley-s-music-said-free-your-body-the-beatles-said-free-your/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Well, addiction does start with a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/well-addiction-does-start-with-a-choice/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Some parents want to be popular, but that's not their job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/some-parents-want-to-be-popular-but-that-s-not-their-job/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [The war on drugs is a joke. We spend $40 billion a year, and the proof that it's a failure is that any kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/the-war-on-drugs-is-a-joke-we-spend-40-billion-a-year-and-the-proof/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [When I was a child, my parents didn't know anything about drugs. They didn't even drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/when-i-was-a-child-my-parents-didn-t-know-anything-about-drugs-they/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Nick's mother and I were attentive, probably overly attentive - part of the first wave of parents obsessed with our children in a self-conscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/nick-s-mother-and-i-were-attentive-probably-overly-attentive-part-of/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Having been hit by drug addiction, knowing how many are hit by it and what a big problem it is in our neighborhoods and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/having-been-hit-by-drug-addiction-knowing-how-many-are-hit-by-it-and/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Here's a note to the parents of addicted children: Choose your music carefully...There are millions of treacherous moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/here-s-a-note-to-the-parents-of-addicted-children-choose-your-music/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [This stigma associated with drug use--the belief that bad kids use, good kids don't, and those with full-blown addiction are weak, dissolute, and pathetic--has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/this-stigma-associated-with-drug-use-the-belief-that-bad-kids-use/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [It's hard to find someone who did as many drugs for as long and in such dangerous combinations as Nic - spending years going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/it-s-hard-to-find-someone-who-did-as-many-drugs-for-as-long-and-in/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [I chose a rehab center for Nic that was recommended by a friend who had sent her son there. The program lasted 28 days,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/i-chose-a-rehab-center-for-nic-that-was-recommended-by-a-friend-who/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [“In his suicide note, Kurt Cobain wrote, "It's better to burn out than to fade away." He was quoting a Neil Young song about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/in-his-suicide-note-kurt-cobain-wrote-it-s-better-to-burn-out-than-to/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Anyone who has lived through it, or those who are now living through it, knows that caring about an addict is as complex and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/anyone-who-has-lived-through-it-or-those-who-are-now-living-through/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [If a child had another disease, we'd be open about what we were going through, but addiction is stigmatised and comes with shame and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/if-a-child-had-another-disease-we-d-be-open-about-what-we-were-going/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) [Explore all 95 David Sheff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) ## More Addict quotes > [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Taxpayers would likely be responsible for treating addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/taxpayers-would-likely-be-responsible-for-treating-addicts/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [They said a drug addict needs rehabilitation, they never said what a broken heart needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satyajit-chhotaray/they-said-a-drug-addict-needs-rehabilitation-they-never-said-what-a/) [Satyajit Chhotaray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satyajit-chhotaray/) > [I was ashamed. My son is a drug addict. What does this mean about me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/i-was-ashamed-my-son-is-a-drug-addict-what-does-this-mean-about-me/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Then they're like addicts; they can't help themselves... They will steal, cheat, embezzle and commit other crimes just to get money to gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/then-they-re-like-addicts-they-can-t-help-themselves-they-will-steal/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [When we think carefully, we see that the brief elation we experience when appeasing sensual impulses may not be very different from what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/when-we-think-carefully-we-see-that-the-brief-elation-we-experience/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [So many kids are fat drug addicts these days, it's almost as if Rush Limbaugh had puppies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/so-many-kids-are-fat-drug-addicts-these-days-it-s-almost-as-if-rush/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I'm a complete addict of The 'X Factor,' so I can see why everyone gets so inspired. But there's a downside to celebrity: your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-quick/i-m-a-complete-addict-of-the-x-factor-so-i-can-see-why-everyone-gets/) [Diana Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-quick/) > [“I don’t fundamentally understand why people give a shit about what other people put up their noses or what other people put in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/i-don-t-fundamentally-understand-why-people-give-a-shit-about-what/) [Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/) > [It doesn't have the ability to think rationally this economic model. It thinks like a drug addict: 'Where can I get my next fix?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-doesn-t-have-the-ability-to-think-rationally-this-economic-model/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [It is not heroin or cocaine that makes one an addict, it is the need to escape from a harsh reality. 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Once they have it, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/addiction-is-a-decision-an-individual-wants-something-whatever-that/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) [Browse all 634 Addict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addict/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you love someone who's an addict and their use is life-threatening, you don't wait until they hit bottom because that can mean that they're going to die. 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