The Yipiyuk
In the swamplands long ago,
Where the weeds and mudglumps grow,
A Yipiyuk bit on my toe...
Exactly why I do not know.
I kicked and cried and hollered "Oh!"
The Yipiyuk would not let go.
I whispered to him soft and low.
The Yipiyuk would not let go.
Yes, that was sixteen years ago,
And the Yipiyuk still won't let go.
The snow may fall, the winds may blow.
The Yipiyuk will not let go.
I drag him 'round each place I go,
And now my child at last you know
exactly why I walk so slow.-Shel Silverstein
A Yipiyuk clings tight. It won't let go. Years pass, but it stays. Addiction is the same. It starts silently. It holds firm. It slows life. It burdens the soul. Beware its grip. Reflect on this: "I will not be mastered." Even in freedom, guard against unseen chains.
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything.
1 Corinthians 6:12
Addiction will always have a cost that someone else has to pay.