Thank you for sharing, Artemis. I'm sorry for your loss and I totally feel every word you said about your relationship with your brother. What do we do? How do we protect ourselves and our family while being a support for an addict? I'm only now learning this and it's near impossible to face. It's hard to set a tough boundary while watching someone you love suffer.

As far as addiction being a genetic disease, it's exactly what you said "to always mindful of, to always be aware of, to always be scared of." I often make the joke that I'd be an alcoholic by now if drank but it's actually not funny. It's literally the reason I don't drink. I fear that if I'm not diligently on my game, there's a switch that might flip even though I know I have zero desire to use substances.