On His Way To Hell

One thing that was a bit of a shock to the system to a young man barely out of his teenage years moving from Finland into Dublin was the presence of drugs (yeah, I was blue eyed back then). I am not saying that Finland doesn’t have its own problems, but especially in certain areas of Dublin it was very obvious, strange and new to me. I soon became aware of the nasty side of heroin and the effect it had not only on the user, but also their families.

What shocked me was that I recognised something similar from my own past. It was that mixed feeling of worry and guilt. Like you should do so much more, but by trying to help you often just manage the situation. And as long as we manage the situation, whether it is a substance abuse or alcoholism, which often are ways to escape the real underlying issues, these issues never get dealt with.

These people can be very charming and on their best behaviour when they want something and as a caring family member it might be hard to say no. It can actually get to a point you get worried when you hear your phone ring or someone knocking on your door… The truth still is that you cannot help someone who does not want to help themselves.

The guilt the loved ones need to go through is hard to explain to someone who has never been there. The constant worry of when you are going to get that dreaded phone call, that the one you have been worrying about has hit the end of their road. Even though somewhere deep down you were expecting it, it still comes as a massive shock. I myself had to come to terms with the feeling of relief I felt as I knew it was all over and that is one guilt trip that can mess the heads of the strongest of us.

This weeks song “On His Way To Hell” really is trying to look at that situation from the loved one, s perspective, which too often is forgotten. They also are the victims here, but too often brushed aside and forgotten about. I said this before and I will say this again, don’t suffer in silence. There are people out there who have gone through something similar and in my experience sharing my story helps both me and other people.

If this weeks song touches you or anyone you know please share it. Let it be the voice to break the silence.

Once again I had the wonderful Matthew Gillian helping me out with several tracks on the new album and “On His Way To Hell” is the first one of them. Thank you Matthew!

J.P.

The author J.P. Kallio is a singer songwriter
To get two of his free songs go HERE and click Download