Price of Oblivion

She sat in stark silence, contemplating what was supposed to be; the bright future she had let slip through her fingertips. The fingertips that now traced the pale skin of her forearm. She studied the bruised, tarnished veins and the self-inflicted scar tissue that had developed. She closely observed the severity of what she had let become of her once untouched flesh.
 
No guilt or emotion of any kind arose within her. Instead, there was only the vague numbness to which she had grown accustomed. The only thing left to make her feel alive was the needle she held trembling in her hand. Desperate to live, she forced the sharp tip of the syringe past her skin, and began to sink it deeper, into her bloodstream. She injected into it the poison that could bring her back to life; if only for a brief moment.
 
Her heart raced. Her pupils dilated. The world around her began to spin rapidly into a beautiful oblivion of complete bliss. It was a heavenly illusion of her own devise; a vivid glimpse into her own concept of paradise. She lived and breathed for this. With all of her available energy, she savored every detail of this fleeting moment.
 
She had sacrificed things that had once meant the world to her; her happiness, her family, her morals, her self-respect; and perhaps, one day, her life. She had relinquished control over her life and her actions. Everything she did was in the name of returning to this euphoric state.  
 
Deep down, she knew that she might never be able to stop, despite how badly she wanted or how hard she tried. Even in sleep, her dreams were filled with taunting visions of syringes containing liquid happiness.
 
She could feel it killing her; mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Her actions didn’t make any sense to her, and she often wondered why she couldn’t fix herself. The sad reality was simply this; she was obsessed with a feeling, and she worshiped the substance that delivered it.  
 
In the blink of an eye, addiction consumed her.

In the blink of an eye, she lost everything.

In the blink of an eye, she threw it all away.
 
Is the feeling of oblivion worth the price you’ll pay?