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Drug addiction is a mental health disease. We don't tell depressed people that this is just natural selection at work, "just shake it out". We get people treat

Drug addiction is a mental health disease. We don't tell depressed people that this is just natural selection at work, "just shake it out". We get people treated with the right medication. A huge amount of drug addicts suffer from untreated psychological trauma, particularly childhood trauma. http://drgabormate.com/book/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts/ http://drgabormate.com/book/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts/

imaginenore 10y ago
Disease assumes it's something out of your control. Nobody decides to get cancer or get depressed. Taking drugs, especially starting to, is 100% up to you. People need to learn about the consequences of their actions, and take some responsibility, instead of blaming it on the seller. It's like blaming the knife manufacturers for the stabbing victims.
- jlg23 10y ago
  > Taking drugs, especially starting to, is 100% up to you. It can also be a way of coping with/escaping problems/depression. This quote from the article hints at that: “I felt more laid-back, carefree,” said Justin of that first experience with drugs, “just like everything was kind of pushed off to the side.” Furthermore an addiction can easily develop from legitimate use of a substance, i.e. pain killers after an accident. Btw, pure opiates have a very low toxicity, if you have a reliable source (say a doctor) you can take it for decades. And lots of respectable people are doing that and you'll never know - maybe even your banker or a local judge. Most problems are due to unreliable quality and mislabeled substances - both results of prohibition. > take some responsibility, instead of blaming it on the seller When unreliable quality and mislabeled substances are the problems, the seller is responsible - not necessarily the small dealer, but somewhere up the chains someone messed up big time (whether it's greed or ignorance does not really matter here).
gedy 10y ago
Yes, maybe, but preceded by a lot of specific choices.

imaginenore 10y ago

Disease assumes it's something out of your control. Nobody decides to get cancer or get depressed. Taking drugs, especially starting to, is 100% up to you. People need to learn about the consequences of their actions, and take some responsibility, instead of blaming it on the seller. It's like blaming the knife manufacturers for the stabbing victims.

jlg23 10y ago
> Taking drugs, especially starting to, is 100% up to you. It can also be a way of coping with/escaping problems/depression. This quote from the article hints at that: “I felt more laid-back, carefree,” said Justin of that first experience with drugs, “just like everything was kind of pushed off to the side.” Furthermore an addiction can easily develop from legitimate use of a substance, i.e. pain killers after an accident. Btw, pure opiates have a very low toxicity, if you have a reliable source (say a doctor) you can take it for decades. And lots of respectable people are doing that and you'll never know - maybe even your banker or a local judge. Most problems are due to unreliable quality and mislabeled substances - both results of prohibition. > take some responsibility, instead of blaming it on the seller When unreliable quality and mislabeled substances are the problems, the seller is responsible - not necessarily the small dealer, but somewhere up the chains someone messed up big time (whether it's greed or ignorance does not really matter here).

gedy 10y ago

Yes, maybe, but preceded by a lot of specific choices.