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> I'm curious whether the disproportionate concern has more to do with the perception of drug addicts as weak and deserving of their fate This. The AIDS epidem

> I'm curious whether the disproportionate concern has more to do with the perception of drug addicts as weak and deserving of their fate This. The AIDS epidemic in the 1980's was the same. Tens of thousands of people dying every year, with more than forty thousand per year at jts peak, and more than 600,000 dead to date. Because of homophobia, the public at large didn't care about the victims - most people, if they took notice at all, only expressed groundless fear in catching HIV just going about their business. Opiate addiction isn't a disease in the sense that there's a biological virus or bacteria that can be transmitted from person to person, so "normal" people think they can't "catch" it. And so without public sympathy for the victims, no wonder there isn't some mass political movement trying to get Congress to fund a proper response.

fapjacks 9y ago
This is dead on, no pun intended. And it's made worse by the fact that even people who are personally affected by the overdose epidemic usually are culturally conditioned to shun the addicts (e.g. friends or family), and so instead of coming out and saying in public, "Yes, I have been personally affected by this horrible thing, we need to do something about it," you find that people keep this kind of thing quiet, because addiction and addicts are looked down upon. I think the analogy with HIV/AIDS is very succinct and relevant.
- Spooky23 9y ago
  I fortunately don't have a ton of direct experience in this area. But spent alot of time with a recovering addict/alcoholic and drug counselor. Maybe his point of view was out of date, but I recall that he saw kicking any of these problems was something that came from within. You had to want out strongly. My friends moment was when his kids didn't want to see him. People shun addicts to survive, not out of cultural conditioning. The addiction comes first, and the addict will hurt anyone to get it.

fapjacks 9y ago

This is dead on, no pun intended. And it's made worse by the fact that even people who are personally affected by the overdose epidemic usually are culturally conditioned to shun the addicts (e.g. friends or family), and so instead of coming out and saying in public, "Yes, I have been personally affected by this horrible thing, we need to do something about it," you find that people keep this kind of thing quiet, because addiction and addicts are looked down upon. I think the analogy with HIV/AIDS is very succinct and relevant.

Spooky23 9y ago
I fortunately don't have a ton of direct experience in this area. But spent alot of time with a recovering addict/alcoholic and drug counselor. Maybe his point of view was out of date, but I recall that he saw kicking any of these problems was something that came from within. You had to want out strongly. My friends moment was when his kids didn't want to see him. People shun addicts to survive, not out of cultural conditioning. The addiction comes first, and the addict will hurt anyone to get it.