3 ms·

"Deserve" is going overboard, but there's certainly a moral difference between something that happens due to one's own choices, vs. something that happens becau

by kauffj 8y ago

"Deserve" is going overboard, but there's certainly a moral difference between something that happens due to one's own choices, vs. something that happens because it was compelled. It's reasonable have more sympathy for a conscripted soldier killed in a foreign war he had no desire to fight in than an opioid addict that died from a result of choosing to do drugs.

stjohnswarts 8y ago
It's not going overboard. I've heard more than one person refer to it as Darwin at work or "they deserved it for being weak"
pjc50 8y ago
Of course, someone could be both. Veterans have elevated risks of both drug use (often related to injuries) and suicide due to PTSD. https://centerstone.org/news-events/news/opioid-crisis-impacts-veterans-military-families/ https://centerstone.org/news-events/news/opioid-crisis-impac... The permanent war has long term casualties.
WhompingWindows 8y ago
You're perpetuating a myth that drug use is all about personal choice. Many addicts started with prescription opioids, recommended by their doctor, and only moved to more dangerous options once their doctor's supply was extinguished. Doctors themselves over-prescribed these to attack pain, meanwhile they were being lied to by pharma about the addictiveness of opioids. On top of that, you have fentanyl being added to heroin to increase its potency, and also vastly increase the mortality rate. Finally, it may be hard for those of us who were never addicted to opioids to understand. It no longer becomes a simple choice when your body is extremely sick if you don't get your dose. This is one reason why a drug addict might steal from those they love, their illness is literally the most important physical sensation at any moment, overcoming familial and societal norms. It's a scourge and illness, not merely a choice.

3 ms·

"Deserve" is going overboard, but there's certainly a moral difference between something that happens due to one's own choices, vs. something that happens becau

by kauffj 8y ago

stjohnswarts 8y ago
It's not going overboard. I've heard more than one person refer to it as Darwin at work or "they deserved it for being weak"
pjc50 8y ago
Of course, someone could be both. Veterans have elevated risks of both drug use (often related to injuries) and suicide due to PTSD. https://centerstone.org/news-events/news/opioid-crisis-impacts-veterans-military-families/ https://centerstone.org/news-events/news/opioid-crisis-impac... The permanent war has long term casualties.
WhompingWindows 8y ago
You're perpetuating a myth that drug use is all about personal choice. Many addicts started with prescription opioids, recommended by their doctor, and only moved to more dangerous options once their doctor's supply was extinguished. Doctors themselves over-prescribed these to attack pain, meanwhile they were being lied to by pharma about the addictiveness of opioids. On top of that, you have fentanyl being added to heroin to increase its potency, and also vastly increase the mortality rate. Finally, it may be hard for those of us who were never addicted to opioids to understand. It no longer becomes a simple choice when your body is extremely sick if you don't get your dose. This is one reason why a drug addict might steal from those they love, their illness is literally the most important physical sensation at any moment, overcoming familial and societal norms. It's a scourge and illness, not merely a choice.