Being an addict seems more social than anything. It’s possible to go through a party phase and then years later go through an unrelated tough patch, having not

Being an addict seems more social than anything. It’s possible to go through a party phase and then years later go through an unrelated tough patch, having not touched drugs for years, and then hear whispers of addiction to explain the unrelated issue. Nobody dares broach the subject, and so a person clean for years and never really an addict can have their life ruined by others calling them one. Maybe they have real pictures from the phase or similar to circulate. It is slander even if the photos are real, and there’s no recourse. That can happen to a non-addict who experimented; can only imagine how likely a true addict would be to relapse in such a hopeless situation. Addiction is a destructive habit or system that needs to be replaced.