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I'm seeing a lot of responses to this article and to some comments that are of the "just don't do drugs or drink alcohol, what's the big deal?" variety. To the

by ziggus 5y ago

I'm seeing a lot of responses to this article and to some comments that are of the "just don't do drugs or drink alcohol, what's the big deal?" variety. To the people with that attitude I'd like to plainly say that you don't know what you're talking about. At all. Alcoholism in it's true form - physical alcohol dependency - is a terrifying and debilitating disease, that captures the very will of the afflicted. There is no escaping the siren song of alcohol for the sufferer. It isn't a question of "just say no", it's a minute-by-minute willful struggle against an urge so powerful that at times, the alcoholic would gladly trade the lives of his children for another drink. The same applies to drugs like heroin. Unless you've felt the craving, the absolute need for more, a need that outweighs any rational argument against it, or can conjure up an ounce of imagination and understanding, then keep your pithy, profoundly unhelpful comments to yourself.

barbs 5y ago
Thanks for saying this, and I agree with you - lots of people making uninformed statements as fact. Drug Addiction is terrible, but stigmatizing drugs, labelling the user as a "druggie" or "junkie", and calling for tougher restrictions make the problem worse. For those who wish to inform themselves better, I recommend reading "Chasing the Scream" by Johann Hari.
tdrdt 5y ago
"terrifying and debilitating disease" The only country I know of that treats addiction like a disease is Portugal. I don't know how this worked out for them but years ago I read that this had a really positive outcome because being rejected as an addict only makes things worse.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
ldiracdelta 5y ago
The absolutely accurate word used to describe that level of addiction in Christian theology is "slavery" Completely captures the idea of unmitigated subservience to the drug or alcohol master.
- spurgu 5y ago
  > drug or alcohol master. Nitpicking, but since political correctness seems to be all the rage nowadays, please consider removing "or alcohol" from that sentence (at least mentally) since alcohol is a drug, just like heroin or coffee or nicotine or LSD, only with varying degrees of effects, damage and dependency. Disclaimer: Have tried most common drugs at least once in my life and find alcohol to be one of the most dangerous ones, since dependency tends to creep up so slowly (years) and is practically impossible to get rid of once acquired, barring abstaining completely. Edit: Saw that you replied but then deleted, referring to common parlance of the English language. Yes, that's exactly why I posted this. It's established (boomer) language to say "drugs and alcohol" and it needs to change. Hence I referred to changing the sentence mentally. This change will take time though and/but it'll happen, one person at a time. I suppose people seem to look at "drugs" as illegal drugs and everything legal as non-drugs. So now with weed widely decriminalized it'd go from "drugs or alcohol" to "drugs or alcohol or weed". Maybe? /tangent Edit2: I also suppose people don't want to look at themselves as drug users. This is probably due to anti-drug propaganda, associating any drug user with a "junky". It's also a mental image that needs to change. Most people in the western world are functional drug users and that's fine. Or should be.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
johnisgood 5y ago
It is dependent on the person, of course. What you are saying is that it is not based on the power of will alone, which is true, but it is different for everyone. I have been physically addicted to something that most people simply cannot get off once having touched. I did it. With regarding another substance: I go through forced withdrawals so I will not have to increase the dose. I do not experience cravings, I experience "I wish I had it, because it would make me more functional.". It does not interfere with my life negatively, so it is fine. I do not think that opiates are as "psychologically addictive" as they deem it to be, but then again, I never experienced euphoria from them at all. Perhaps were I to experience euphoria, I would crave it more. I dunno.
ysris 5y ago
For the 2 people I know who are addicted to heroin, the drug addiction is not the cause of their problems, it's a consequence of a trauma of the past. They relive this trauma every damn minute. In the beginning of taking drugs, it seemed for them a way to escape reality for some time; to feel in peace. So yeah, saying "just don't do drugs" to a drug addict is as stupid as saying "just forget your life is a living hell". Of course, I'm not encouraging drug consumption in any way, but we should have some empathy with them. Most of the time, it's not as simple as it appears.
DeathArrow 5y ago
>Alcoholism in it's true form - physical alcohol dependency - is a terrifying and debilitating disease, that captures the very will of the afflicted. There is no escaping the siren song of alcohol for the sufferer. It isn't a question of "just say no", it's a minute-by-minute willful struggle against an urge so powerful that at times, the alcoholic would gladly trade the lives of his children for another drink. I drank far too much, far too often. But like I've got the habit to drink too much, little, by little, I also got the habit to drink just a little, also little by little.
MikusR 5y ago
It's 2021. If somebody still doesn't know about harm from cigarettes, drugs and alcohol it's 100% on them.
- kojeovo 5y ago
  > it's 100% on them You should read the post, exemplifies how it usually ends up not 100% on the person addicted. It affects their family and people around them.
  - MikusR 5y ago
    And that is done intentionally by the addict. I can understand a situation when somebody is kidnapped and forcibly injected with drugs/alcohol.

by ziggus 5y ago

barbs 5y ago

Thanks for saying this, and I agree with you - lots of people making uninformed statements as fact. Drug Addiction is terrible, but stigmatizing drugs, labelling the user as a "druggie" or "junkie", and calling for tougher restrictions make the problem worse. For those who wish to inform themselves better, I recommend reading "Chasing the Scream" by Johann Hari.

tdrdt 5y ago

"terrifying and debilitating disease" The only country I know of that treats addiction like a disease is Portugal. I don't know how this worked out for them but years ago I read that this had a really positive outcome because being rejected as an addict only makes things worse.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

ldiracdelta 5y ago

The absolutely accurate word used to describe that level of addiction in Christian theology is "slavery" Completely captures the idea of unmitigated subservience to the drug or alcohol master.

spurgu 5y ago
> drug or alcohol master. Nitpicking, but since political correctness seems to be all the rage nowadays, please consider removing "or alcohol" from that sentence (at least mentally) since alcohol is a drug, just like heroin or coffee or nicotine or LSD, only with varying degrees of effects, damage and dependency. Disclaimer: Have tried most common drugs at least once in my life and find alcohol to be one of the most dangerous ones, since dependency tends to creep up so slowly (years) and is practically impossible to get rid of once acquired, barring abstaining completely. Edit: Saw that you replied but then deleted, referring to common parlance of the English language. Yes, that's exactly why I posted this. It's established (boomer) language to say "drugs and alcohol" and it needs to change. Hence I referred to changing the sentence mentally. This change will take time though and/but it'll happen, one person at a time. I suppose people seem to look at "drugs" as illegal drugs and everything legal as non-drugs. So now with weed widely decriminalized it'd go from "drugs or alcohol" to "drugs or alcohol or weed". Maybe? /tangent Edit2: I also suppose people don't want to look at themselves as drug users. This is probably due to anti-drug propaganda, associating any drug user with a "junky". It's also a mental image that needs to change. Most people in the western world are functional drug users and that's fine. Or should be.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

johnisgood 5y ago

It is dependent on the person, of course. What you are saying is that it is not based on the power of will alone, which is true, but it is different for everyone. I have been physically addicted to something that most people simply cannot get off once having touched. I did it. With regarding another substance: I go through forced withdrawals so I will not have to increase the dose. I do not experience cravings, I experience "I wish I had it, because it would make me more functional.". It does not interfere with my life negatively, so it is fine. I do not think that opiates are as "psychologically addictive" as they deem it to be, but then again, I never experienced euphoria from them at all. Perhaps were I to experience euphoria, I would crave it more. I dunno.

ysris 5y ago

For the 2 people I know who are addicted to heroin, the drug addiction is not the cause of their problems, it's a consequence of a trauma of the past. They relive this trauma every damn minute. In the beginning of taking drugs, it seemed for them a way to escape reality for some time; to feel in peace. So yeah, saying "just don't do drugs" to a drug addict is as stupid as saying "just forget your life is a living hell". Of course, I'm not encouraging drug consumption in any way, but we should have some empathy with them. Most of the time, it's not as simple as it appears.

DeathArrow 5y ago

>Alcoholism in it's true form - physical alcohol dependency - is a terrifying and debilitating disease, that captures the very will of the afflicted. There is no escaping the siren song of alcohol for the sufferer. It isn't a question of "just say no", it's a minute-by-minute willful struggle against an urge so powerful that at times, the alcoholic would gladly trade the lives of his children for another drink. I drank far too much, far too often. But like I've got the habit to drink too much, little, by little, I also got the habit to drink just a little, also little by little.

MikusR 5y ago

It's 2021. If somebody still doesn't know about harm from cigarettes, drugs and alcohol it's 100% on them.

kojeovo 5y ago
> it's 100% on them You should read the post, exemplifies how it usually ends up not 100% on the person addicted. It affects their family and people around them.
- MikusR 5y ago
  And that is done intentionally by the addict. I can understand a situation when somebody is kidnapped and forcibly injected with drugs/alcohol.