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Why does it matter if your a drug addict

It doesn't. I perform my work effectively, i dedicate most of my spare time to bjj and reading. If i want to escape the chainlink and prison of the skull now and then -- so what.

I'm in great shape and rarely sick. But I'm sober most weekdays
 
Well, i need at least weed to brighten my reality and distort my perception, otherwise i fall in to the deep abyss of anhedonia.

I do still have my passions -- soccer/football, literature, comics, music -- so I'm always motivated to pull through. But i life without drugs would be boring. I'll heal my Stim binge shit mood with a small dose of benzo and pull through.
 
Ganja Gremlin said:
I mean in reality , if your a good person and you don't hurt others and you earn an honest living and contribute to society why the hell does it matter if one wants to make their lonley existence a little more interesting through substances . As long as you arnt forcing drugs into children I don't see why so there is so much stigma against people who use drugs . Their are many "addicts" who you would never even know use drugs, they go to school they hold down jobs they don't steal to feed their addiction . It's just ridiculous how addicts are treated especially in America because it's so hypocritical considering alcohol is legal. No drug has ever fucked me up and made me lose inhibition like alcohol

Why must society make you feel like your a horrible person just because you want to escape .. this world is ugly after all... it's no surprise human beings are prone to substance use

Thoughts??
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You should move to my country of Holland, here most people dont judge others for doing drugs, they just let them do whatever they want
 
The addicts that ask this are the ones that cause the stigma.

Addiction is a often a symptom of severe, complex, and destructive psychological problems.
 
cyberius said:
The addicts that ask this are the ones that cause the stigma.

Addiction is a often a symptom of severe, complex, and destructive psychological problems.
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Translation: life sucks, drugs make it suck less.
 
FuckinAcidMan said:
I mean I honestly agree that logistically being a drug addict isn't ideal in a survival situation. Though your same argument could be applied to obese people or someone who is elderly and isn't very strong or capable without the care and tools they have access to usually.

Being diabetic could be life threatening in a survival situation, there are a bunch of things that would ensure many people would die beyond the violent deaths due to the disaster itself.

All that being said I always feel healthier when (semi) sober (and by that i guess i mean no alcohol, opiates, amphetamines or benzodiazepines) so I think that going hard with the already hard drugs is a path that is probably best walked infrequently and with caution.
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I think that an argument could be made that while old age and diabetes are unavoidable health issues at this moment in human history, addiction IS avoidable, so if there was a natural disaster and you were able bodied but unable to help others because you were dopesick, it would be because of an avoidable and self-inflicted ailment. Obesity is basically an unhealthy addiction to food in my opinion so I would put the obese in the same category as the addicted. Not saying I necessarily agree that this means addiction is a bad thing, I just thought the natural disaster scenario was an interesting talking point.

I think another argument could be made that being an addict is like driving drunk... while some people might manage to do it while keeping their own lives and the lives of others intact, there is an increased risk of causing harm to those around you, and this is an area in which people frequently overestimate their own ability to control themselves, despite evidence to the contrary.

Even if everyone was capable of keeping their moral compass pointing in the right direction while deep within the most hellish addiction imaginable, it's still hard to find a reason that it's not a bad thing for a human being to be reliant on an externally administered substance in order to feel normal, for reasons that are not purely medical. Of course that doesn't mean there should be any stigma, because most if not all addicts probably start out trying to self-medicate some kind of mental health issue, so while the above examples are potentially explanations for why the stigma exists, I think for the vast majority of people the stigma is just a cultural habit, where drugs are somewhat demonized, plus the fact that the majority of visible addicts are problem users, and they probably just haven't thought about it much beyond that.

It's possible to imagine a more progressive, compassionate society where addicts are not looked own upon at all, but this society probably also takes steps to prevent the kind of circumstances that cause drug addictions in the first place, and provides a far more comprehensive range of options to help people out of their addictions, rather than just letting people get on with being addicts.
 
Vastness said:
I think that an argument could be made that while old age and diabetes are unavoidable health issues at this moment in human history, addiction IS avoidable, so if there was a natural disaster and you were able bodied but unable to help others because you were dopesick, it would be because of an avoidable and self-inflicted ailment. Obesity is basically an unhealthy addiction to food in my opinion so I would put the obese in the same category as the addicted. Not saying I necessarily agree that this means addiction is a bad thing, I just thought the natural disaster scenario was an interesting talking point.

I think another argument could be made that being an addict is like driving drunk... while some people might manage to do it while keeping their own lives and the lives of others intact, there is an increased risk of causing harm to those around you, and this is an area in which people frequently overestimate their own ability to control themselves, despite evidence to the contrary.

Even if everyone was capable of keeping their moral compass pointing in the right direction while deep within the most hellish addiction imaginable, it's still hard to find a reason that it's not a bad thing for a human being to be reliant on an externally administered substance in order to feel normal, for reasons that are not purely medical. Of course that doesn't mean there should be any stigma, because most if not all addicts probably start out trying to self-medicate some kind of mental health issue, so while the above examples are potentially explanations for why the stigma exists, I think for the vast majority of people the stigma is just a cultural habit, where drugs are somewhat demonized, plus the fact that the majority of visible addicts are problem users, and they probably just haven't thought about it much beyond that.

It's possible to imagine a more progressive, compassionate society where addicts are not looked own upon at all, but this society probably also takes steps to prevent the kind of circumstances that cause drug addictions in the first place, and provides a far more comprehensive range of options to help people out of their addictions, rather than just letting people get on with being addicts.
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Great post. I agree with this a lot.

I certainly don't judge addicts - i've struggled with addiction a lot myself. But i also think it is easy (and tempting) to try to convince yourself, as an addict, that it's not a harmful thing in your life.
Thing is, for a lot of people it is very damaging to their life, if not their body, their health, their mental wellbeing and relationships with other people and the world generally.

I think that addiction in and of itself (to anything - drugs or other compulsive behaviours) is a negative thing.
 
Fresco said:
Short-term, yes.

Long-term, no
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Yea but let's be honest, most of that is because of prohibition more than the drugs themselves.

But besides, it's all relative. The less you had to start with the less drugs have to take away.
 
I hate to sound preachy you guys, but the Law of Attraction has really changed my life. The more positive thoughts I have, the more positive things I begin to attract in my life.

And the opposite is true also, when I start getting down on things I start attracting more negativity (which I pretty much stopped doing).

Its been a changing point 5 years ago, and I havent looked back since.
Learn aboot LOA and it will change your life
 
You guys have already nailed almost every good point. One idea that hasn't been stated is the "it's so bad to be an addict" because in the USA (the only culture I've lived in) anything a person allows to get Outta Control is viewed as weakness -- substance use, behaviors (over eating, gambling, sexual risky behaviors ) and Weakness seems to be the big NO NO.
This is sad in so many ways because those who perceive themselves as Strong and In Control look soooooooo far down up In Those perceived as Weak .... and sadly too, this discrepancy stretches to things a person perhaps could Never control such as mental illnesses. One must admit-- mental and physical disabilities or Lesser Ability is still in 2017 viewed as Weakness, fault, character flaw and Choice.
This horrid stigma is a large part of what leads too many awesome individuals to steer clear of possible treatment for their issues. Thus they suffer on , or turn to self medicating.

Couple examples off the cuff-- my mom (would be 72 now had she lived) was soooooo indoctrinated that "if you cant control your own emotions / behaviors that makes you Crazy. And crazy is bad and shameful". She died by suicide in 1999.

An acquaintance of mine (female mid 20s currently) lives with bottled up shame and anger, confusion and guilt stemming from sexual abuse as a child (the perpetrator Is now dead and gone). The young lady has NEVER gotten professional help be it counseling or groups or meds..... but she drinks. She drinks to life threatening excess and wreaks some pretty spectacular havok on the lives of friends n family.

If stigma regarding "it's BAD to not be In Control" would dissipate I think alot of folks might have a fighting chance at Better Lives. Longer lives and less suffering.

Addiction -- how's that defined? As repeating behaviors for a positive reward despite negative consequences or some similar line. When someone's life has gotten outta control (out of Positive rewards and showing mostly or only signs of negative consequences ) others will almost always view that person with disdain or disgust. Even when the issues were NOT the person's fault. Such as....let's say a young man who developed schizophrenia at age 23 when all his life prior he was a stellar performer in school and athletics etc.... in our society that young man would Most Likely be shunned and shamed for his "weird behaviors" and a lot of suffering might follow. Even after getting psychiatric help, Correct me if I'm wrong , but nine times outta ten he will be seen as either Weak, a freak, or a Lesser human being. And he will be regarded very differently than he'd been all his years when he was "normal".

Point: Weakness is what's feared and we all try so hard to avoid letting others view us as Weak.
Addicts are likely viewed as the Weakest. . . Society will seemingly ALWAYS consider an addicts problems to he his Own doing.
 
Fresco said:
I hate to sound preachy you guys, but the Law of Attraction has really changed my life. The more positive thoughts I have, the more positive things I begin to attract in my life.

And the opposite is true also, when I start getting down on things I start attracting more negativity (which I pretty much stopped doing).

Its been a changing point 5 years ago, and I havent looked back since.
Learn aboot LOA and it will change your life
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It's a good thing I don't believe in that or I'd be fucked.

I refuse, absolutely refuse to have positive expectations. My philosophy is to always expect shit to go bad. That way, either shit will go bad, but at least I was right, or something good will happen and I won't care that I was wrong. I can't lose.

The reverse is true too, if I expect positive things to happen and they do it's meaningless, but if I expect good things and they don't happen it's all the more disappointing, I can't win.

Runningfox said:
An acquaintance of mine (female mid 20s currently) lives with bottled up shame and anger, confusion and guilt stemming from sexual abuse as a child (the perpetrator Is now dead and gone). The young lady has NEVER gotten professional help be it counseling or groups or meds..... but she drinks. She drinks to life threatening excess and wreaks some pretty spectacular havok on the lives of friends n family.
.
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Kinda sounds like me if you swap alcohol with heroin. I know lots of others too. Seems all to common.
 
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^^^^ Jess
I wonder why at this day n age, it's so hard for ppl to come forward and ask for help . . . With trauma in their past/ present . I suppose it may just be too hard to face it head on. But self medicating causes problems on top of problems. It's a horrible cycle. I feel for ya.
 
i have never understood why here in the us we think its a good idea to treat us like scum instead of as an issue of public health. columbia has decriminalized all drugs and encourages treatment plans. were people not animals. hell animals get better treatment sometimes
 
I used to toss this around in my head and have come to the frustrating conclusion that you'll never convince anyone differently. I personally (well until recently when benzos and opiates became staples of life) could get on and be the nicest dude ever on drugs and a fucking asshole without. Of course that could stem from mental health issues and general disdain for the objective reality.

My mom on the other hand has lost people, and I can understand not forgiving drugs for such a loss. It's more the user's fault mostly (unless you get a bad batch or something) in my honest opinion, I've been researching drugs much longer than I've been using them. Some people would rather never let that sentiment (especially about a loved one) enter their head, and it's just as okay as me being cool with sniffing dope.

I've been terribly dopesick and kept to my code, but then again there have been times I needed weed and sold some of my shit to get it. It's tricky for me, I have a yin and yang view when it comes to drugs. Where there is intense good, there is intense bad no matter how much you know or how much you've prepared or how much others don't care. Just kinda live with it.
 
My whole thing is after getting clean from opiates and cocaine I find that I am in control of my mind. Sure people who have access to opiates like to believe they have control over their thoughts but they really dont. The amount of time a day i spend thinking about drugs is probably a few minutes and thats before I roll a joint, otherwise the thoughts never randomly pop in and thats if your a highly functioning addict who doesnt actually get sick.

Its not that life sucks or is stressful so you need drugs the fact of the matter is you have used those common occurrences as excuses to use drugs. When my life sucks I try to change the reason it does as we are all in control of our fate. As I stated my biggest issue with the idea of being an addict is drugs control your thought process. I over use caffeine and even that is a clouding thought that pops in and even though I carry caffeine pills on me and they go away that is still a thing i have to plan for. That time can be used to better myself rather then buy and take caffeine. If you use this example for opiates its way more of a waste of time. Then theres getting high which usually leads to not being productive.

Its a cycle in my mind. Addict is bored or has some issue does drugs alleviates issue but not cause nor do they develop an efficient coping strategy so next time they repeat it. After time its nearly impossible to stop because your life is defined around moments and actions involving drugs, this is a waste of life. In my mind that is why its not good to be addicted to anything, its a waste of a thought process at the very least.

I still smoke weed and take caffeine.
 
What bugs me most in my situation (being labeled an opiate addict from yrs of prescriptions ) is that medical professionals refuse to take me seriously when I'm sick or hurt. Even wheb they see the proof of illness or injury right before their eyes / see my blood n urine as completely substance free, no matter what they still won't treat me with any medications that Help.
 
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