First of all you must the language that is making you feel bad. We all know that the government made drug use a criminal offense from what used to be a health concern that was treated with dignity and respect? Just because the law, society, religion and other groups, organizations etc, are influenced by governmental labeling does not mean you are a criminal. By criminalizing drug use as a means of control by way of fear and shame it is simply not true and you have to believe this in order not to fall victim to this type labeling.
Shame is a learned response, humans are not hardwired to feel shame. Learning shame is not completely bad, it helps us learn boundaries of accepted behaviors, humility, and respect. Shame becomes problematic when we obsessed over negative feelings of rejection and isolation.
Punishment has always been more than a response to wrongdoing. It is also a public message. When a society punishes someone, it announces what it values, what it fears, and what it refuses to tolerate. Public humiliation, exile, corporal punishment, and social rejection all depend on an audience. The shame of a punished person is a lesson to the crowd.
There is a difference between holding someone accountable and shaming. Accountability focuses on action, what was done, who was harmed, and how repair can happen. Shame is about identity, who the person is, how defective they appear, and whether they deserve belonging. Accountability can lead to growth because it leaves room for responsibility and change. Shame often leads to hiding, denial, anger, or despair because it makes the whole self feel condemned.
If shame teaches us to separate from ourselves and others. then nourishment teaches us how to return. To become a source of nourishment means becoming the kind of presence that helps life grow instead of shrink, it means creating enough safety for honesty to exist. it means meeting failure, relapse, regret, and wrongdoing with seriousness, but not with cruelty,
