Addiction & the war on drugs (both from a personal and a more general POV)

[skramamme]

I have submitted this at ontd_f, but in case it isn't deemed relevant enough I wanted to repost it here.

(My apologies if this post is a bit all over the place, but there are so many areas that require discussion- it's a bit hard not to jump from one facet to another.)As a repeat heroin addict (over 15 years now) I've been wanting to post about

Comments

[king_josie]

I agree with your way of looking at things.

From my (naive) perspective, i think people discriminate against addicts out of fear - fear that they could become an addict themselves. Because, in theory, anyone who engages with any addictive substance or behaviour could become an addict, and becoming an addict represents a loss of control - which people HATE the idea of.

Discrimination against drug-addicts is so huge in society that i find myself doing it too when i don't want to. It is hard when addicts behaviour affects you (living in a homeless hostel until 3-4 months ago meant i was often stolen from, manipulated and hurt by addicts) but then i've got to remember i'm being hypocritical - my own addictive behaviour (in the form of EDs, self-harm, etc) can be just as bad.

[barbituratecat]

This is interesting to me right now because my city is talking about buying out a bunch of hotels in the core area and banning liquor so they can 'root out the drunks and addicts, and make the downtown area a safer place'. Thankfully, a lot of sane people are pointing out that this is just wholesale discrimination against A) people with addictions, and B) First Nations/Metis people, who make up a majority of the people with addictions in those areas. There's also a lot of talk about how 'dangerous' these people are, without any solid evidence that this plan would somehow lower the crime or violence rate

[cheez_ball]

Very good points all around. There is a stereotype of what an "addict" is that just can't seem to go away (Breaking Bad even enforces it when really they had the chance not to). There's just something that bothers me with the labeling of a "them", as in any group that's different. Because all of us are somehow different but the "others" can't see our perspective until they experience it for themselves. It's like the whole "my unintended pregnancy was an accident but everyone else is a whore" thing.

So little is understood about how the brain works...yet so many people have an opinion on it. :-(