Elephant drugs

 

I'm sure those who took it won't forget it

It seems like we want to show so much empathy for drug abusers that they climb into victim status. They are not victims, well maybe of their own decisions. You have to use to become addicted. No-one is stupid enough to not know the side effects and oncoming addiction. Yet they choose to use the first time knowing the repercussions. At some point there is a conscious choice, a lucid decision that getting high is worth a game of Russian roulette with their life. If your only goal in life is to get high then have at it. I just have no sympathy for those who choose to use knowing the consequences.

It seems like we want to show so much empathy for drug abusers that they climb into victim status. They are not victims, well maybe of their own decisions. You have to use to become addicted. No-one is stupid enough to not know the side effects and oncoming addiction. Yet they choose to use the first time knowing the repercussions. At some point there is a conscious choice, a lucid decision that getting high is worth a game of Russian roulette with their life. If your only goal in life is to get high then have at it. I just have no sympathy for those who choose to use knowing the consequences.

 

Drug abusers that are addicted and, not all are addicted, are not victims. They have a disease that has been predisposed. Some very innocent things blow way out of proportion. I get that if you never take them you never kick the addiction "in". I think everyone realizes they made the decision to take the first drink, puff, bet, toke etc. How something that most see as "let me try it" and I can think of no one that hasn't done one or more of addictive activities, would ever think they would become addicted? Never crosses their mind. Many on here are just fortunate to not have it.

 

I find it pretty ignorant and mostly judgmental, "holier than thou" to think that this is a choice. But that is probably just me.

But that is probably just me.

 

Nope

Drug abusers that are addicted and, not all are addicted, are not victims. They have a disease that has been predisposed. Some very innocent things blow way out of proportion. I get that if you never take them you never kick the addiction "in". I think everyone realizes they made the decision to take the first drink, puff, bet, toke etc. How something that most see as "let me try it" and I can think of no one that hasn't done one or more of addictive activities, would ever think they would become addicted? Never crosses their mind. Many on here are just fortunate to not have it.

 

I find it pretty ignorant and mostly judgmental, "holier than thou" to think that this is a choice. But that is probably just me.

 

You choose to use at some point before the addiction. Guess what, drugs are bad. Don't use don't die from OD that simple. If you choose to use you are choosing death at some point. I find it pretty ignorant to blame some physiological disorder instead of putting the blame at the feet of the person who chooses to start doing drugs in the first place. Can you be addicted to heroin and never have used heroin? No gun to their head. If they don't care about their life, why should I. I'm not "holier than thou" as you put it. I'm just not stupid enough to do drugs.

 

You choose to use at some point before the addiction. Guess what, drugs are bad. Don't use don't die from OD that simple. If you choose to use you are choosing death at some point. I find it pretty ignorant to blame some physiological disorder instead of putting the blame at the feet of the person who chooses to start doing drugs in the first place. Can you be addicted to heroin and never have used heroin? No gun to their head. If they don't care about their life, why should I. I'm not "holier than thou" as you put it. I'm just not stupid enough to do drugs.

 

[ATTACH]57598[/ATTACH]

 

By the time a person gets to heroin it is WAY too late. There really is no choice for the addict. I am really glad you have chosen not to do drugs, as well as many others.

 

I got lucky in my youth. Done some prescription pain killers also. Probably got lucky there although I never took them unless I really needed them. Could have gotten addicted though.

By the time a person gets to heroin it is WAY too late. There really is no choice for the addict. I am really glad you have chosen not to do drugs, as well as many others.

 

I got lucky in my youth. Done some prescription pain killers also. Probably got lucky there although I never took them unless I really needed them. Could have gotten addicted though.

 

The choice, to coin a Reagan 80's phrase, is just say no. Easiest way to not get addicted.

The choice, to coin a Reagan 80's phrase, is just say no. Easiest way to not get addicted.

 

Genius!

On the radio this morning, a DJ said he spoke with a judge recently who said the majority of people she sees in her courtroom for heroin got there by way of prescription drugs for some injury.

It seems like we want to show so much empathy for drug abusers that they climb into victim status. They are not victims, well maybe of their own decisions. You have to use to become addicted. No-one is stupid enough to not know the side effects and oncoming addiction. Yet they choose to use the first time knowing the repercussions. At some point there is a conscious choice, a lucid decision that getting high is worth a game of Russian roulette with their life. If your only goal in life is to get high then have at it. I just have no sympathy for those who choose to use knowing the consequences.

 

You have absolutely no clue how addiction works do you ? Genetic predisposition to addiction has absolutely nothing to do with ingestion of any mood altering chemical.

 

No one is looking to provide victim status to anyone, but rather attempt to bring about a better understanding of the seemingly obvious answers to this issue.

 

There is no lucid decision for an addict. In fact, lucidity is is the farthest thing from their day to day cognitive functions. It doesn't work like that, much in the same way that you aren't able to get your head around the pscyho-social construct of the medical model.

 

But that's what we are trying to do, educate those who have a narrow opinion and base their view on the outcome rather than the underlying.

 

In the end, it won't make any difference if you think differently about this disease or not, because you obviously don't struggle with it and apparently have never been around many who do.

 

I would encourage you to be open how otherwise seemingly "normal" well functioning people make decisions that the rest of think are ludicrous and even life threatening, yet still continue to make those decisions over and over and over....by definition, insanity.

 

So many people have difficulty understanding the madness of the mind that comes with the defeat of the body. Don't feel sympathy, that's ok....but look for understanding

Is Addiction a Disease? The Disease Model of Addiction | The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse

You have absolutely no clue how addiction works do you ? Genetic predisposition to addiction has absolutely nothing to do with ingestion of any mood altering chemical.

 

No one is looking to provide victim status to anyone, but rather attempt to bring about a better understanding of the seemingly obvious answers to this issue.

 

There is no lucid decision for an addict. In fact, lucidity is is the farthest thing from their day to day cognitive functions. It doesn't work like that, much in the same way that you aren't able to get your head around the pscyho-social construct of the medical model.

 

But that's what we are trying to do, educate those who have a narrow opinion and base their view on the outcome rather than the underlying.

 

In the end, it won't make any difference if you think differently about this disease or not, because you obviously don't struggle with it and apparently have never been around many who do.

 

I would encourage you to be open how otherwise seemingly "normal" well functioning people make decisions that the rest of think are ludicrous and even life threatening, yet still continue to make those decisions over and over and over....by definition, insanity.

 

So many people have difficulty understanding the madness of the mind that comes with the defeat of the body. Don't feel sympathy, that's ok....but look for understanding

 

So the first time they put the needle in their arm they didn't have a choice? They were addicted before the needle ever touched their arm? I understand how addiction Works once you're addicted. What I don't understand is the initial choice to use drugs in the first place. Before they were addicted there was a choice. Addictive personality or not there was still a choice. Once they became addicted I understand the psychological and physiological changes in the brain's chemistry. But before you were addicted again you keep missing this point they chose to use an addictive substance when they already have an addictive personality. It's the initial choice that I'm harping on. That fork in the road that they chose which led them down the wrong path. At some point they were not high and decided they wanted to start getting high. That decision is 100% on them and is a choice.

No one is looking to provide victim status to anyone, but rather attempt to bring about a better understanding of the seemingly obvious answers to this issue.

 

There are two things with this issue that are obvious, to me:

 

1.) Addicts have no control over their addictive personalities, traits, tendencies, etc.

2.) They DO have control over what substances or activities they CHOOSE partake in

 

Addicts should not be shamed because of #1. In that regard, it's no different that any other disease. They shouldn't get a pass on #2, and whether it is the intent or not, your stance this whole time has seemed to be driving folks to do just that.

Sometimes you don't know that you have an addictive personality until you take that first drink, hit, bet, etc. That's when the demons hit you and you only think about the next drink, hit, bet, etc...

 

Look, I used to have little sympathy for drug users...until my cousin's son, Brian died from an overdose, my friend Beaver died from an overdose, my friend's son, Jacob Baumann died from an overdose (his funeral is today). These and others I've known who died from heroin weren't junkies. They were all fighting demons and lost the battle. They are the faces that make it personal now. If you don't know someone who has lost the battle against heroin, you are extremely lucky because it's everywhere.

 

Oh, and by the way, heroin isn't just shot up. You can snort it; you can sprinkle it on your weed and smoke it. That means your kid can be tricked into using it. Think about that.

Sometimes you don't know that you have an addictive personality until you take that first drink, hit, bet, etc. That's when the demons hit you and you only think about the next drink, hit, bet, etc...

 

You still chose to use the first time. The blame for that cannot be placed on addiction, that is solely on the user.