Drug Addiction and our trampled rights (page 2)

parakeet

Shamus wrote: "I'm sick and tired of seeing these people running around, ruining society."

I'm no expert on drug addiction, but maybe a little more compassion is in order here. I suppose your solution to the problems in the Middle East is to "nuke 'em all."

lawrence

"Ruining Society" - you have to be kidding me! Now we have protectors of society moaning that the bridge club will be disturbed due to the fact that the garden party was huffing glue and crystal meth. Deal with yourself, that's a full time job, and leave society to the vicarious and shithoarders. You need a wake up call, go visit a Moose Club or a VFW hall and join society. As far as "trampled rights", go no further than your Senate, all juiced up, and ready to snort power or powder. Teach your cat to recite the Gettysburg Address.

Spook

If you want to understand this subject in a fun way, go to the Loveline archive from the years of Dr. Drew and Adam Carolla. Listen to some of the funny and informative shows.

That said, a chasm of irrationality yawns beneath your feet. Addiction is a disease with well known biological and psycho-social roots. Certain chemicals impact the limbic system of the brain and hi-jack the basic human motivational system. It has nothing to do with free will or the morality of the individual. Interventions are effective because they break the fundamental co-dependancy which serves as the environment in which the complex psychological problem exists.

I've used addiction science against the bible in numerous debates. It's a brute fact that certain ethnic groups have a vastly greater biological basis for addiction. The fact that the bible portrays alcoholism as a personal moral choice reflects the pig-ignorance of its human writers and would imply capricious racism against native americans on behalf of its God who created people sick and then ordered them to be well.

The leading opinions in the biological sciences have argued that the roots of alcoholism are deeply tied to ancient survival mechanisms from more primitive times. The related disassociative phenomena and thrill seaking behavior are well established in the literature of these scientists.

All that said, I share great disdain with you for the way America has dealt with laws about drugs. Addictive drugs are conflated with non-addictive. Highly damaging drugs are not separated from relatively benign ones. The misinformation that guides public policy on this issue is staggering.

My main criticism of the show Intervention is that it has blurred the lines between traditional addiction with other compulsive behavior (as described by the American Medical Association and the professional societies of Addiction Medicine specialists). They have had episodes about shopping addiction, eating disorders and rage. While there is good evidence that interventions and inpatient treatment help with these disorders, the consensus of experts view these as compulsive disorders. These do not meet the definition of addiction in traditional terms. Being a choc-o-holic is not an addiction in the way shooting smack is. Not by a long shot. This confusion is the one damaging aspect of the show as I see it.

Furthermore, 12 step programs are effective because they build missing skills that normal people use to cope in life. These include the ability to connect and have empathy and identify when you are going into disassociative behavior.

shamus100

Jgnat,

Read my post. I said to those that have no valid reason to even try these drugs. I understand that there are people out there with depression, emotional problems, and other disabilities that make drugs an easy choice. And I don't blame them. I'm sorry that your son got addicted to crystal meth. I'm glad that he beat the addiction.

A family member of mine was on crystal meth and let me tell you before you judge me - I've seen what she did to her kids. I've seen first hand just some of the horrors that that animal put her kids through. Now I want you to look at it through my eyes. She had no reason to be on that drug. Just a party girl who couldn't get enough. She ruined 4 children's lives, put them in harms way, one was sexually assaulted that we know of, and ruined our lives for many years. Let me tell you, Jgnat, animals take care of they're young. When human beings do these things to they're kids they are worse than animals. Where are the kids rights? Where are our rights? Why do we have to deal with the mess?

I am throwing this out here for all to decide. Our family is at the 2 year anniversary of having to take her kids away, and this is about what our thought process is. I would welcome your ideas on how to make our streets safer.

Parakeet,

Of course people who spit on sidewalks should not be killed. Let's be a little more serious here.

Spook,

I am not from America. Also, I understand that 12 step recovery works. Interventions work too. We had several.

sammielee24

Read my post. I said to those that have no valid reason to even try these drugs. I understand that there are people out there with depression, emotional problems, and other disabilities that make drugs an easy choice. And I don't blame them. I'm sorry that your son got addicted to crystal meth. I'm glad that he beat the addiction

By what definition are you judging? What you or I see in a person, may not be who that person is. Many people who look 'normal' on the outside, are a mess on the inside and so self medicate in various ways. On the other hand, many teenagers experimate with drinking, smoking, intimacy and drugs - all for the most part an innocent time and innocent venture into maturity. As a young person you believe you are immortal.

Approximately half of all Americans - that's 150 million people - use legal, prescribed drugs and many of those have some serious side effects like blurred vision, depression, nauseau, headache, anxiety and so on. Yet those millions interact with society on a daily basis and many of them would be judged intoxicated if pulled over while driving - most medications, even cold medicine instructs you not to drive while under the influence. Yet we are surrounded by legal druggies.

I hate what meth, heroin and alcohol do to people - but I know people who have been addicted. These people look as normal as the next guy and functioned quite well for certain periods and yet, each of them had a hole in their soul so big even their addiction couldn't fill it. I don't judge any of them - I wish there was a sure way to get rid of all the junk but it's a lot bigger than getting rid of the people using. IMHO. sammieswife.

dinah

You've started one loaded there here, shamus.

The first thing that caught my attention, is exactly who gets to decide what is a valid reason for trying drugs? America has taken the "lock 'em up" stance. It's not working.

I agree meth destroys lives. I've seen families being torn apart, kids abused, kids taken away from their addict parents. IMHO, America's drug laws created the problem. Meth is a number one drug of choice because it's easily made. America will never change her laws about drugs. She is making too much money from the addicts in fines and color code fees.

The real epidemic is people hating life and being so miserable they just don't want to be here, so they find an escape.

shamus100

So I ask you - what is the answer? We've all suffered. And I don't wish anyone to live by a drug house. My relative had the most notorious drug house in town for 2 years. I was active in trying to get it shut down, and I heard all the stories.

Where do our rights end, and when do the addicts start?

I don't pupose a test that we find out exactly why drug addicts started doing drugs - that is obviously impossible. But if they're career criminals that don't want to get better, what do you do with them?

For goodness sake we were all in a religion that would have no problems killing you if you didn't stay regular in field service, or make every meeting without a darned good excuse. I'm not about to start systematically killing meth heads just because they're weak. So where do my rights to live in a neighbourhood in safety start and where does it end?

dinah

The key words there were "we were all in a religion that would have no problems killing you". I have a problem with killing someone. Most people can be helped if the right approach if found, and the root of the problem is dealt with. Our courts don't have time for that.

If your family members you have a problem with were raised as JW's you could have your answer as to "WHY"

triplestrength

Go out, learn about what you are trying to discuss. Meet the real users of drugs and you will find in every case someone in need of support but often with challenging behaviour.

Your comments show a real lack of knowledege of the subject and is insulting to those who have family/friends in this situation.

R.Crusoe

JW addiction is as bad as any drug addiction!

It will psychologically remove all your family from you and leave you in a perpetual depressive cycle no matter how drug free you are!

Sadly som rely on alcohol , smokes or drugs to prop up their low eb!

Learning how to be a feel good solitary is one unnatural experience for a human animal evolved to be part of a tribe!

I have no answers - simply observable realities!

Drug Addiction and our trampled rights

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