Is drug addiction a moral failing? Or a sign of weakness? Or a bit of bad luck? Many of us had all that bad stuff available but decided (even after a taste) that our lightweight pleasures were sufficient.
What drives the bluenoses crazy is the fact that many of those “weak” folks also had (and have) characteristics that make others love them. Yeah, there’s the ultimate junkie who will lie & cheat & steal all your stuff; get them out of your life. But there are the others who hurt mostly themselves. And we keep hoping they will be able to defeat their demons–because they have so much to offer on their good days. Even if their end is no surprise, there will be tears.
And if they manage to win, the bluenoses will still object when we welcome the prodigal children home.
There are plenty of addicts that did not break the law prior to becoming addicted. In other words, alcoholics or those addicted to prescription drugs can become addicted without breaking the law. It’s very likely that a large portion of those in the latter group go on to break the law to support their addiction, but some number of them start using because of a legitimate medical need.
This is actually one of the reasons I weaned myself off prescription painkillers as quickly as possible after major surgery, but some people may not be able to do the same for a variety of reasons.
Huffing is also something that 1) scares the hell out of me as the parent of a teen who has shown himself to have the common sense of a fruit salad and 2) you can do “legally.”
And a lot of people will switch to something less legal if their drug of choice isn’t working anymore or isn’t available. So perscription meds that you’ve been abusing get expensive and hard to find, but they guy you’ve been buying from has meth…
And if your reasoning is already impaired by the consumption of alcohol, and someone you are out partying with offers you something less legal, you aren’t always in a great spot to make decisions. Which is one of the reasons programs like DARE tend to demonize “light” drugs like alcohol and weed - because doing those things as a teen has you moving in circles where you have access to other things. And the common sense of fruit salad and lowered inhibitions from the “light” drugs you already consumed.
I’ve seen, that for many, (including myself) their addiction was the result of a long series of very small decisions, just one puff, or drink, or snort.
Over time, these (I believe) can slowly change ones brain chemistry to the point where what once was a “maybe just one hit or drink”…becomes somewhat of a demanding monster…“must have more”.
After awhile, the fun/crazy/wild (what attracted me…more more more) times are gone, and just staying normal, and making it through the day requires ever increasing amounts…of whatever one is using. Thats when you need to make some serious decisions.
I was very shamed to find myself in that position!!!:eek::eek:
I got good at stopping, but seemed to use that as an excuse to start again “look how easy it was to stop!!”… It did take some time to clean up my system. I’ve been clean for 10 years. Well, except for the regular things…you know, coffee, a beer here or there…
According to some of the literature, some people seem to be simply born with that brain chemistry in place - it isn’t slow - its the instant they feel the first buzz from a beer they are hooked.
taking drugs - directly impacts me. Depending on my situation, it MIGHT impact others. Questionable moral issue, especially since many religions have no issue with alcohol or caffeine. Since my morals are not those of Islam or the Latter Day Saints, I don’t find a moral issue when I drink - just if I drink and drive or drink to a level of excess that encourages other immoral behavior.
Speeding - aside from the empty country road, puts others at risk. Moral issue.
Your mention of tobacco made me realize that some drugs, though legal, were probably illegal to use or at least purchase when an addict first started. The large majority of tobacco and alcohol addicts probably started using before they were of legal age. I don’t think it actually matters when questioning whether it was moral to do so, but I should acknowledge that since I claimed that alcoholics don’t start by breaking the law.
When it comes to visible medical problems people are quick to sympathize and to offer help. But if the problem is your brain isn’t working right, people are more likely to stand in judgment, or to demand that you fix yourself. If you had a bone sticking out of your leg, nobody’s going to expect you to go to work. Nobody’s going to ask why you need to stay in bed, or why you can’t can’t you just set the bones yoursel. No one’s going to ask you why you seem to think you need pain meds.
If the problem is your brain isn’t working right, then it’s a whole different story.
Kurt Cobain killed himself, despite being the most successful musician of his generation, and despite having a newborn daughter. He was also a heroin addict Why did he do that? Was he weak? Was he selfish? Or was it that there was something broken, inside him, that no one (not even Kurt) knew how to fix? How long do you hobble around, with a jagged broken bone sticking out of your leg, before you blow your brains out?
David Foster Wallace hanged himself after publishing Infinite Jest, one of the best-received novels in - well, maybe ever. Wallace suffered from depression - and probably (though I don’t know it for a fact) was an addict of some kind or another as well. Was he weak (assuming for a moment he was an addict) or was he attempting to self-medicate, to avoid doing what he ultimately did?
To me, people who just take the “addicts are just weak” line aren’t really paying attention. Maybe they’re just generalizing from their own experiences. They’re thinking, “I had a Charley Horse one time. When you have a Charley Horse, you just walk it off.” Not realizing that a Charley Horse and a broken leg are not the same thing.
So glad you and others mentioned this. Nobody wakes up with an intention to be an addict. Or if they’re at that age where they think it may be kinda cool they just don’t really know what being an addict involves.
Nearly everyone experiments with alcohol at some point in their lives. Then, when judgment is impaired, a lot of different things can happen that will change a person’s life in a couple of minutes.
A moral weakness. I like what Johnny Cash used to say about his recovery. When he was using his using friends thought he was a powerful tough guy. And when he quit he looked weak to them. He said that they had gotten it exactly backwards.
Is recovery a moral triumph? Not really. Recovery is simply (or not so simply) learning to live as you were intended - in as physically and mentally healthy a condition as you are able.
Is congratulations due? Probably, if you’re inclined to be supportive. Everybody knows how difficult that goal can be and an addict has the extra burden to surmount.
I think this idea gets pretty close to the thin line between morale and moral. I don’t think drug users are immoral in the sense of people who are really evil, but the ones who become addicted may be lacking in morale, that is they may be so discouraged with life apart from the drug that it becomes the most important thing for them.
It isn’t necessarily symmetrical like that - getting into addiction has a lot to do with random circumstances in many cases (like your social class and setting that you happen to be born into, the mores of your society, etc.).
