opinion pages and articles on the beauty of life: friendship, family, love, romance, marriage, parenting, etc...
Published on October 9, 2010 By jesseledesma In Ethics

Most of us who do not abuse drugs pay the bills for those who do abuse drugs. Long term abuse of alcohol and drugs has serious health consequences. Whether an addict ends up in a private or public hospital, we have to pay for them. Therefore, I think we have more then the right to have an opinion.

I know the psychological parameters of addiction. People use drugs to cope with pain and suffering. People use drugs because of the pleasure they receive by being in a social drug using environment. Addiction is a real illness where the person cannot stop using drugs, drugs are ruining their lives, and they are not aware of the consequences to their behavior.

However, many drug users are there for the social high. Being around other people using drugs is pleasurable. People are telling jokes. People are laughing. People are talking. Therefore, the drugs and the social interaction are causing a high in the drug user.

I do believe that most of the members of societies believe in the tragic life of the addict. The impression is that there are forces not seen making people in to addicts. The reality is much different.

There are many hustlers who prefer not to work, have everyone else pay their way, and prefer to be out “partying” all night long. They use people around them. There life is a choice.

I was a staff member in a drug rehab non-profit. At this time, I started watching the program Intervention on Hulu. One interesting observation I acquired from watching this program was that the drug user perked up when he or she was around his or her peers who used drugs. With the parents, other family members, friends, and lovers they were always uptight, angry, depressed, and violent.

Yes, it is correct that the drug user was upset with people trying to tell them what to do in life. We all know that some people in the life of drug users try to tell drug users what to do in life. Most of the time the reaction of the drug user is harsh.

My opinion towards drug users has always been you are an adult and if this is the way you want to live your life then who an I to tell you anything different. I just want drug users to understand that they do not have the right to harm other people.

When you deliberately hurt your self, you hurt the people who care about you. People who love you fear you will die or that you will hurt your self. This fear causes them pain.

In addition, drug users are not super heroes. There are real health problems associated with drug use. Drain damage, heart problems, and neurological problems are only a few.

Therefore, the idea of drug dealers and they can do what they want with their lives is wrong. Many drug users have killed people while driving intoxicated. Hospital expenses that drug users accrue and do not pay get paid by customers who have to pay for the increase in prices. All tax payers in a state fund the public hospital.

Having to care for a person with long term health issues that are the result of drug use is stressful. Feeding, bathing, dressing, and keeping an eye on an adult is physically and mentally demanding.

Now, what got me on this subject. I was reviewing psychological journals yesterday. One journal article was talking about how many drug users who inject them selves do not know their HIV status. I was not surprised by this irresponsible behavior.

We all know that a person, who has HIV, runs the high risk of infecting everyone they have sexual contact with or who they share needles with in life. Drug users know these facts. They choose not to get tested.

You will never find me having to much sympathy for drug users. Even the ones that are addicts I would not cry other. None of us has an absence of understanding on how the life really works.

Pleasure is pleasurable. Good for you, drug user, for figuring this out. Many of us already know this fact.

We also know that there are many healthy ways to receive pleasure. Now, I am not preaching religion. I am talking about morality.

Your enjoyment of life cannot become a burden on me. Why should I pay your hospital bills? Why should I feed your children? Why should I loose my life in an accident you caused because you were to intoxicated?

My intent with this article was not to write a disciplined article on drug use. I want to educate and inform people about all the people who are hustlers, users, and abusers. In addition, I want to empower people so they won’t be facilitators to their friends and family members drug use.

Now what would qualify for quality Drug Addiction Therapy. I think you need to clean out the body of substance or substances the drug user has accumulated in the body. The person also has to be educated on the other things that are healthy and also give pleasure. The drug user also needs life coping skills training.

As long as the substance the person abuses is in his or her body, the body’s own chemistry will cause the person to crave more of the drug. The body is a laboratory that is always, through body processes, monitoring substances in the body and making adjustment to increase or decrease the levels of substances in the body.

We seek pleasure when there is no pleasure in our lives. Many people use drugs for pleasure because they have boring lives. This is a natural function. Boredom is painful. To avoid the pain we seek pleasure causing activities, even if it is illegal drug use.

Sometimes because of stress we make poor choices. In order to calm the pain and suffering we start talking drugs. Alcohol is a drug. Coffee is a drug.

Now, in yesterday’s paper I wrote briefly on the need for the cooperation of the person in need of help in therapy. A person with real addiction may choose and participate honestly in therapy. A person who would rather party then be responsible probably will not choose and participate in therapy. People who are court ordered to drug addiction rarely take drug rehab seriously.


Comments
No one has commented on this article. Be the first!