It could seem like fun. An easy way to gain acceptance to a group that may not be terribly appealing, but may actually be to the right person. It may seem like a quick way to escape from problems -- but I wonder if that's ever actually the reason somebody starts. That seems more like something that would come after your body is conditioned a little bit and knows what will happen. I don't know why people start. I bet mostly they just start young, when dumb things happen for no good reason.
And I don't know if it inevitably destroys. I'm no expert, and all I really know is what they taught me in D.A.R.E. And I know that it does at least occasionally, and I believe that it does eventually, far more often than not.
We call it "doing drugs." That's a broad name for a problem with many faces. Does the domestic prescription drug abuser need different treatment than the sometimes-burglar who shoots up on a street corner? Should policy and practice differ for those cases?
The sponsor of this post, Stone Hawk, runs a drug treatment program that boasts a 75% recovery rate. It's awesome that they can help so many people, but scary that even if addicts pay the program costs, relocate to Michigan, and live in a dedicated drug rehabilitation community for an extended period of time, 25% will still relapse.
I was lucky -- blessed with a family and community around me that made it easy for me to never touch drugs or alcohol. I hope I never allow myself to think badly of people who were not so fortunate.
I hope they can find help.
'Smack' by Melvin Burgess. That's one of just a few books I've read about drugs that really conveyed a sense of the despair and human reasoning behind drugs. It's not light reading, and it's offensive, but it's like having a conversation with an addict who spits on you.
That's probably a good analogy, actually. I appreciated the experience, but I don't suppose most of my friends/family/associates would. So don't go read it.
Sheesh. And I'm getting all weirded-out just sitting here thinking about it again. What a terrible scourge drugs are to society.