Thereâs such an unfortunately common misconception about drug-users that I wish more people who have never had to deal with that struggle could understand.. Itâs widely believed that we do drugs, simply because drugs are fun, and they make us feel good. But doesnât it it say something more when a mother cannot stop using, even for the sake of her own child? Doesnât it say something more for the husband who lies, and hides behind the back of his ever-loving, and ever-trusting wife? Doesnât it say something when you contract Hep C or whatever else, and yet youâre still there, shoving water-shots into the veins that are weak, but will still take your dose?
Sure, using drugs might be a fun past-time as a teenager, or even a young adult, but when you are crawling on your floor for 6 hours, desperately picking through each and every individual thread of your carpet, just to see if there was an off-chance that you dropped something, itâs not fun anymore. Itâs not fun when you lose limbs to infections, and you still canât stop using. Itâs not fun when it interferes with your passions, and your relationships.
People look at us with disdain and disgust when we feel the need to lie to hide our shame and guilt. We never want to hurt the ones we love.. some of us are doomed for life, while others find help in loving and accepting groups such as NA or AA, and they never pick up again.
When you judge someone because they use, or because you see their scars or track-marks, you are drawing a conclusion of your own which is robbing another human being of the chance to change. When you shame an addict, please try to realize that you are criticizing someone who is likely suffering a pain youâve never felt before, and never will. If you donât know what itâs like to be an addict, you (hopefully) will never know the greatest struggle known to mankind. We arenât just junkies, we arenât just thieves, we arenât just monsters out to corrupt your children and clutter up your sidewalks.
Not all of us have the benefit of having healthy coping-mechanisms. You might not understand that the âjunkie that got cleanâ is now suffering crippling anxiety and depression. You might not know that they are now becoming an introvert because theyâre literally afraid of everything without their DOC.. You might not know that the recovering addict is too afraid to pursue a career, or a relationship without the comfort of their vice.. And you DEFINITELY donât know the pain of an addict going through withdrawal, if youâve never been there before. I personally would rather die than be sick ever again in my life.
Bottom line, before you label someone a âjunkie,â and treat them as if they have no worth, nor purpose in this life, maybe try considering what got them there in the first place, because I can guarantee you, they donât hunt, and scheme, and steal every single day just to âfeel good.â And if you simply canât consider that, maybe just take your close-minded attitude and focus on politics like the rest of them. If you canât even begin to understand someoneâs pain, leave them the fuck alone.