Drug abuse is not a disease it is bad life decisions

originally posted by: Lysergic
I wonder if NOT being a millionaire or a billionaire is from bad life decisions?

Life is a series of choices... Some choices will make you wealthy, some won't. Becoming a billionaire takes a huge amount of luck. A millionaire, not so much. Just making the right choices.

a reply to: Edumakated

The MSM attempts to portray it differently eh?

originally posted by: Lysergic
I wonder if NOT being a millionaire or a billionaire is from bad life decisions?

If that's one's aim, than yes.

So if someone sets a goal to be a millionaire, and does not attain it, than they clearly made bad decisions to not get there.

But then again, we'd have to ask ourselves if having money as too high of a priority is a bad life decision. It has to be weighed just as drug use is in terms of addiction. Anyone who has abused gambling can tell you at times its no different than a drug, though combining the two truly can be riveting lol.

On a chemical level, it can be identical to drug use, you see similar areas of the brain light up. The life ramifications can be just as impactful as well.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

And if we are being honest: my condition will never improve. Being addicted to opiods, in a physical sense, is not the worst thing that could happen to me at this point in my life.

Very true, with medical access a person could live their life, with little problem.

a reply to: panoz77

Please read a bit on the Purdue Pharma criminal case and what they plead guilty too. This company actually set out a goal to convert as many people as they could into addicts. There are people that are predisposed to addiction and then their are those that can fall into addiction due to life circumstances like a medical issue.

When I had my back surgery it was one of the lowest moments of my life, I was in such pain and the only relief I felt was my pain meds. Thankfully my wife saw about 3 days after release from hospital that I wouldn’t get up from the bed and all I wanted was the pain meds so she cut me off completely.

After my back surgery experience I can easily understand how some people fall into opiate dependency.

a reply to: Xtrozero

Im not sure its a bad thing if the progression continues like it has. Nonetheless....im not taking morphine or anything ridiculous. Low dose hydrocodone. This particular pain, once it exceeds a thresh hold treated by that, won't be abated with more or stronger medicine. So there's no need to begin with. Usually tylenol and motrin deal with it just fine. TBH, the massive motrin doses prior to this doctor taking some pity on me likely shortened my life more than anything. I now have a nephrologist that joined my treatment team.

a reply to: Xtrozero

I don't know if changing environments always helps. Maybe it can for a bit. I know someone, came out to a small town to get away from a drug problem, was clean for years, ended up starting again when life got stressful, so moved back to the city and is trying again.

Actually a few months ago, well I guess a year ago now. Last March. I ran into some girl waiting for the bus in town. She'd just moved to town from the city a few months before to get away from partying all the time and drugs and such. She was cheerful and pretty happy golucky. She was hanging out with another lady and her kid.

Anyway, a few months past, covid stuff happened and I'd kind of forgotten about her. I was walking my dog through town one day, I was in a park eating some lunch. One of the known town junkies came riding in on a bike followed by a girl. I didn't recognize her at first, and I don't think she recognized me, but she came up high as # on something asking if she could pet my dog. I've noticed dogs have a thing about junkies and my dog's normally pretty friendly, but he went snakey, hackles up, deep growl.

I've seen her again one time since in town. She was skinny as a rail, pushing a shopping cart loaded with random crap having an argument in the middle of the mall parking lot with like this greasy as # old man junkie.

In the situation with my friend and that random person I met, changing environments didn't seem to change the pattern of behaviour leading them to their poor choices.

originally posted by: Halfswede

originally posted by: underwerks
a reply to: panoz77

Drug abuse is not a disease it is bad life decisions

I somewhat agree with you. It starts out as a bad decision, but once you become addicted your body physically changes to where you need that substance to achieve homeostasis.

That’s a fact. That’s what withdrawal is. After a while you don’t even get high anymore, it just makes you feel normal. Brings you back to baseline. At that point, it is a disease. A self inflicted one, but still a disease.

It's not a disease. It is a physical addiction at that point.

I think that you're supposed to take this as a metaphor, rather than as something literal.

Drug addiction has a similar effect on the human body to a disease, and it spreads through communities like one as well because addicts will often encourage others to try drugs (Often addicts become dealers in order to pay for their own habits) making it "communicable".

And yes, you should feel sorry for addicts because pity is a natural human emotion when dealing with people whos lives suck mightily. Even if the suck was their own doing.

originally posted by: Edumakated

originally posted by: Lysergic
I wonder if NOT being a millionaire or a billionaire is from bad life decisions?

Life is a series of choices... Some choices will make you wealthy, some won't. Becoming a billionaire takes a huge amount of luck. A millionaire, not so much. Just making the right choices.

If it were that easy we'd all be living the high life. Sometimes no matter how hard you try something or someone will always pull you back. Sometimes they do it deliberately, just ask any small business owner whose ever found themselves in the same town as a BLM riot.

a reply to: dug88
When I was an addict, over 20 yrs ago..my mom would say.."everywhere I go..here I am" meaning you can't run away from personal problems, a change of scenery only changes the scenery.


As for the title of OP they are both true, it starts with a choice, but it's also true, some people a biologically and chemically prewired for it.

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: panoz77

Addiction is a disease , it can effect anyone and when contracted it eats away at its victim and can kill .. it's not a life choice but it can be contracted by life choices , drug addiction is just one of the variants of the disease.

We all are at fault because poor george eventually overdosed on his sickness.

And had a police officer kneel on his neck for 9 minutes while his hands were cuffed behind his back , or is that OK now ?

It is not a disease, it is a physical and mental addition, not a disease. You can call it a disorder, a predisposition but it is not a disease unless personal choices are a disease.

a reply to: panoz77
We get you don't understand this stuff.

Calling drug addiction a disease is a cop out. It is a coping mechanism for addicts. I'm just sick, I can't help it, I have disease. This "disease" can be cured by simply not ingesting drugs. Amazing!

originally posted by: dug88

I don't know if changing environments always helps. Maybe it can for a bit. I know someone, came out to a small town to get away from a drug problem, was clean for years, ended up starting again when life got stressful, so moved back to the city and is trying again.

I guess the best way to explain it is that when you are moved out of the environment of where you use the urge is greatly reduced. Its not just with true addiction. I only smoke cigars in two places, on the golf course and on my porch drinking Bourbon. Outside of those two places I have zero desire, but boy is it huge in those places. If I sit outside lets say watching the sun go down I really can't do it without the sipping bourbon and cigar without a very big urge to do so.

In the situation with my friend and that random person I met, changing environments didn't seem to change the pattern of behaviour leading them to their poor choices.

We just do not know the environment she was in before, but it seems she was clean for a while then got caught up with a bad crowed of users and that might have been the environment she left, but it is more about how big is your urge is to use as it could be uncontrollable, or just a small thing that can make a world of difference....

originally posted by: panoz77
Calling drug addiction a disease is a cop out. It is a coping mechanism for addicts. I'm just sick, I can't help it, I have disease. This "disease" can be cured by simply not ingesting drugs. Amazing!

I understand, that you don't understand, some people are clearly genetically prewired for addiction..this is irrefutable. I would agree though..it starts with a choice.

a reply to: AaarghZombies

It is fairly easy to become a millionaire which really isn't that rich. The vast majority of people simply don't have the discipline and patience. Again, life choices. Instead of investing, they buy depreciating assets like fancy cars. Instead of living in a smaller house, they buy 4000 sqft McMansions. It just takes saving and investing consistently.

originally posted by: vonclod
a reply to: panoz77
We get you don't understand this stuff.

I understand it perfectly. You are a democrat who has no personal responsibility. How'd I do?

a reply to: Xtrozero
The environment might have triggers, changing scenery might change what triggers, but you don't change the core problem, that has to be dealt with, in conjunction with the change in scenery.

Been there, done that.

originally posted by: panoz77

originally posted by: vonclod
a reply to: panoz77
We get you don't understand this stuff.

I understand it perfectly. You are a democrat who has no personal responsibility. How'd I do?

Pretty far off in fact, I'm a former addict, not a Dem..you have any experience..or just talking out your ass?

originally posted by: vonclod

originally posted by: panoz77
Calling drug addiction a disease is a cop out. It is a coping mechanism for addicts. I'm just sick, I can't help it, I have disease. This "disease" can be cured by simply not ingesting drugs. Amazing!

I understand, that you don't understand, some people are clearly genetically prewired for addiction..this is irrefutable. I would agree though..it starts with a choice.

Some people are predisposed to eating too much. That is not a disease (eating too much), BUT the result of eating too much can cause diseases, like heart disease and diabetes. See how that works?