Anonymous #2 2w

Addiction isn’t defined by that moment. Most people who try substances don’t get addicted. Addiction is defined by how the brain adapts over time, which is why it’s treated as a medical condition. We can acknowledge personal responsibility and recognize that addiction changes people’s ability to control their behavior. That moment doesn’t make someone bad and neither does their disease.

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Anonymous #1 2w

Drugs and suffering from them has been around a lot longer than that

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Anonymous .gaia. 2w

Ik I was just giving one example of when the demonization of victims of addiction were highly prevalent.

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Anonymous .gaia. 2w

It starts with that moment every time. Literally impossible otherwise.

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Anonymous #2 2w

Just because someone made a choice doesn’t mean they don’t deserve care and help. Help is the priority when delivering care. Same as every other disease regardless of cause. Not punishment and not being treated as bad or evil. That framing completely disregards environmental factors, biology, much of the psychology behind addiction and how it begins. And in the end treating it primarily as a moral failure has shown to make outcomes worse for addicts.

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Anonymous #1 2w

Yeah. It’s the opioid epidemic too, which didn’t even start recently, just came back to the forefront swinging in the 90s to now

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Anonymous .gaia. 2w

Cool story. It’s still their fault.

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Anonymous #2 2w

I’m not sure what that has to do with how we should administer care.

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Anonymous .gaia. 2w

It has to do with how you characterize them as universal “victims” when they are in the situation directly because of their own choices and actions. Except in the most statistically irrelevant and obscure instances, every single addict made the choice to partake the first time, despite having access to the knowledge and awareness of the risk.

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Anonymous #2 2w

Addiction isn’t even just to drugs. You can be literally addicted to anything. And some of the most prevalent addictions get a pass socially or at the very least aren’t criminalized. Do addicts not deserve rehabilitation and help? Do you think that framing helps addicts recover? I don’t think so and most medical professionals agree.

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Anonymous #2 2w

Still waiting on a response to my last points too. If you won’t do that then this discussion is over lol

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Anonymous .gaia. 2w

I’m still waiting for you to understand a single point.

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Anonymous .gaia. 2w

When did I mention drugs?

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Anonymous #2 2w

I mean, I did, and didn’t realize you were taking about all addictions. Still unclear with how you original retort to my post would specifically impact treatment in terms of steps and procedure to rehabilitating addicts of any kind.

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Anonymous .gaia. 2w

*your

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Anonymous #2 2w

It doesn’t seem like you’re taking my points in good faith or engaging with them meaningfully. Trolls aren’t welcome 🤷

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Welp, toodles 😐

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Anonymous #2 2w

don't have children lol

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Anonymous .gaia. 2w

Well actually I’d say the way the opioid crisis snd the crack epidemic was handled was starkly different. The government’s response to the crack epidemic was more police and criminalization which was mainly due to who it impacted (minorities). For the opioid crisis it was more healthcare in comparison. Even the names Crack *Epidemic* Opioid *Crisis* gives hints to the view.

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Anonymous #1 2w

That’s fair, but I wasn’t comparing different crises, just making a blanket statement about drug addiction

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Anonymous .gaia. 2w

Oh I feel you. I understand. In both cases it could’ve been handled a lot better.

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