It Is Exactly What It Is!

Let me begin by saying, I’m more than prepared for this particular blog topic to be considered very controversial.  I already know that my opinion will probably be extremely unpopular.  Nevertheless, here goes.  

If I hear another person describing alcoholism or drug abuse—prescription or otherwise—as a disease, I’m going to lose it…backlash be damned!  

Contrary to popular belief, alcoholism and drug abuse are not true diseases.  That’s right!  As a matter of fact, both are as a direct result of poor personal choices/behaviors instead of responsible participation!  The truth of the matter is no one forced you to indulge.  And, furthermore, no one made you ignore your own limitations.  

There, I said it!  

Cancer is a disease. Tuberculosis is a disease.  Arthritis is a disease.  I repeat, alcoholism and drug abuse are choices.  Yes, choices.  Regardless of whether or not the abuser solicits street level or medically prescribed pharmaceuticals, if we are honest, we know that they both require active and continued dedication.  

I know, I know, some will say many cancers are also a choice because they occur as a result of negligence in diet and/or overall upkeep on the part of its host.  Same for arthritis.  However, many more cancers occur amongst those who are conscientious about all of these things.  Live right or live poorly, cancer and other illnesses may still find you.  This is because diseases like cancer are not only unpredictable but, more importantly, uncontrollable.  Many are born with and/or inherit arthritis and other ills through no fault of their own, to say nothing of those who catch various illnesses because those around them refuse to take proper precautions.

Conversely, I think we can all agree that alcohol consumption requires an acquired taste and as such, a certain level of commitment.  I mean, no one is born appreciating (or even knowing) the taste of a Mimosa over breast milk or some other variation of mother’s milk.  This means time, practice and a little patience are needed when cultivating this particular palate.  Are people sometimes born predisposed to become addicts?  Of course.  Are they born already aware of and involved in the thing they become addicted to?  Absolutely not. 

Now, don’t misunderstand me, drinking alcohol and/or taking prescribed medication in and of themselves isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As a matter of fact, they can be useful towards regaining and/or maintaining good health.  However, you can’t cry foul after you put in time to become proficient in alcohol tasting/drinking/drug use just because you find you can no longer handle or control your acquired taste.  Likewise, you can’t play the drug addiction disease card if you deliberately and repeatedly exceed medically recommended doses.

To be clear, I do have a bit more sympathy for prescription drug abusers vs. street level drug users.  Nevertheless, I think it is important that we all understand that each of us has a responsibility to guard our own health.  This is especially true for pain management… which seems to be a major contributor to drug and alcohol abuse.  

Trust me, I get it.  No one wants to be in any kind of pain be it mental, physical, etc.  However, there are other proven methods of pain relief that don’t involve swallowing innumerable amounts of prescriptions, OTC pain killers or alcohol.  

Consider prayer, meditation, hot baths, cold baths, light stretches, etc.  Additionally, make sure you’re getting much needed rest, sunlight and vitamin supplements as needed. Also, remember to stay hydrated.  

In other words, we need to do everything we can to maintain our own health.

However, if after all the negative information regarding alcohol/drug abuse is not enough to deter you and you become one of the millions of people who are willing to meet strangers in dark alleys to purchase God only knows what from God only knows who then, and I hate to say this, you deserve whatever you get.  And, if perchance you become addicted, that’s a price you have decided on and are willing to pay, right?  

Finally, if whatever you purchased and ingested without question results in your or a loved one’s death, remember you/your loved one gambled with your/their respective health and life as if you had eight or nine more waiting in the wings.  

That’s right, you and you alone decided to put your trust in a street pharmacist.  The choice (there’s that word again) was ultimately yours!  You’re not a victim.  You’re the culprit!

Can anybody hear me?

Addiction and Obsession

I’ve heard almost every argument, scientific or otherwise, explaining how people become addicted to various substances. I’ve heard about them being “predisposed” or having some “chemical imbalance” or other condition that renders them unable to control their actions once addiction takes hold. Obviously, my heart goes out to those people who are in the grip of addictions. However, the one argument I never hear concerns their and our participation—and sometimes determination—to become addicted to something or someone.

When you consider that smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol or taking medications (whether legal or illegal) often requires dedication and sacrifice on the part of the participant, some of the blame for addictions have to shift. This is not to say that the manufacturers are blameless. Not in the slightest. Nevertheless, when the buyer has to put in days, weeks or months of work in order to master the art, you can scarcely blame predisposition for what is practiced and thus made perfect. So, to me, it would seem that the answer to this social malady is found in three simple words. Just say No. In other words, if you don’t start it, you won’t have to struggle to end it.

Smoking, for example, is not addictive from the first puff. Coughing is probably the more likely outcome. Yet, we persist in smoking for our own reasons until we become proficient…and by extension addicted. Yes, tobacco companies were allowed to add addictive drugs to their products, however, it took persistence (and money) on the part of the smoker to not only want to smoke but to learn how to do so in the first place.

More often than not, I find that people are often addicted to or obsessed with some person, some activity or some chemical that is inherently harmful to them. Occasionally, you find someone addicted to cleaning, caretaking or some other less socially unacceptable habit. However, in the vast majority of cases, it seems as though we are not so much addicted to any one thing as we are addicted to destroying ourselves. Very, very rarely are we addicted to making positive changes in our lives or ridding ourselves of the baggage—chemical or otherwise—that has been holding us back and limiting our opportunities.

Please don’t take this as an indictment of those facing addiction. It is not. What this is is an observation that all of the time and effort we spend in creating or feeding addictions could be better spent on something else. My hope is that, one day, we will become addicted to ourselves, not in a selfish way, but in a way that demonstrates our love and respect for our persons and all that entails: that we become obsessed with our own health nutrition, mental stability, emotional well-being and moral character; that we become obsessed with kindness and patience; that we become obsessed with fair treatment; and that we become less obsessed with the bottom line – money and power! Can anybody hear me?