I started to go on a rant about how
it's dumb to arrest children for using drugs
because that fucks up their life more than a drug can.

but that post wouldn't be productive, and nobody that
disagrees would have their mind's changed.

so so I wanna talk about the narrative behind addiction.


assumption 1: people use drugs because they want to think and
feel differently. for whatever reason,
they find their default state of consciousness
insufficient, and wish to alter their consciousness.


assumption 2: the desire to escape from reality is what causes ppl to use drugs.

assumption 3: drugs have addictive properties, and
can create all kinds of problems for ppl.

assumption 4: any program to help people quit drugs
must get to the root of what made the addict want to
escape from reality to begin with. because if the desire to
escape from reality predated the drug use,
that "problem" cannot be solved by quitting drugs.

whatever prompted the drug use will still be there waiting
after the addict decides to quit drugs.
and if it's not resloved, the chances of recovery are slim to none.


conclusion: arresting a child and giving them an arrest record
will not curb the drug problem, and will make a child's life
more difficult for the rest of their lives.





QUESTION: are the people in favor of arresting children
because of a misguided attempt to help the children,
or are they in favor of arresting children for drug use
because it is their intent to make children fail
(because of racism/ wanting to feel superior to drug addicts/
thinking drugs are a sin that should be punished/ etc.)

Discuss.

no snark will be delivered by me in this post.

it seems the majority of ppl i've talked to who want kids arrested for drug offenses are misguided and believe the arrest will help the kids. they genuinely believe that going through the system will give the kids the wake-up call they need to set them str8 and get them off drugs.

fuck you.

as remedy and cure for deviations from what is consider proper or "good" behavior

i'm glad Dr. Carl Hart and Dr. Mate (pronounced mah-tay) are making some pathways to disrupting the narrative with research and science

this show them a lesson and they'll learn is the same line of thinking that has "managed" behavior problems in school

or parents who think hitting kids works

b/c this is like most of my practice - drug and alcohol offenses.

fuck you.

it's an interesting read

but he doesn't get all the way into the science

until the latter part of the book

I'd recommend checking out some of his studies

where he offers users alternatives

ver interesting

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/science/the-rational-choices-of-crack-addicts.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

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If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

a couple of very good interviews where they outline their points about what addiction actually is, and decriminalizing, and methods towards recovery

the book bentagon mentioned below and mate's in the realm of hungry ghosts are damn good reads

by the way they both did TED talks

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=4&topic_id=12706984&mesg_id=12706984&listing_type=search

I'm in agreement with your sentiment

I think alot of people fall victim to the propaganda surrounding drug use, especially in the US

but the science is a stark contrast to most of it

the only point I have issue with is 3

close to the propaganda of one hit will get you hooked

and, as you alluded to, outside of the true definition of *addiction

most people that have problems in their life because of drug use

is because it is treated as a criminal act, not a health issue

*addiction in the context of drug use is defined as interfering with regular daily activities

that is to say, I don't think most people are addicts, just because they do something regularly

it literally has to interfere with keeping a job, raising your kids, etc...

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If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

I wanted to acknowledge that drugs have risks
to avoid getting straw manned.

but I feel you.

>I started to go on a rant about how
>it's dumb to arrest children for using drugs
>because that fucks up their life more than a drug can.
>

^ 100% Correct.


I am not sure if I agree with the rest of your post. Several of those "assumptions" are real problems.

In Ancient high cultures drugs were used and only given to those who had earned the right to use them, and to those seeking knowledge and experience of themselves and their creator. Educated and mature people. The young were slowly indoctrinated through education and ultimately experience.

Our bodies operate on chemicals. We are full of "drugs" that the government deems illegal. Many drugs do not deliver anything foreign into your blood stream, some simply open the flood gates to your own natural resources of chemicals that stimulate pleasure.

Altering one's consciousness is a good path to the knowledge of self as it opens your eyes to possibilities and realities that your senses cannot easily detect on their own. Scientific instruments which measure radiation in the universe are extensions of our senses. Drugs can be used as extensions of our senses to perceive our reality, however, drugs can also be used to great despair.

You must be equipped with a good head on your shoulders before you start dabbling with drugs. If we lived in a society which educated people on the benefits and dangers of drugs, decriminalized them and offered regulated, clean doses. We would eliminate virtually all overdose problems as overdoses usually occur when a "dirty" chemical is mixed up with the real substance, or if someone tries to pass it off as the real thing. ie. fentanyl as heroin, bath salts as mdma, etc.

Drug withdrawals are also over hyped in television and movies. A heroin withdrawal is on par with a flu, not a gut wrenching tormenting nightmare. Heroin, cocaine, and other hard drugs are far less toxic than alcohol, which is the hardest drug of them all, is legal, impairs judgement the most, is a narcotic, and damages the most organs while killing the most brain cells.

~Experience is the currency of the soul.

okay.

fuck you.

you doing a great job

~Experience is the currency of the soul.

about an old experiment and ... yea. This is where I land.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/the-real-cause-of-addicti_b_6506936.html

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"Fuck aliens." © WarriorPoet415

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If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation