CP24 covers the latest headlines: “Five overdose deaths in a 24-hour period in Windsor: police”. CTV News Toronto takes credit for the next one: “Police Investigate 4 overdose deaths in 48 hours.” Today, it’s this news channel covering a death, tomorrow it’s the next. Fresh newspapers printed out every morning with the front page revealing a 17 year old whose life was taken by a drug addiction hits every Torontonian’s porch in less than an hour. Twitter blows up with hashtags for #drugaddiction, #substanceabuseprevention, or #recovery.
Every other day there is a new headline about the latest death caused by overdosing on the next “trendy” drug that all the kids seem to magically have their hands on in the instant it hits off.
We raise awareness about the dangers and effects of drug addiction only when various social media platforms blow up with the latest celebrity who died from a drug overdose or addiction. Why is that? Why is it that only the lives of famous people are considered when a conflicting issue of drug abuse is prevalent in all societies? Between all ages? Is substance abuse only a concern when celebrities’ lives are taken because of it? Is it only considered a “troubling topic” because a certain celebrity was found dead due to the high levels of alcohol, cocaine, and powerful opioid fentanyl in his body?
We need to realize that this runs so much deeper than news headlines, social hashtags and the latest celebrity updates. It’s time to stop dwelling over the fact that drug addiction happens to only “criminals,” “disobedient kids,”or “famous people.” This is a common form of substance abuse across different places. Kids turn to something that will take their minds off of whatever hardship they are currently facing and feel good, because something in their life is not allowing them to feel as so. They run, rushing towards their next high, a chance to escape their sad reality.
These people who go through this are not “criminals” or “disobedient.” They are exactly this: people. They are people who are suffering, who want to feel normal, safe, and happy. They are tired of what life is constantly throwing at them, exhausting their minds, bodies, hearts and souls to fight whatever battle is hurled onto their paths. They are people with illnesses begging for someone to hear their silent cries for help.
It is easy for someone to say that taking drugs was that person’s “choice.” I myself, at one point, thought the same thing. “If they had never taken it in the first place, the problem wouldn’t have escalated as much as it did.” But that’s a common misconception. At one point, taking drugs is not a choice. It becomes a compulsion. The National Institute on Drug Abuse explained that repeated use of drugs can affect the brain’s “reward circuit,” meaning it creates a sense of euphoria and releases the chemical messenger, dopamine, into the body. We all want to feel happy for a long period of time. So it would make sense as to why people become addicted to drugs. Using them let’s them experience this sudden rush of euphoria, allowing them to relax and break away from reality.
It’s important to understand that those who have this addiction should not be stigmatized. That we should not judge them based on such a thing. Taking that first hit may have been their choice, but that first step was forced by another factor. Whether it be losing your job, falling into depression, suffering from anxiety, growing up in an environment in which drug abuse was common, and so forth. There is always a reason as to why that person ends up being addicted.
What our goal should be is to raise awareness before multiple deaths hit the papers. Before thousands of our kids are taken away from us. Before society realizes that drug addiction is only such a substantial problem only when it concerns so and so. We need to come out of the “Well, it was his fault [anyways],” mindset. Even in many scholarly articles and books, such as Gene Heyman’s Addiction: A Disorder of Choice, he states that “drug addiction is a result of natural processes involving voluntary (i.e., operant) behavior, specifically choice.” Quite ignorant to say the least. Even the National Institute on Drug Abuse and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism state that “Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease…[s]imilar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease….” (NIDA, 2008). Drug addiction is a chronic disease because it changes the way our brain thinks, and therefore develops.
Another quick thing that I want to point out is that because we are advancing in our use of technology everyday, and implementing it in our day to day lives, that can also lead to an increase of drug abuse. By that I mean that a case study done by Tarzana Treatment Centers showed that about 75% of teens stated that seeing posts and videos about alcohol and drug usage made them want to do the same. Because this is the era of technology, what we see online has a greater impact on us, and our brains are more likely to become attracted to certain said posts.
Additionally, because many of us are on social media for several hours a day, our brain is quickly rewired to become entranced to things when they keep coming up on our timelines. A survey done by The Recovery Village showed that 196 contestants out of 399 (almost half!) believed that social media was one gateway to drug abuse. Another research case, conducted by Nova Recovery Center, revealed that children also become curious towards such a path because drug dealers post such hashtags and posts in order to create more of a business. They use different methods of communications in order to “seal the deal.” Along with that, many people post pictures with their friends “broadcasting” their lively experiments with various drugs. Others who see such posts may become inclined to do the same thing, in order to live up to the social expectations or be peer-pressured into doing the same.
Society often neglects heavy drug users, because they deem them as “irresponsible,” “criminals” and so forth. They marginalize them, and as a result, they are then treated as less than human. That is where the line should be drawn, as that raises the argument about basic human rights. Like I mentioned before, there is always a reason as to why a person chooses to do something so severe as becoming reliant on drugs. However, we are in no place to judge others of their personal choices.
What I am trying to get at is that people who have any sort of drug addiction, whether it is to the extreme case or not, deserve our support and awareness. They deserve a second chance, as they turned to drugs only because they believed it was their only and last option. But we can help them realize it is not. We lose our connections with the people around us because they have resorted to new methods and turned away from us. But we can help them realize that they are not alone.
There are different methods set in place in order to help such cases. A few examples are of various helplines, listed in an article done by CNN Health. Other treatment or recovery options are rehab centers, support charities, or therapy groups. I too, once thought that heavy drug users were the worst people ever and that they should never be forgiven for what they have done. However, I have come past that, and realized that they too are people who[have] only made some bad choices. We are all human, and it is our tendency to make mistakes. That is how we learn, and move on. However, what matters most is how and what we take from our mistakes, and whether we learn from them or repeat them again. Another quick thing that I want to mention is to stop raising issue about a current topic only when a famous person is involved. Yes, it is truly sad that their life was taken in such a cruel manner, but that does not mean we only become aware and raise awareness about it because our favourite rapper or actor was affected by it. All lives matter, whether they may be considered significant or not.
So, please, if you know someone who is battling a drug addiction, or who just started “experimenting,” become aware of the signs and try to be there for them as much as possible. Do not judge them right off the bat, as that can only make the problem much more worse. Realize that they are only calling out for help because they are at a low point in their life, and they need someone to aid them through it. If we were to move past our ignorant attitudes and judging behaviours, we can help to slow down drug addiction bit by bit.
And once more to just have it ingrained in your memory for a good while, remember: Don’t be afraid to ask for help, because you are not alone.
XO,
Sam ♡
Helpful Links:
https://ontario.cmha.ca/documents/understanding-and-finding-help-for-substance-abuse/
http://www.ccdus.ca/Eng/Pages/Addictions-Treatment-Helplines-Canada.aspx
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/substance-use/get-help/get-help-with-drug-abuse.html
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