12 May 2012: Ralph Was Sick
Why is drug use wrong? That's easy: because it isn't natural. It isn't because Valium will relax you. It isn't because cocaine will make you talk to an aggravating degree. It is because it is wrong to not be the way God intended.Sure, people talk about crime. They talk about lives destroyed. They talk about overdoses. But these are secondary. It is all about what's natural. Natural is good: fresh air and sunshine! Ripe fruits and vegetables! Territorial wars!
The problem is that this is what all bigotry depends upon. Blacks had to be denied the right to vote because they were stupid compared to whites. You wouldn't let a cow vote, would you? Women were naturally subservient to men, so no need for equal rights. Gays were diseased. Obviously, sexual behavior that doesn't lead to babies is unnatural.
Check out this short film from 1961. It warns boys to stay away from gay men. "What Jimmy didn't know was that Ralph was sick—a sickness that was not visible like smallpox, but no less dangerous and contagious."[0]
It is 50 years later and now we all laugh at the idea that homosexuality is a disease. Unfortunately, this does not cause people to be skeptical of current claims of "mental diseases" like drug use.
But I'm not worried about "them." I'm worried about "you": people who read this site who are far more likely to have experiences with drugs. You know that regardless of how out of control a life may be, that doesn't make the person crazy. You know that drug use is part of a life, it doesn't define it—regardless of what Biography producers and the trained monkeys of NA say.[1]
So how about stepping up and countering the continuing disinformation and psychologizing campaign against drug use. People do drugs, because they like the effect. Can such behaviors get out of hand? Sure. Just like homosexuality.[2]
[0] It is weird in the video. What exactly is Jimmy guilty of? Homosexuality? What did he do, run home to mom and dad and say, "I had anal sex with a man"? This reminds me of the teen aged boys who tell their parents they are sleeping with a smoking hot high school teacher. Now these kids may need psychological help.
[1] There is a noted behavior among Born Again Christians. They always put the worst spin possible on their previous lives. This is why you will often hear them talk about how they were Satan worshipers before their conversions. The same thing goes on at NA meetings. Go to one and see. You would get the impression that these people are crazy for having lived such a terrible life. Funny how that goes and it also shows that NA is just a religious organization. Nondenominational, but religious nonetheless.
[2] Doesn't "Ralph" in the film look like John Waters? I gather this is why Waters looks that way. He's loves that kind of thing.
mack wrote:
I am repeatedly amazed at how similar your views on drug use and users are to my own. Your work is important to me because I very rarely come across someone who thinks even close to the way I do about drug use. You provide a much-needed connection with a like-minded person for me and I am grateful for it. And judging from your writing about various topics, both on this site and Frankly Curious, I think that we would likely get along very well if we were to ever meet.
One of the similarities I've noticed is that both of us don't think that drug use is a disease. Even most of the other users I've come across in my time as an opioid lover believe in this "disease model of addiction." And being a patient in the Methadone Maintenance Program (Two years on MMT without a single slip-up, by the way. Having a steady supply of strong opioids really allows me to lead a normal and much happier life than it was before I ever used opioids or while I was trying to maintain in a small town very lacking in supply. It really shows how it's the laws not the drugs that are the problem), this "disease model" is problematic for me in more ways than one. For example, despite being diametrically opposed to the methods and philosophy of NA and 12-step programs in general, I am forced to attend at least one meeting a week or I will lose the take homes that I have worked to obtain. I fought against this policy by citing my dislike of NA/AA/12-Step but I was told that I just had to attend "drug related support group meetings," not necessarily NA. What the fuck other drug related support group meetings are there? Believe me, I looked.
With the current political and legal climate, it is far too risky, difficult, and expensive for me to try to enjoy my drug of choice. Methadone seemed like the next best thing, and it has helped tremendously. The major drawback is that I live over an hour from the closest clinic (yeah, it sucked when I had to go seven days a week) and it is brutally expensive, both in terms of the weekly $100 charge and gas money. Without a very supportive family I would certainly fall into the "Medium-Hard" category discussed in one of your other posts.
I don't want this to turn into a novel, but I would also like to say that I was surprised (I realize now that I shouldn't have been) at how little the counselors, nurses, and even the doctors know about opioid pharmacology and use. There really are very few options for opioid dependent persons seeking to clean up - at least few good ones.
Thanks for reading and keep up the good work.
-mack