Speaking solely about the junkies I know of or knew of, not one of them was on an opioid pain killer. They were all just looking for the next greatest buzz. I understand genetic predisposition to addiction, and I understand former pain killer addicts moving onto heroin because of availability and price.
Insufficient coping mechanisms is basically just admitting you're a weak minded individual that can't handle reality. No sympathy given. I haven't had the easiest life, and I do have genetic markers for addiction as well as a classic addictive personality. Still has never pushed me to do heroin.
But I also accept the consequences of the decisions I've made in my life which apparently isn't how life is supposed to work in today's society. I need to find others to blame for my own inferiority.
Oh no, dont get me wrong man, Im just giving a clinical explaination as to why these people do this. And I dont take offense to any of this conversation, just for the record. ill even go further to posit that empathy and sympathy is counterproductive - for ANYONE - and i'd rather everyone inherit the philosophy of 'stoicism' which essentially posits that everyone is 100% responsible for their own outcomes. EVEN IF IT IS UNFAIR. because what good does empathy or symathy do anyone? not much, really. more harm than good, I think.
People admitting theyre weak doesnt mean they arent. They are aware of it. It doesnt make it any less true. Thats why going through N.A. was sort of difficult, because practically all of them relied on dogma (and ultimately, a cult of it, and many times religion) to set up strict boundaries so they could not let themselves harm themselves. and its legitimate, and a necessity. They know what they are doing. people forget that other people simply are not like you. Thats undertandably hard to imagine, but its true. Some people are veritably wired to fail.
Someone doing something for the first time is absolutely on them. It doesnt vindicate it, but you dont know the evil of something until its taken everything from you. They said the weed was bad, it wasnt. fuck it. They said the ecstasy was bad, it wasnt. Fuck it. They dont know what theyre talking about. Try the next big thing, eh? That mixed with normally just beihg young, uneducated as to the actual effects, and vulnerable is going to manifest in pervasive drug addiction. Not to mention media romanticizing drug addiction, which is patentedly absurd. There are a plethora of reasons to take a plethora of drugs. Some are pretty valid. I have been chewed up by adderal and I can still justify its use. Thats scary man. Army vets deal with injuries, as do athletes. Addiction is gonig to come with the territory. Just the admission that we're intellectualized animals should give a different understanding that when peole arent doing well, they try to fix it - or alleviate the symptoms if they cannot. Theyre often drawn to esape, whether it be mental or physical.
Economic strife leads to actual physical pain, looking at it through a neuroscientific lens. It plays upon the same receptors. So you fix the pain. How? go to do a doctor. Doctor gives you something highly addictive. Congrats, youre fucked.