We are in the midst of a
drug epidemic. Thousands of people die
annually from their abuse. Nonetheless,
California is currently legalizing marihuana for recreational use. There seems to be no recognition of the
connection between these events.
Too often, mind-altering
chemicals are romanticized. They are
depicted as opening up new realms of consciousness. Their devotees are to be regarded as creative
souls. They are, in short, cool. Plainly on the cutting edge of a revolution,
they are expanding our personal freedoms.
As for me, I don’t think
so. Having worked, many years ago, as a
counselor in a methadone clinic, I saw too much death and destruction to
believe that these substances are sophisticated. They are poisons. They not only kill people; they destroy the
society that tolerates them.
When I first began advising
heroin addicts, I assumed that I had a duty to inform them of the lethality of
these drugs. They had a right to know
they might kill them. In fact, they
already knew—and didn’t care. Many even
welcomed the prospect of death.
The reason was that many of
my clients were in such pain that their priority was obliterating this affect. They did not want to experience it because
they were convinced they could not deal with it. They had neither the strength nor the cleverness
to confront their personal demons.
And so they ran away behind
a chemical screen. Substances that could
temporarily make them feel whole were preferable to living in fear and
desperation. These folks were
terrified. They did not have the courage
to do battle with the many losses they had experienced.
To put the matter bluntly,
they were cowards! They could not muster
the resolution to protect themselves.
Instead they secreted themselves away from a grim reality. They were doing the equivalent of cowering
under the bed when the bogeyman stalked their room.
It will, no doubt, be said
that many contemporary drug addicts got that way because dangerous medications
have been over-prescribed. That is
true. Many of these folks can be excused
for becoming addicted—but not from doing what they must to get clean.
But think of those marihuana
users—those unapologetic, proselytizing potheads. All they want to do is be mellow. Their goal is to become so relaxed that they
are oblivious to the pressures swirling about them. They are clearly weaklings who do not want to
cope with the demands of everyday life.
Some folks will respond to
this charge by asserting that courage is over-rated. They will argue that a rash desire to take
chances is foolish. Why not retreat into
a chemical haze? Why is exposing oneself
to injury in the heat of battle superior to being a threat to no one? Isn’t feeling good itself a good?
The answer is that if we do
not take chances, we cannot, as a community, survive. If we do not collectively overcome the
threats to our existence, we will be soundly defeated. The wolf will not only be at our door; it
will be devouring our entrails.
Nor will we prosper as individuals. If we are unwilling to defend ourselves, we
can never live up to our potential.
Moreover, if we avoid doing that, we will know about it. We will be aware of copping out and this reality
will gnaw at our viscera. No amount of
chemical camouflage can disguise it.
A glass of wine with dinner
will not compromise our integrity.
Neither will a bottle of beer with friends or a joint now and then. But the regular use of these intoxicants is a
disaster. It steals the pleasures
available from winning life’s many skirmishes.
It is for this reason that
celebrating the virtues of drug indulgence is a calamity. Treating addiction as if it were a righteous
act is an invitation to despair. Fairytales
about how this would make us nicer people and our society more civilized are
absurd.
Addicts are fatuous human
beings, while drug addled societies are vulnerable to predation. Like China, when opium addiction went unchecked,
they embrace exploitation. Courage is thus
not an option. It is essential for our
safety and personal satisfaction.
Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Kennesaw State University
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