Drug Use “Victims” (or lack thereof)

In a pathetic attempt to justify the current state of the drug war and the legal consequences that are associated with it, most of the people that enforce these laws will say that drug consumption is not a victim-less crime.  They then [typically] proceed to describe the effects that drugs can have on the parents of an addict.

Before we explore one of the key hypocrisies with the “victimized” family members, lets disregard the notion that the user itself is a victim, for the only thing they are truly a victim of is freedom of choice. If you think that’s an exaggeration, compare how much damage alcohol and cigarettes to your body, yet, it is both legal and socially acceptable.

The core hypocrisy with the “victim” argument is that the parents are the only ones who have the right to not having their feelings hurt, even when they are not being directly effected AT ALL by the drug use.

1. P)  In treatment, counselors will repeat that we, ourselves, are responsible for how we feel and react to our environment; not the other way around.   R)  If you apply this basic view to parental figures, you will realize that the children are not responsible for how their parents choose to feel about anything, including their drug use.
2. P)  Many kids grow up with their parents drinking alcohol, which at the time this was written, was the only psychoactive that had been scientifically linked to domestic violence/abuse.   R)  It is absolutely  unacceptable for them to drink and be irresponsible, unpredictable and abusive around their children. When it is them who is using something to cope or have fun, they conveniently tend to disregard how their children feel about it, let alone take that into consideration when contemplating their child’s need to use drugs. Whether the children are directly affected or not matters about as much as if the children’s addiction is creating chaos directly in their parents life.
3. P)  When a counselor with an MBA was asked if a child’s environment could be at least partly to blame for drug use, he cautiously responded “You cannot blame your parents for CONTINUED drug use as an adult.”   R)  To me, it was very clear that he was implying that the answer to my question was “Yes. A child’s environment definitely plays a role in drug use, however, when you become an adult it becomes your responsibility to get clean if that’s what you want to do.”

This was my first post and a draft. I will elaborate more on these issues sometime in the near future. Please feel free to respond with your thoughts.