Drug Abuse, Tolerance, Psychological Distress, and Physical Harm
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In this article I review the issues of psychological and physical damge to the individual from drug abuse.
Let us have a conversation on drug use. I was listening to Hannity on his national conservative talk radio show. Mr. Hannity had on as a guest former governor Jesse Ventura. Mr. Ventura was of the opinion that drugs should be legalized. In addition, I found Mr. Hannity’s responses to Mr. Ventura’s comments weak.
Mr. Ventura equated drug use problems to alcohol abuse problems. His point was that alcohol-a legal drug-causes just as much problems as drug abuse.
I will start my comments with the mental status report of the nation. About an hour ago, I redid my introduction to my mental Internet channel. I was reviewing the statistic on mental health in America. According to the National Institute for Mental Health web site about 25% of Americans, suffer from a “diagnosable” mental health illness.
This is important because most healthy people do not need to abuse substances in order to self medicate psychological distress. Yes, I am saying that drug users are practicing the self-medication of the pain and suffering they feel. This pain and suffering can be from the emotions that arise after trauma or emotions from not having a life. I have already proven that a large percentage of the American society has serious mental health issues.
This is one reason illegal drugs should not be legalized. Another reason is “tolerance”. Our bodies get used to substances and over time more of a substance is required for the same amount of pleasure response. People think marijuana is a drug of small consequences. This is a false assumption. A person trying to self-medicate his or her pain from psychotically distress is going to need more and more of the drug they are abusing to acquire the same amount of pleasure, even if the drug of choice is marijuana.
Let us talk drug use population dynamics. Very few people who use illegal drugs are with out mental health complications and able to avoid addiction. The majority are people with psychological issues trying to self-medicate their pain and suffering. Therefore, the political group who wants to engage in recreational drug use is trying to give the impression that the majority of the illegal drug using population is free of mental complications and will not become a detriment to society. This is a false assumption.
Okay, now I will go to the health part of the discussion. Alcohol and illegal drugs are toxic to the human body, including marijuana. Muscle, cells, and tissue are harmed by drug and alcohol. Brain cells die and cannot be regenerated. The heart is harmed when it is put through the stress of “racing heart” elicited by drug use. Of course, we all know about kidney and liver failure. Therefore, any one using any amount of drug and alcohol is harming them selves physically and mentally. In addition, there are more serious health issues that are the result of substance abuse.
Today, in our society we have people with diverse psychological natures. Many are looking for a means of stopping the pain and suffering they feel. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and others give pleasure to people overwhelmed by pain. Therefore, it is understandable that people with pain and suffering would look and get addicted to alcohol and drugs.
The last thing we want in our society is to have close to 26% of our population addicted and under the control of illegal drugs. Prolong drug use leads to brain deterioration. People who have abused drugs for a long time have poor personal emotional control because the areas of the brain that control emotions have died out.
Therefore, people who have abused drugs for a long time are prone to violence and poor personal care. We need functioning citizens. In order to insure we get these functioning citizens we need to make sure our fellow citizens do not harm themselves to the extent that they can longer work, feed themselves, and practice all other person care behaviors.
I as a non-drug user do not want to have to confront drug abusers. I do not want them driving on the same streets as me. I do not want them living next door to me with a loaded weapon in their possession.
Now, I know that many want to give the impression that drug users are not troublesome people. Statistics give a different picture. Through every thing that I have seen in life about drug abuse I know that drug abuse is a serious detriment to society.
I am not just talking about the criminals. Drug abusers themselves get to a point in their lives that they can no longer be productive members of society. Maybe, 1% of drug users can use drugs with out become a menace to society. My concern is the other 99% of the drug using population.
Let me restate one of my central mantras. Your rights end where my rights begin. I know that prolong drug abuse will lead to poor mental health and poor physical health. The “politicalization” of legalizing drug use by the few should not take away my right to a walk in a peaceful neighborhood with out the fear of being run over or held up at gunpoint.
You want to see the effects of prolong drug abuse. Go park your self out side a drug rehabilitation center and look at the people who walk in for treatment. You will see many people who sway as they walk. This is due to the neurological damage they have caused them selves by abusing drugs. Have a conversation with them and you will their inability to concentrate and reason.
As public policy goes, politicians need to look at the reality of health damage due to drug abuse. Who knows what Obama’s national healthcare will look like when it is done? However, legalize drugs and you will see a whole lot more people in need of critical health care.
Drug use is not just about a little inhaling hear and a little snorting there with out complications. Mental and physical health is damaged with every ingestion of drugs. Therefore, I cannot see how we can play with potential harm to our society after legalizing drug use.
1 Comment
25 percent of people have mental health issues? Well everyone is a LITTLE crazy in one way or another.
I think legalizing drugs won’t make much of a difference on who uses it really. Those want drugs WILL GET DRUGS. Those who don’t will not, regardless of its legality.
Although, I respect your opinion in thinking this will decrease the amount of functioning citizens, I see this as an attack on personal freedoms. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to put something into my own body? Should the government really be telling us how to use our bodies?
I think what instead should be done, as you have done, is to educate the people. Show them the dangers of drugs and have them decide FOR THEMSELVES if they’re willing to take part. Just as cigarettes, make the side effects known.
Now let’s look at a country like Portugal. Portugal has stop putting in jail people that use drugs and, as an alternative, is offering therapy instead. Proportionally, more Americans have used cocaine than Portuguese have used marijuana. This also allows Portugal to manage the drug problem and not pass it off as just another crime.
Just putting people in jail for drug use is not addressing the problem.
As for people with self control and no addiction that want to use drugs…I see nothing wrong with that. Moderation is the key, just like anything else.
I had a much longer comment but was forced to summarize after I submitted and got an error! How annoying. It won’t let me comment as a Triond user for some strange reason.