I have a cousin who is an addict. His preferred drugs are alcohol and cocaine, and he has stolen cars, merchandise, and money to support those habits. He is incarcerated now. He had been out of prison for two weeks before he relapsed and flushed his life back down the toilet. And so it goes.
I support the legalization of all drugs, but it surprises people to learn that I have never used them myself. Except for Budweiser and Jim Beam, I have never used an illegal drug in my life. That includes marijuana, a drug I consider far more benign than alcohol.
I don't drink anymore. I never made a habit of it, but I admit to getting wasted with friends on a few ocassions. As it stands now, I won't even have a beer even if someone else is buying. Like it or not, alcohol is a drug.
I'm not into drugs. I think the drug war is a waste of time, but that doesn't mean I don't despise drugs. Drugs destroy lives. They are a waste of existence. And there are fewer people I detest more than alcoholics and drug addicts. I support legalization only because I think it will hasten their own self-inflicted deaths.
I live on what I call the "straight edge" which is a term I take from a punk movement of the same name. Basically, I believe in a substance free lifestyle. My heroes are drug free guys like Gene Simmons, Ted Nugent, and Henry Rollins. These guys show that you can be cool, have fun, and still be clearheaded.
I have my bad habits. I like to eat all kinds of fast food crap. I will bone the occasional skank. But I do it all clean and sober.
There is one drug that I am addicted to, and that is caffeine. I doubt I could do all that I do without plenty of coffee, tea, and coca-cola. Unlike other drugs, caffeine is the one drug that allows you to keep your job and might even get you promoted.
But this leads me to the question. Why do people get messed up on drugs and alcohol in the first place? I believe these people want an escape from reality. Being drunk or stoned is a great way to get away from your problems. But like all things, these things cost money which is an inescapable reality for any addict. This is why my cousin is sitting in the Kershaw County Detention Center.
I prefer to find my pleasures in things that are real--work, food, pussy. I enjoy my life, and I can't understand those people who hate their lives so much that they try to escape from existence. But eventually, they succeed in the ultimate flight from reality--death. Good riddance, I say.
But each year, about 5% of addicts elect to quit. They don't need AA, rehab, or Jesus to do this. Statistics indicate that 12 Step programs have an equal or lower success rate than those who elect to quit on their own. As it stands, you can't help those who don't want to quit, and the ones who decide to quit need no help whatsoever. That's why I have no sympathy for addicts. They choose their self-destructive lifestyles, and they can choose to quit.
I reject the right wing solution of the War on Drugs and the left wing solution of "treatment." Leave these addicts to kill themselves or clean up. And for those like my cousin who choose to steal, lock 'em up and make them work to pay restitution.
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