Posted by Elizabeth on June 14, 2001, at 23:39:29
In reply to Re: Diane D banishment, posted by shelliR on June 1, 2001, at 14:26:25
> This is a pretty strong woman we are talking about, who was able to kick both heroin and then methadone addiction and seems to know her responses well.
I think that people who've recovered from addictions don't get nearly enough credit from those who don't understand what it is to be addicted. Although I don't have first-hand experience, I do my best to be kind to addicts and ex-addicts, because I can imagine how awful it must be to be so demonised by society at large (even, too often, in treatment settings). The stigma of depression is more than enough for me to bear; the stigma of addiction would be many times worse. It seems that when addicts try to talk about the feelings that led them to take drugs in the first place, they are most often "confronted" with accusations ("you just want to get high") and insults. (As you can probably tell, I don't place much stock in "tough love" -- I have seen it backfire with tragic results.)
> Personally, I learned more of value from Diane's post about heroin and methadone addiction than I did from Nikki's vacation plans; I think that should count for something.
It counts for a lot, to me. Although I am interested in the pharmacology of addiction, the
greater part of what I know about addiction comes from listening to addicts talk about their experiences, not from pharmacology textbooks.-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:1356
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20010315/msgs/1416.html