Truths and Half-Truths:
There are no words to explain the things people say:
They choose heroin over their family.
At some point in the cycle of addiction, the freewill of choice is no longer a choice. The ability to choose has been replaced by the most basic function, the need to survive. The part of the brain taking over is the limbic area, the part of the brain that signals the survival instinct. It is stronger than the emotional brain or the part of the brain capable of reasoning. It will not stop until it's satisfied. The need for survival is the most basic function of our brain. If you look into the eyes of someone entrenched in addiction, you would see a deep and profound sadness, and maybe understand that he or she is not in this for fun but clinging to life in a desperate need to survive.
They won't stop because they don't want to be sick.
While it's true that people who are addicted will be very sick while withdrawing in the detox process, the detox period is relatively short (5-7 days for opioids, heroin, and other opium derivatives). If after the detox period was over, the addiction was over, any addict would be willing and able to do this. But the truth is that after detox, the addiction is still there, strong and hellish, the brain damaged and not functioning normally. The journey to healing is long and requires not only physical healing but social, spiritual and financial support. These are people who have experienced the deaths of their friends and family from the same addiction they fight on a daily basis. Trauma after trauma. They know they could be next on any day. Do you really think they are enjoying this?
They have to hit rock bottom before they get better. "Tough Love"
Maybe at one time and in some circumstances, this might have worked. With today's powerful drugs, rock bottom is more often than not, death. Telling a child whom you have raised and loved all their life to leave if he/she won't stop using, without having a place for them to go to get the help they need is beyond logic and is extremely cruel. Many times, the one doing the evicting is the only support and life-line the addict has. It is lunacy. Rehabs are difficult to get into and that's if you can find one. If you are able to afford or have enough insurance for a short stay, there is still no safe and supportive place to go once you leave. Sober homes and recovery houses are crucial in the journey to regain health and life yet they are not available for most.
This would never happen to my child.
If this hadn't happened to my child, I would have said the same thing. The truth is that this generation of young people have been exposed to powerful and widely available and dangerous drugs. They have been freely dispensed by the medical profession with the help of aggressive marketing practices by pharmaceutical companies for every ailment, and at one time could be found in any bathroom mirror. These drugs were also used recreationally (as each generation has) by so many innocent young minds. I saw a commercial recently from the state of New Jersey which was targeted to the parents of children who were going to have surgery. Good for them for enlightening parents of the very real danger of prescribed addictive pain killers when alternatives may do just as well.
The drugs are being brought in by illegal immigrants through our borders.
Of people convicted of trafficking fentanyl in 2022, 89 per cent were U.S. citizens, according to a Cato Institutes analysis. The vast majority of fentanyl and other drugs is smuggled in vehicles at legal checkpoints. Just .009 per cent of migrants apprehended at the border were carrying any fentanyl. (Politifact) Most of the synthetic drugs are actually manufactured in the states from ingredients brought in from other countries. They are cheap to manufacture, very profitable and dangerously addictive. The supply is higher than demand and will continue to be until something changes.
They're just losers who get what they ask for. Why should be pay for their treatment?
No one that I know has asked to become an addict. This is such a ridiculous and hurtful statement and that if you are one who believes this, you probably shouldn't be wasting your time on this site.
Addiction is a mental health issue?
Several years ago, addiction was changed from being defined as a medical health issue to a mental health classification as it was thought to make funding easier. But addiction is also a physical illness, one that is so difficult to treat, and so expensive to treat, that calling it a mental health issue may be doing the patient a disservice. There is also a stigma attached to receiving mental health care and it creates a barrier for many who do not believe they need it. Tens of thousands of dollars are being spent on mental health clinics, out-patient treatment centers, education and harm reduction tools. Because parts of the brain have been injured through repeated usage of addictive drugs, isn't this also a physical, biological problem? Isn't it logical that people who found themselves with a physical addiction have developed mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, confusion, fear of death, guilt, abandonment, loss of self image and more? We do not know that mental health issues started the addiction. It could well be the other way around.
There are medications to help you recover.
This statement is a bit tricky to understand. You may understand recovery to mean that you go back to life as it was before your addiction. This doesn't happen. The "new" definition of recovery (according to SAMHSA) is that recovery is a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to live their full potential. Recovery signals a dramatic shift in the expectation for positive outcomes for individuals who experience mental and substance use conditions or the co-occurring of the two. So recovery is now defined as the ability to live a productive life even if you still have an addiction. Even if you still use drugs or drink alcohol. That also means that recovery is accomplished through management of the addiction with medication assisted treatments. Recovery is not defined as abstinence although abstinence would be considered a recovery. Medications are being called the "gold standard" of treatment. They have been shown to be "evidence based" in saving lives. And this is true in a skewed sort of way. Note that they are called "harm reduction", they reduce harm but they are not a cure. Much more research need to be done regarding support for long term abstinance.
Once out of rehab, your chains are gone and you can return to your life before
No, no, no, no, no. It is easier to get clean than to stay clean. Out of rehab, your body has rid itself of the addictiive drug or alcohol (or both) in your system but your addiction is still very strong and your brain has not yet begun to heal. The journey has just begun. It takes 2 - 5 years for the brain damage to heal. During this time, you are miserable, depressed, anxious, unstable, assaulted by cravings, angry, confused and out of sync with reality and society. Your anxiety is only made worse because it may be many months before you can get any restful sleep or have the ability to think clearly. Once out of rehab, there is a significant risk of overdose because tolerance for the addictive substance has become lower after a rehab stay,somewhat like a turtle who has left its shell of armor.
Your addiction is a long-term problem in need of a long-term solution. Studies have shown that after 3 years of abstinence in a PHP(Physicians Health Program)-type program, there is a 70% chance of long-term success. The success rate jumps to almost 80% after 5 years (R.L. Dupont, A.T. McLellan, W.L. White, L. Merlo & M.S.Gold, "Setting the Standard for Recovery: Physicians Health Programs Evaluation Review,"36 J.Sustance Abuse Treatment 159 (2009)
Most people who try drugs will not become addicted.
This is true and likely a reason why young people are willing to take the chance of using drugs and alcohol recreationally. In fact, it is estimated that of this population, 10% will become addicted. There are certain risk factors that increase your odds. They include: genetics, age,adverse childhood experiences, comorbidity (2 or more conditions), high tolerance, and availability. It is also the reason that those in a critical level of addiction cannot be treated in the same way as those who use drugs recreationally.
How addictive are opioids? - It generally one to two weeks to become physically dependent on an opioid but that varies by individual. "Wellness Matters", Hopkins Medicine.org Aug, 2018