Is drug use still a taboo subject in the USA?

rustytiger19 said:someone was bringing up those drug awareness campaigns run by local nonprofits—I remember there used to be (and maybe still is) this grassroots group, kind of like a local Starbucks-style hangout vibe, where activists would hit up parties handing out flyers. They’d lay everything out plain and simple: what all the different substances actually do and, more importantly, how to step up and help if someone’s overdosing.
I honestly thought that was such a solid move. I'm not sure if they're still out there doing the work, but man, I really hope they are...

👍 yeah, I definitely remember that.

rapidheron said:...which brings us to the big question: do you think this is actually progress or just more of the same?
You gotta look at his whole life perspective and how he deals with everyone—his family, his partner, even his boss.

idk, it's honestly hard for me to say; maybe it's a step forward? i mean, he's alive, but he's relapsed more times than I can count; so he'll probably just keep dragging people along through various halfway houses for a while longer.
he won't listen to any ideas about seeing a therapist or anything like that; nothing else matters to him. he just doesn't know how to stop fighting everything anymore.
at work, he's got zero patience for anyone else's mistakes; yet somehow, he feels the need to lecture everybody.

i've known him forever; it's just really sad to see someone turn into such a drain on everyone around them.

Nancy Ward37 said:Why do you think faith is such a negative thing? I mean, before he started looking at life through "biblical lenses," he was just an addict, and honestly, I doubt he gave a damn about social services...
I guess it’s better they actually work instead of just drifting around the streets.

As if they wouldn't care about social security or other benefits; it's not like they aren't people, so they don't deserve it, right?👎
Faith isn't negative for me at all; plenty of my friends are practical believers; they don't judge me for how I choose to live my life.🙂

Nancy Ward37 said:- drugs are taboo
-pedophiles are taboo
-prostitution is taboo

Maybe it's just because people don't want that stuff in their lives, or maybe they just don't wanna talk about it over Starbucks.

I mean, I guess it’s hard to say those things are actually taboo. People write and talk about them in public all the time.
The main issue with anitabuista in this thread isn't really about the total amount of info out there, but more about the tone and what's being said. And yeah, I guess I agree with you that, at least for those first two, there's probably no need to change anything.

Nancy Ward37 said:I guess I’m the one who totally derailed this conversation, my bad. All I was trying to get at is that drugs aren't some taboo mystery—they're just a part of our everyday reality now. Our society is basically soaked in this stuff from the ground up, and we really need to root it out. We have to start educating people properly about how destructive it all is.
I caught this movie on TV recently—I think it was called Requiem for a Dream or something like that, I can't quite remember the exact title. It was absolutely brutal to watch. Honestly, I feel like they should show a movie like that to kids in middle school just so they realize what they're getting into and never even consider touching the stuff.

Requiem for a Dream. Man, that movie is heavy. 👍 They nailed the psychological profiles of those addicts; it's almost too real.
But hey... I'm a little lost on why you're saying drugs aren't a taboo but are also our daily reality. I don't see how those two things can't both be true at the same time. 😕

Hannah Davis18 said:I don't know, it’s honestly hard to say; maybe he's moving forward? He's alive, I guess, but he's relapsed so many times by now... so he'll probably just keep drifting through different halfway houses for a while longer.
He won't even consider any ideas about seeing a therapist or anything else like that. It's just not an option for him. He doesn't really know how to fight back against anything anymore.
At work, he just doesn't have the patience for everyone else's drama, even though he feels the need to lecture everybody.

I've known him forever, and man, I'm just really sorry that he's become such a burden to the people around him.

True, but we aren't really talking about his life before or after the addiction, more like the difference between when he was using and how he is now. Though, I guess there isn't much to talk about since he hasn't actually gotten clean.

aaa I didn't really catch which movie you were talking about; but if it's Requiem for a Dream, that's actually a really solid film on that subject.

rapidheron said:Alright, but we aren't really talking about his life before or after the addiction phase, more like the difference between when he was using and how he is now. Though, I guess there isn't much to talk about since he didn't actually manage to get clean.

So far, so good; but summer is coming; and that used to be his biggest struggle, I guess.

But it's not like nobody ever gets clean from rehab; I know this one great guy who pulled himself together at a clinic in ... Chicago; we talked about it quite a bit; so, looking specifically at them and some other sources, I still think they're better, and they do try to make sure people get back to their jobs, families, and everything else as soon as possible.

Hannah Davis18 said:it's fine for now, I guess; but summer is coming; and that’s always been his biggest struggle.

but I don't think nobody in the local government stepped up; I know this one great guy who really pulled it together over at the... downtown center; we talked about it quite a bit; so regarding them specifically and based on some other stuff I've heard, I still think they're doing okay. plus, they actually try to make sure people get back home to their jobs, families, and all that stuff ASAP.

Alright, so you, Zoks, and me all agree that the local government is doing a decent job (even with those little complaints and room for improvement).

Hannah Davis18 said:I actually think they’re better based on other sources—plus, they really focus on getting people back to their jobs, families, and normal life as fast as possible.

Yeah, sure—except in a lot of cases, it all comes down to the individual's psychological makeup. Too often, people leave rehab and the only thing they can muster is prayer and faith. Look, I'm not saying spirituality is bad, but it shouldn't be the *only* tool in the box.
You just end up swinging from one extreme straight into another 👎

That's why you can't be one-dimensional and assume everyone needs a residential facility. For some, it's a group home; for others, it's outpatient therapy paired with work—even if some "top-tier" psychologists argue you shouldn't work while detoxing 🙄—and for some, it's an inpatient hospital ward.

And honestly, comparing addiction to pedophilia is just plain stupid 👎

Look, anything that helps is fine by me; but Zoks is totally against methadone therapy, which I honestly think is way better than the alternative.
I say that based on a ton of examples I've seen firsthand—dealing with all sorts of people out there.

At the end of the day, if you're an alcoholic working a regular job here in the States, you can get sick leave; you get back to your family relatively fast; and support groups are everywhere.
I guess it should be the same deal with drug addiction; with therapy, you can still hold down a job, work, and actually make money; nobody's anyone to tell you what to do regarding welfare or whatever.

rustytiger19 said:so you shouldn't be so narrow-minded and just assume everything should go straight to rehab. for some people, rehab is a commune, for others it's outpatient therapy combined with work—even if some "expert" psychologists claim you can't work while you're detoxing 🙄—and for others, it's just a locked ward in a hospital.

and comparing pedophilia to addiction is just plain stupid 👎

I mean, you can work; plenty of people still handle their situation that way.👍
as for comparing pedophilia and addiction... look, I'm not easily triggered, but it honestly pissed me off when some big-shot celebrity on a huge TV show claimed that having a joint in your pocket is the same thing as handing a victim over to a rapist because he "has" to do it.👎

Look, I’m not against any specific treatment method. My point was simply that rehab isn't for everyone—but hey, that's why we have choices. The real issue with people who leave a program only to slide right back into their old habits—you know, the drugs—is that they clearly didn't finish the work properly.

Whether it's taboo or not, I’d much rather see the government go after the dealers—cracking down on the supply and kicking them out of society—than just focusing on the substances themselves. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's how I see it. It’s a fact that society tends to judge former addicts, which honestly isn't surprising, even if I personally believe everyone deserves a second chance.

Alcoholics face a massive uphill battle; very few of them actually admit they have a disease or commit to getting help.

Nancy Ward37 said:Whether it’s taboo or not, I’d rather spend my energy on rehab and hunting down the people actually selling the stuff than worrying about the drugs themselves. Maybe I'm wrong, just my two cents. It's just a fact that society judges former addicts, which honestly isn't surprising, even though I feel like everyone deserves a second chance.
.

it’s kind of wild to me; they're thieves, they're dirty, they're doing whatever it takes for cash... I mean, who would actually see anything good in them after seeing how they operate?😕

brightstag92 said:A requiem for lost dreams. Truly an excellent film. 👍 The psychological profiles of addicts are captured with brutal accuracy.
And now... I don't quite follow why you think drug use isn't a taboo, but rather our everyday reality. Why can't both be true at once? 😕

That’s the one. It gave me nightmares—honestly—but the film is brilliant because it doesn't sugarcoat anything. I'd tell any young person to watch it.

As for it not being a taboo among younger generations—well, people talk about it just as openly as they talk about the local NFL team playing like garbage. I'm not going to judge older folks for staying quiet about it; they have their own preoccupations, and frankly, their youth was a completely different era from ours.

If anything, I'd say the real issue is the massive stigma surrounding recovering addicts—the way society looks down on them, or even just the label "junkie" (which sounds terrible, I know, but there it is).

Nancy Ward37 said:Let's be real—society judges recovering addicts but I guess it doesn't surprise me much, even though I think everyone deserves a second chance.

You aren't surprised by THAT?????? wow, nice one.
And why, seriously, is it "normal" for society to judge people who have moved past addiction? Is it because they got clean? Or maybe because they decided to actually help others? You're just not surprised...

Glad you clarified you weren't talking about dealers or active users, but targeting former addicts... yeah, that's exactly why drugs stay such a taboo subject—because of people like you acting like you're helping when you're really just reciting textbook clichés. 👎

Hannah Davis18 said:I honestly can't wrap my head around it—just a bunch of dirty thieves, scrambling for every last cent. I mean, really, who could possibly think anything good of them after stunts like that?😕

Look, if someone gets clean and wants to get back in the game, why wouldn't we give them a shot? I don't get what's so confusing about that. Everyone screws up—more or less—but we shouldn't be throwing them out on the street just because of a mistake. We should be trying to help them instead.

Man, I am seriously fried. 🤣
Forgot to mention that;

The same keyboard that told me drugs had turned my brain to mush is now acting all surprised by my prejudices: like, wow.

rustytiger19 said:you aren't even surprised?????? well, good for you!
And why on earth is it considered "normal" for society to judge former addicts? Is it because they got clean? Because they decided to help others struggling with the same issues?? You really aren't surprised, are you....

I appreciate you clarifying that you aren't surprised by dealers or active users—but targeting former addicts? That’s exactly why addiction remains such a taboo subject. It's because of people like you who pretend to be helping while acting like experts, when in reality, you're just spouting rehearsed clichés. 👎

I'm tempted to just ignore you, but I won't. I have no desire to convince you of anything; I'm simply stating my opinion. To clarify:
Since they used to steal and everything, people view them through a negative lens. They caused harm to the community, so naturally, people remain suspicious. Even after rehab, people change—they aren't those same individuals anymore—but society keeps judging them because they refuse to believe in the possibility of recovery.

As for the dealers, I'd throw them in jail and toss the key. Was I clear enough for you?

Hannah Davis18 said:Ugh, I am seriously fried. 🤣
I forgot to mention that;

it’s the exact same keyboard used to claim drugs fry your brain—only now, that same keyboard is acting all shocked by its own prejudices: wow.

Personally, I have my fair share of biases against people who make excuses for drug use—those folks likely have fried brains, though maybe it's genetics rather than the substances themselves.