Drug Addicts - Are they Brave if they Kick the Habit..?

Question

What do you think about reformed Drug Addicts who get ill - through years of Injecting, Snorting or Smoking and generally missusing illegal substances that they know could be bad for them .. Should they be made into Celebrities ? Should they be denied Healthcare - Should they be Jailed...?
Have a wee read at this story on SkyNews..

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1243043,00.html

Answer 1

lets hope her 'fee' is going to a drug charity. i dont think she should be made into a celebrity, she is a scummy drug addict who has used thousands of pounds of tax payers money to help her stop taking drugs which were illegal and which she shouldnt have taken in the first place. If she had gone to prison though the taxpayer would be giving her compensation too! our country stinks.

Answer 2

Firstly I really don't consider five months time enough to state "It's over,I am clean and will never use again".Though,of course she should be commended (privately)on the steps she has made so far.I'm not detracting one bit how hard it is to get as far as she has come,and hopefully continues too.
There is a very real danger that she could relapse and end up back at square one.That's the horrid reality of addiction.
There is always a reason that people find drugs a comfort/support, and it is to mask some other negative factor that makes life so unbearable, that drugs become the answer.This usually takes at least months of counselling, to even identify the problems and learn how to deal with them without resorting to drugs or alchol,which is one of the most destuctive of all drugs.
I should think that she would still be dependant on a form of medication,methadone or brupromorphine for example at this realitively early stage of her recovery,therefore is far from off drugs.
Addictions, such as she has been going though,usually requires many years to be able to state, "I am indeed well in control of my recovery," for even those who have been "clean" for 5 even 10 years can still have "using dreams", that is an episode when the person dreams they are using ,to the stage of acually mixing up the drug and putting it into a syringe or what ever method they used, only to wake up before they actually get to use.Most times leaving them quite vunerable.
For those reasons alone I think it way premature to use her as a role model of a successful recovery.
It is also placing pressures on her that could in fact, lead to her relapsing back to where she was.I would have to question the methods and practices of who ever is assistng her with her recovery.
Of course it is to be hoped that she continues with the large steps she has made and she deserves congratulations. But not to stand as a model of recovery.Not yet anyway.
As for jailing addicts,its has been found that the chances of an addict recovering in incarceration is virtually nil.Drugs are freely available in jails in fact, quite often more readily available and of higher quality.
Addiction is a social disease,in the same catagory as obesity or type 2 diabeties,which in the large majority of cases is caused by a period of bad dietary habits and over consumpion of alcohol.So if the addict should be barred from Medicare services it should follow that other forms of self abuse should be as well.

Answer 3

No they are not brave they are victims. Sending people to jail for drinking and driving and drug taking are just two examples of inappropriate behaviour by the courts and justice system. Drug taking and alcoholism are illnesses which need to be medically treated. The best place to treat them is not in prison but in addiction centres. The Government needs to deal with this ever growing problem with a responsible fiscal policy.

Answer 4

It is very easy for the general public to adopt the same stance of the tabloids due to lack of knowledge. If people took the time and trouble to find out about heroin then they may think differently about helping these poor people get free from drugs....

The sufferers of heroin abuse should be helped, not denied healthcare. Jailing them is not the answer either, that creats more problems.

I hope the lady in question does get the help she so badly needs.

My biggest hate is when people make uninformed judgments and ruin others lives in the process.........

Answer 5

I am a true Independent Liberal . I Do Agree with Ron Paul and think that drug use should be legalized . What really matters and how the Law should be applied is how drug users conduct their life in regards to the law . Just like a drunk who kills some one on the Highway for example . They should be penalized for their actions . Other wise then make alcohol illegal again - because it is just as lethal.

Answer 6

Drug addicts who kick it are brave because it is truly hard thing to do and if they never take it again that is a sign of strength
DA who get AIDS or HEP or other diseases through injection have to be helped - we are humain sociaty
DA - they can be jailed for offences related to drugs - why the hell not?
DA - made into celebrities - dont start me on that this little stupido - KAte Moss's boyfriend or whatever he is... Thank labour government for steering society towards superficiality and emptiness

Answer 7

These drug addicts shouldn't be made into celebrities.

If they get through it, they can help others and that is the best thing that they could do. Get others off drugs, helping them, using their experience. If that is becoming a celebrity in a way - then maybe the anwer is yes.

Answer 8

I guess bravery is facing up to your fears and that's what these people are doing.
So I would class them as "brave but stupid" for getting mixed up in that **** to begin with.

In terms of those who fall ill later in life as a consequence, they should never be refused health care. Perhaps there could be a system where they pay slightly more NI - after all it is unfair that people who have never used drugs should pay towards treatment for someone who has willingly indulged in something they know will harm them, either now or in the future.

Might even serve as a deterrent to some - after all, no-one like paying taxes or NI

Answer 9

I have seen sky news on the ex-heroin addict and tbh i am disgusted. There are thousands of addicts in this world whom conquer their addiction every day, pubilcity will not solve this issue it makes it seem appealing to the youth of today, i liken it to the anorexia debate....what child would strive to be a size '0' unless they saw it on tv/papers. Its a disgrace, the media should be ashamed at making such an addiction a 'celebrity' status, before we know it there will be a 'celebrity ex addict' on CH 4

Answer 10

It does take a certain amount of courage to admit that there is something in your life that you cannot control. That should be at least recognized. I do believe, however, that you should be neither villified or deified for cleaning up your own mess. Just thanked. As far as "Sky News" goes, Find a more reliable news source.