ADDICTION VS DISEASE

In a discussion about disease, I'm not sure why you're talking about personal willpower.

 

There's a guy who regularly sits near my apartment, doesn't hold a sign, doesn't hold a cup, just sits with his head hanging down and his hood up occasionally giving the locals a nod as they walk past.

He recently got beaten up by a gang of local youths, and was released from hospital. I went down to speak to him when I noticed he'd returned and he said these exact words to me:

"If they had of killed me it might not have been such a bad thing. I could join my daughter in heaven and not be on this shit."

The shit he was referring to was 'Spice' - a once 'Legal High' sold in the UK. This was readily available for such a cheap price from most local shops. This is what he used to dull his pain for the loss of his toddler daughter.

No man on earth deserves that and I tell you, i'm not sure how i'd cope in that situation either.

Spice continues to be the choice drug in the UK for our homeless, that and Gas, which are inherantly cheap and readily available.

You're right, in a Black and White world this was a choice, but god decided to punish this man for no good reason.

Anytime I see the guy I give him £2-3, even if it goes on spice, I can't watch a brother hurt like that.

Edit: here's a video of innercity Manchester and the struggle's our homeless have with addiction. This documentry is about the effects of 'Spice' - both terrifying and emotional. -

 

I'm not sure if I believe your story (no offence, but anecdotal evidence is generally not considered to be reliable evidence), but I agree with your sentiment, partly:

Drug addiction is considered a disease by the medical community, not a response to trauma. That's not to say that you can't treat trauma with drugs, but if you do so, and you're unable to stop using the drugs as a regular response to dealing with the trauma over the long run, that's an addiction. That's where it becomes an illness.