A telling phenomenon: the absent outrage over Phillip Seymour Hoffman's criminality

[brett_jv]

112. Yeah, that's pretty much BS man ...

a) He obviously started drug use at a very young age, which means he was probably an addict before he really knew what was happening. Once you make yourself an opioid addict, you are an addict for life. All it takes is one slip ... and it's VERY easy to slip, esp. since opioids are still the only strong pain killer available ... and you are right back into the mess of active addiction, because withdrawals will occur nearly immediately upon resumption of use of opioids for any purpose, even legit medical ones. Also, dude had 23 friggin' years clean. To have the wherewithal to get clean at 22, and build a stellar acting career for yourself, and stay clean for that long ... that is something to laud, and to people with a heart, this is a tragic reminder of just how difficult a situation addicts face, for the rest of their lives.
b) It's a friggin disease. Granted, it's one you, in a sense, 'bring on yourself', but people often bring on heart disease (by how they eat), for example ... but we don't get all judgmental about that (usually), we feel sorry for them because they're sick/dying.
c) 'Worst drug out there' ... and by this we mean 'the most friggin' addictive', which in turn means, the hardest to quit. Which SHOULD mean, to a civilized person, that some understanding is in order. It's no simple thing to deal with.
d) And by the way, millions of people have taken very similar drugs called 'prescription pain killers' ... I bet you've even taken them yourself at some point. If you didn't end up addicted to them, consider yourself lucky. You don't have the 'gene' that many other people do have when it comes to this stuff.
e) NOBODY INTENDS to become addicted to something. But if you have a genetic proclivity towards a particular drug's effect, you're in trouble from the FIRST TIME you ever take it ... and yet you have no way of knowing beforehand.
f) Who the hell is going to read that somebody DIED from a drug, and then think 'oh, it must be okay to do, because here's people feeling bad about it'. That's bullshit, and that's not a good reason to be all 'oh, whatever, evil junkie!'.
g) Most people here ... do NOT think people should be 'put away for life for that shit', because most of us are actually enlightened about the fact that addiction is a disease. Addicts need HELP and compassion, not condemnation.

This is a great article, btw. I totally agree.

I do find myself remembering the article about the fentanyl-laced Heroin that's been going around and killing people, and wondering if he's another victim.