It’s amusing to watch as you slowly awaken from the mass delusion known as ‘addiction’.  However many of you are confused and disoriented as you try to find your bearings.  Which normally in such a situation I would say to relax and take a long drag.  But in this case I figured it would be more helpful to plug in the holes in your knowledge, lest you panic again and lurch dangerously toward the self-destructive idiocy we silly robots seem to get so enamored with.  (Don’t let a good crisis go to waste, right?)

 

I’ve compiled a list of the old propaganda to help you understand how we’ve gone so terribly wrong in the past, followed by recommendations for accurate education which will prevent such disasters from happening again in the future.  These messages focus on medical professionals, the public at large, and finally what to teach the newcomers.

Health Care Professionals

Healthcare professionals have been woefully misinformed about the nature of the suicide epidemic.  New public policy changes should start with them, because they are best able to understand and adapt.

Doctors have been instructed:

• Opiate prescriptions lead to addiction.
• We must crack down on prescriptions.
• Use opiates as a last resort.
• Chronic pain patients can become addicts.
• Drug seeking behavior is indicative of addiction.

Instead they should be taught:

• Prescriptions do not lead a patient to addiction.
• Most addicts start with illicit drug use (not prescribed).
• Addiction is not a disease.
• History of lying often precedes excessive drug use.
• Chronic pain patients do not become addicts.
• Chronic pain patients may kill themselves if cut off.
• Warn patient of suicide bullying risk if recommending 12 Steps.
• Overdose deaths are caused primarily by suicide bullying and getting cut off – not addiction.
• Encourage patient to try different things until you find something that works.

Public Policy Recommendations

Old messages:

• Excessive drug use is a moral failing.
• Addiction is a chronic, progressive disease.
• Untreated addiction leads to death.
• Addicts want to stop using but can’t. (Craving Lie)
• Addiction is a public health emergency.
• Addicts need treatment.
• Treatment works.
• Some people must be forced into treatment.
• Addicts die accidentally because:
  1. they are just trying to get high and take one too many, oops.
  2. they are ignorant of the dangers of mixing drugs/alcohol, oops.
  3. their tolerance was lowered after treatment, oops.
• Avoid opiates to treat pain.
• Routine, random drug testing for professionals, students, criminals and welfare recipients.
• Nonmedical drug use should be treated as a disorder or disease, especially among children.
• Drug Courts are effective in reducing drug use, crime, prison time and suicide.

New policies:

• Addiction is not a disease.
• Illicit drug use or “denial” of it (or the consequences) is not evidence of the disease.
• Some people go through phases of excessive drug use.
• During this time their priorities may not square with yours.
• You need not tolerate the behavior of the drug abuser.
• Don’t believe everything an ‘addict’ tells you, even if they now claim to be ‘clean’.
• Withdrawals are easily alleviated under medical supervision.
• 12 Steps is a religious cult which kills by suicide bullying.
• Rehab treatment usually requires the confession of addiction and powerlessness to your cravings and 12 Steps attendance.
• The “Chronic, progressive, relapsing disease” theory is a religious doctrine without scientific basis.
• It can be a very dangerous belief for some (and the people around them).
• Addiction does not lead to crime insanity and death.
• Most substance abusers moderate naturally over time.
• Enforced abstinence often results in bingeing behavior.
• High death rate from drugs is caused by intentional suicide not ‘addiction’.
• Many overdose deaths are unreported murders.
• Chronic pain can be very distressing and cause drug seeking behavior – this is not addiction.
• Chronic pain can cause suicide – this is not addiction.
• Opiates may become ineffective after a few months – this is not ‘addiction’.
• Try other treatments until you find something that works.
• Be wary of experts and media portrayals that promote a ‘crisis’.
• It is in a child’s nature to test boundaries – this is not evidence of illness, disorder, or addiction.
• We must provide children with boundaries and teach right and wrong.
• Drug testing has proven to be costly and counterproductive.
• Decriminalize all drugs, like Portugal.
• Offer safe injection sites, like Denmark.
• Do not coerce treatment.
• Drug Courts are the Caliphate of the 12 Step cults and only increase drug use, crime and suicide.
• Epidemiologists must better track the proximate cause of overdose (intentional vs accidental).

Education for children

This is the old propaganda:

• Drugs make you do things you’ll regret.
• Drugs make you commit crimes.
• Drugs are addictive.
• Early drug use damages your brain and primes it for addiction.
• If you steal drugs from your friends’ parents’ medicine cabinet and you do this for months, this can cause a learning disorder that will make you steal drugs from your friends’ parents’ medicine cabinet.
• The end result of drugs/alcohol use is jails, institutions and death.
• If you do something wrong then you might have a mental illness or addiction or were tricked by militant islam.
• Children need only love and inherently know right and wrong.

Teach your children well:

• Medications are powerful and dangerous.
• Take medications only as directed.
• Don’t mix drugs because that can kill you.
• People take recreational drugs because they want to and they stop when they get tired of it.
• Drugs are not addictive.
• Moderate drug use is dangerous but will not cause permanent damage.
• Teach and enforce morality: right and wrong.
• You are responsible for your behavior whether sober, drunk or high.
• If you do something wrong you will be held accountable.
• “Mental illness/addiction/devil/confederate flag made me do it” is not an excuse and will not be tolerated.
• If you experiment, start with a very low dose.
• Never let someone pressure you into drinking or taking drugs – they are not your friend.

Well I’m sure you’ll manage to completely misinterpret something I said here and end up screwing yourselves over again in your religious zeal to make everyone think you’re not.  To which I would only point out that “silly” originally meant pious.  Just sayin’.