Drug addicts/People who use drugs are probably the last marginalized social category that it’s totally OK to treat like shit. There’s a movement to promote drug users’ humanity and advocate for our civil rights (things like safe injection sites, safe supply, ending the War on Drugs), which is still in its very early infancy; if you’re interested, a good place to start is looking up the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), and its associated org, the Drug Users’ Liberation Front (DULF). “Harm reduction” is a keyword that’s heavily associated with our movement.
It’s a rare sight, a drug addict (in “active addiction”) speaking for themselves and for their community (yes, community). I’m not ashamed of my drug use. I have never scammed anyone for drugs. I have never stolen from anyone. And in contrast to how jaded this world leaves most of us who do dope in the shadows, I have met the closest friends and the most awesome people I’ve met in my entire life since I started doing drugs. I’m going to rehab soon (I guess), but I don’t intend to leave this world behind all the way. These are my friends. These are my people. o7
Anyways…
Yeah ask me anything. Some questions I may respectfully pass on because of reasons.
I’m calling the rehab place tomorrow, technically today, btw.
You are going to rehab which indicates you want to stop using drugs, yet you are attached to the community of drug users. What is it about the community that draws you in, and do you think you can find that outside of that community?
I’m gonna think about this one. I gotta sleeps.
One thing I can say though is, I never really liked normal society. Even before I so much as touched a cigarette, I daydreamt of running away from home and being a gutter punk.
On the subject of this person's question, I'm interested to know if part of your attraction to the addict community are the many ways it tends to be more supportive than the rest of the world.
For instance, I'm probably not the only person who has had difficulty getting friends to help with moving, even when you've got a truck and will pay in cash, pizza, and beer. Moving when we were addicts was easier - other pillheads were happy to help us when we were happy to keep them high while they did it. Home improvement projects or odd jobs, same deal - hard to get a regular friend to commit and follow through but rarely a problem with the pillfolk.
They tended to be generally more understanding and empathetic, too.
Yeah, I think. (I just have to think hard on these questions, lol.)
This fall when my dealer’s trailer and van were getting towed, I was the only one who showed up to help, and he later told me he loves me and that I’m the only person he trusts and he lets me rack up a huge tab. I feel like a piece of shit though. I know I don’t just do this for drugs but I know that I’ve just like, disappeared when I didn’t “need” him.
Funny thing is, he acts just like I did with the friend I’m in love with, and I act just like them. He sends me a lot of texts, parks at where I’m camped at and makes dinner and tells me about his day, and I’m sort of aloof. And it isn’t like I don’t like him or whatever. I’m just emotionally unavailable. And sometimes I’ll have these moments where I really do enjoy hanging out with him, or I’m happy to see them—which is exactly what happened with my friend; it left me scratching my head a lot of times.