A drug or alcohol abuser is critiqued as one who skirts the edge of mainstream society. They are typically unemployed, victims of bad home lives, high school dropouts and prostitutes. Their drug activity takes place in dark, dirty alleyways or rundown “flophouses” and they are typically engaged in robbing innocent people or other high risk behaviors.
While the above may describe the image that many of us have of those addicted to drugs or alcohol; in reality, the typical user is one who appears to be just like everyone else. Included in this category are parents, children, friends and children of friends, co-workers, sisters and brothers, well-recognized public figures – and others, from all walks of life. Addiction does not discriminate. One suffering from substance abuse addiction can come from any walk of life – rich or poor, young or old.
With meth and heroin use at an all-time high in our society, parents and family members are often the last to know about their loved one’s abuse or addiction to these destructive drugs. The stereotype for one using one of these, or any other addictive drug, is a person whose life is out of control; suffering from a serious and negative impact on their lifestyle. Unfortunately, teens and young adults are turning to these drugs as their drugs-of-choice, with often perilous consequences. With the result of significant physical and mental health problems that often accompany the use of heroin and methamphetamine, by the time parents or loved ones recognize that there is a serious problem, help may be too late. Heroin overdose, alone, is on the rise among our youth.
Addiction to heroin and other drug types come with a risk of disease, infections, sexual dysfunction and psychological issues. With their highly contagious impact, drugs have the ability to control and affect all aspects of a person’s life, while making it almost impossible to stop their use. Heroin is such a strong opiate that often women who are pregnant are unable to eliminate their dependency, due to its control over the mental and physical aspects of their lives.
Alcoholics are another group who suffer from stereotyping. Alcoholics are seen as those who are on the streets, homeless and unable to hold a job. In fact, these make up only nine percent of all alcoholics. The remaining 91 percent are the men, women and children who use alcohol in ways that are not necessarily obvious. The abuse may occur on weekends of binging, nightly drinking of bottles of wine, or attendance at weekly functions where they can drink to excess. Their lives are every bit as out-of-control as the one addicted to heroin, meth or other abused drug.
Whether we are guilty of stereotyping meth addicts, heroin users, alcoholics, or those that resort to abuse of cocaine or marijuana; the very act of regarding users with a stereotype in mind can inhibit our recognizing a member of our own household, a friend or co-worker who may need professional help and attention. It is only by eliminating our stereotypes that we have a chance for recognizing the potential problem that may need professional attention right in our own back yard.
Distributed by Client Initiatives
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Company Name: Cycles of Change Recovery
Contact Person: Joe Hunter
Email: Admin@cyclesofchangerecovery.com
Phone: 855-445-9598
Address:36451 El Camino Dr.
City: Palmdale
State: CA
Country: United States
Website: www.cyclesofchangerecovery.com