Addiction compared to choice.

in drugs •  7 years ago 

I've come to the conclusion that the phrase "drug of choice" is far too vague. I keep seeing these posts in the various groups I'm in asking about what peoples' drug of choice is. In the traditional (Narcotics Anonymous) usage of the phrase, it refers to the substance or family of substances which presents a problem to the user, in terms of addiction. In my case, that would be opioids.

The problem is, addiction itself is never a choice. One chooses to take a drug, yes, but addiction presents a compulsion to do so, which presents such a strong influence on the decision-making process that I'd seriously hesitate to call that a "drug of choice" so much as a "problematic substance"

The drugs I actually CHOOSE to take because I find them beneficial to me, and my problem substances, are two very different things. So I would propose that we come up with some new terminology, were I in a position to do so (and Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, would probably agree with me on this).

On a side note, it might be worth pursuing the creation of support groups for addicts that are strictly unaffiliated with AA, NA, or any other of those preachy, cult-like groups which require addicts to surrender themselves. A group which is focused on self-empowerment rather than the relinquishing of power. Would anybody else be interested in being a part of that kind of a group?

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