When people hear the words “drug overdose,” there is a tendency for the lack of sympathy and understanding. It is hard to understand something that already has a negative stigma attached to it. While there is absolutely no positive view to be had on drug overdoses, I think the negativity has a habit of being directed to the wrong problem.
It is easy to blame and suggest that the person you once cared about took themselves away from you. It is easy to say they were selfish because it is heartbreaking and difficult, near impossible, to put yourself in the place of one who turns to drugs, risking their life and the well-being of those around them. It feels satisfying to place blame because we are hurt, or maybe we hurt for the people who cared for them, or both. Whoever they may be—a celebrity, a family member, a significant other, a friend—they know. They know how much they scare those who care about them, but they cannot stop. Addiction is a disease, and that is a hard concept to grasp for those of us who don’t know what it is like. We have to know that it is not as simple as “just quitting.”
Quotes from recovering addicts:
"For the past 26 years, I've thought of heroin everyday."
"When I first gave up heroin, I could never tell myself it was forever."
"I live in real fear that I'll relapse."
"Once you've relapsed, the life you had in recovery seems like someone else's."
Whether you know someone personally or have just heard of a celebrity dying of an overdose, it's hard to imagine what their life was like—what it was like to constantly need the aid of drugs to go about daily life. Earlier, I said that the negativity is being directed to the wrong problem. We should be asking, "What was leading someone to using?" Rather than: "Why would they do this to themselves and their family?" Some addicts wish they weren't addicted, but once you are in, the way out is blurred and next to impossible to find.
It is important that we are aware of the issue of drugs and overdoses, but it is just as important to do our research and know the facts. We should recognize that addiction is a disease that an addict will battle for their entire life, and we shouldn't misplace our blame.
"Death is not a time for blame. It is a time for reflection. And then, it is a time to speak." —Tessie Castillio
