With the recent photo that has spread like a wildfire all over social media, something has to be said. The photo shows a man and a woman in the front seat of a car passed out due to a heroin over-dose with a young child in the back seat. It was originally reported that the young boy who is only 4 years old was the son of the woman- but it has been corrected to say that he is this woman's grandchild. The woman had just received full custody of her grandson only a few weeks prior to this incident.
The police department in Ohio that posted this picture has received a ton of negative backlash, but I hope that this photo saves lives. I hope that it opens everyone's eyes to the epidemic that is taking hold of America as you read this right now.
Addiction is such a loaded word. It can mean so many things and have so many different consequences (both positive and negative). I think that in order to discuss addiction it is important to fully understand what it is. The National Institute of Drug Abuse defines addiction as "a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. It is considered a brain disease because drugs change the brain; they change its structure and how it works". Addiction is a disease that affects 23.5 million Americans when it comes to drugs and alcohol. How has this become such a huge problem in our country? Many will blame the medical system, the rest will blame the addicts themselves. Our medical system is flawed, yes, but there is also some fault in the person themselves. No one is born addicted to heroin, cocaine, or prescription medications (with the exception of babies who actually had addict mothers).
Although addiction is not a choice, it starts with a choice. It starts with the choice to say no or to tell the doctor that you feel like those drugs might not be best for you. It is about choices as much as it is about the physiology and chemicals inside of your brain. It's about making the choice to admit that you have a problem.
People make mistakes. Addicts are people. I think that many of us forget that. They have wives, husbands, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, friends. They are people too. They have hopes and dreams, and at the age of 5 never said "I want to be a drug addict when I grow up". We have this perceived idea that all addicts are bad people. That isn't always true. Yes, there are addicts who lie, cheat, steal and hurt- but there are also addicts who do none of that. A persons character shouldn't be defined by their addiction- however, their actions to fix and stop this problem should be what defines them. An addict who has everything to live for and repeatedly makes the decision not to get help and continuously refuses it, that's the addict I will not give respect to.
In regards to the photo, the woman pictured was obviously someone who cared about her grandson seeing as she took custody of him because his own parents could not care for him. Yes, she did a bad thing and made some bad choices that could have cost her not only her life, but her grandsons as well, but you cannot deny that she is still a human being. As for the man in the photo- it turns out that he was attempting to drive the woman to the hospital before he too went unconscious. He did a bad thing- but he was also doing a good thing. Addicts are humans too, and I think that we too often forget that. That is not to say that they have no responsibility for their actions- they absolutely do.
Addiction is not only a powerful word, but a powerful force. It changes lives every day here in the U.S. and it will continue to do so until we make a change.
