Why are people like this? Shit life syndrome. What do we do with them? Offer them compassion and support.
Why is the phrase “shit life syndrome” so funny to me? 😂
Because to Cynics like us, 90% of life is shit. Happiness is a cheesecake brownie, or a 5 second orgasm, or a good round of a shooter video game. Life sucks, and it’s hard. We have it easier than any other human in the history of humanity. But we’re still human, and shit can still suck. Focus on the small, brief moments of pure joy and happiness.
5 second orgasm
I feel terrible for anyone whose orgasms last five seconds…
The worst thing about Shit Life Syndrome is how contagious it is. And you’re almost assured to pass it on to your children.
Why do people play videos games? Or watch movies? Or eat their favorite food? Or listen to their favorite music? Or masturbate? Or play sports? Or whatever…
For the dopamine hit. Everyone does this. But some people, like people suffering from ADHD, or people who went through severe abuse, or whatever, have a major deficit of the “Feel Good” chemical in their brains, or severe trauma/PTSD. And when they find a way to boost the good stuff, they get “addicted.”
No one wants to be an addict, a slave to a substance/experience. But sometimes it’s a shortcut to not feeling absolutely miserable. And sometimes a healthy road to solving the problem is unavailable/unaffordable.
It says a lot about life broadly that any time we invent or devise some kind of system or chemical for eliminating pain, that substance instantly becomes so addicting that we can no longer manage life at all and it has to be regulated and locked away for our own good.
Life is pain. Even if you’ve gone numb to it, every moment hurts in one way or another. You just might not ever notice it until you experience the alternative.
I think this is what anti-natalists are going on about, that life is more painful than joyous, don’t bring more conscious beings into it.
I understand that premise, but I’d argue that there is more good than bad in life, that while the universe may not care about any of us, there are plenty of genuinely beautiful moments out there, even just walking around your local park.
Death is certain, maybe some should be permitted to exit life early, but there’s gotta be a way to show people nature’s beauty. I don’t really know where to go with this comment in truth. I just hope people in pain find genuine solace.
Or sometimes they already have a good life (house, kid, spouse, dogs, x2 cars and stable support) and instead they decide to burn it all down in favor of a two-week crack bender. She drained our bank account, caught a DV charge and we are now divorced, thank fuck.
Hey man. I am really sorry for you. Was there any indication to why the substance abuse started?
Equal parts narcissism, bad company, deteriorating mental health and poor decisions. I had a whole thing typed up, but I’ve aired this shitshow elsewhere before. The short version is she has been a problem at every job she ever held, so she opened her own bakery and proceeded to drive it into the ground within about six months. She hung out with some shady people who did shady things, and got wrapped up in her own wants and desires. She eventually walked out (after hitting me on camera) when I wouldn’t give her my car so she could go “work” (i.e. swing by her crack dealer’s place). She stayed away voluntarily for about a week or two before I found out about the crack usage; after that I told her she couldn’t come back and filed a police report for the domestic battery in order to protect myself and our son from her. Took me a while to admit to myself that I was stuck in an abusive relationship for 15+ years.
Thanks for sharing. Hope you and your son are in a better situation now.
damn… here I am burning my own world down but at least I’m not taking anybody with me.
sry you had to go through all that. hang in thereI’m happy to say I’m in a much better place, more stable with the brightest outlook I’ve had on life in years. Getting divorced from her and her bad choices has sent my life in an upward trajectory. My only lament is that she is a pitiful mother to our son, who deserves so much more than she can offer him.
yeh that’s a tough one through no fault of yours or your son’s.
only thing you can do is try to get full custody and double down on the love and positive upbringing your kid deserves
I promise, you can do this if you really want it. It’s not as easy as that but it is possible. 14 years free of the needle as of last week. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need support or help finding treatment.
that’s the problem with addiction though isn’t it? if I had a nickel for every time I heard “well if you really wanted to”… then I could probably afford my addiction.
but all things aside. I’ve gone to treatment. been there done that. I just don’t believe in the 12 steps made up by some religious nutjob. might as wel start going to church.
gotta start believing in yourself and that’s the real hurdleThere’s no magic outside force that is going to cure you. There is no cure, only recognizing the problem. The only thing that can change your life is you. You have to dig down deep in yourself, and really, really want to change, and find out what is making you so miserable you have to be high to be happy.
I know it sounds trite, and like some flyer from some AA meeting, but it’s the truth. You have to dig deep, and find out what is driving the need. Best of luck, my friend. I’m in the same boat, and I’ve failed. But I’m closer in my wisdom, more aware of the triggers and trauma. Don’t give up, and don’t give in, even if you relapse. It’s not a competition, where you win or lose. It’s a journey.
I’m sorry that happened to you, that sucks. People in that situation are suffering, and sometimes, they make others suffer too. Hopefully you’ll be OK, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but hopefully in time, she will too.
Well, you can have all the things you listed as being part of a ‘good life’ and still be in an awful relationship, or have problems that need dealing with. I’m not sure I’d brag quite like that about abandoning someone in a mental health crisis. Its at least sad isnt it?
She abused me for 15+ years. I feel no sympathy for her.
caught a DV charge
Nah. Gotta draw the line somewhere.
Like I said, its at least sad on some level. Sad things couldn’t work out, sad that she couldn’t manage to fix her problems before her loved ones had enough, sad for any kids involved.
You can be justified in leaving and it still be sad. We can have compassion for those that we feel have wronged us, and oftentimes over time perspectives change.
Oh, for sure. It is very sad.
Sorry to be so negative there though, not really my intention.
I’m glad you found strength to break such an important relationship when it was too much. What’s the airplane thing? Put on your mask before you help anyone else.
Anyways hope things have improved in your life.
Uh, I’m not OP.
Short of examining their entire lives and trying to remediate the bad experiences, there is nothing to be done other than let them burn out
No-one wakes up and decides that they’re going to get addicted to drugs today. Your life has typically been in a real shit place for a long time and it’s a “fuck it” type situation.
You don’t usually see happy and wealthy people getting addicted to crack.
What?. Explain celebrities overdosing then
not all of them are happy
I knew at least one kid in high school who was told that weed was as bad as heroin. Then he saw his friends doing weed and everything seemed fine. So then he did weed and everything seemed fine. Then he started asking about heroin.
this is the problem with bullshitting around prohibition. if you feel like people lied to you about weed, they could have been wrong about heroin too.
“What’s that old saying? ‘Beer before liquor, never sicker… Don’t do heroin.,’” -Bojack Horseman
You don’t usually see happy and wealthy people getting addicted to crack.
Cocaine though. Same drug, different package
Yup. Wealthy people do get addicted to drugs like cocaine, they just often have enough wealth to either still die wealthy or last long enough to get rehab.
You don’t have to be depressed to use drugs, just curious and looking for more life experiences.
My experiences being around people with cocaine have been at two opposite spectrums: people with shit lives that want a release, and people with families/wealth/opportunities that want a release.
The latter experience for me was an office Christmas party. We shared an office with a law firm, and one guy with a wife, two kids, and what I’d assume is a solid six-figure salary had two keys worth, several joints, several beers, and whatever he was smoking from a pipe in the toilets.
It might not be an addiction, but it’s definitely used by wealthy people. Hell, if the rumours about Musk are true, the dude is on all sorts of illegal shit all the time…
His shit isn’t illegal. He has his doctor prescribe whatever high quality shit he wants. It’s only illegal when YOU do it.
Nah, pretty sure there’s no prescription for meth or cocaine.
There certainly is for meth (for treatment-resistant ADHD), but iirc cocaine’s only medical use is during certain dental procedures, it’s not something you can be prescribed to take home
Huh, I thought only other amphetamines like Adderal were available for prescription. TIL.
It is very rarely prescribed, basically only if ritalin and a high dose of Adderall both fail to help.
Or if you’re rich and have a doctor who will prescribe whatever you want, presumably
For some people, they see being addicted to drugs as an improvement on their current situation.
Life is already fucked, might as well get a buzz while I’m doing it.
Indeed. If drugs are the only thing that can make you feel good, it can feel stupid not to use them.
If your reasoning is my life is bad may as well take a short term high for long term low. Then it’s no surprise your life is shit. A normal person thinks OK my life is pretty bad let’s not make it worse.
I’m glad you can’t think of a life so bad.
Sounds like someone who hasn’t experienced that low
It doesn’t matter because it will never be a reasonable choice. You can believe that they made a reasonable choice to get addicted if that makes you feel better.
Arrogance, social pressure, and sometimes just plain low IQ.
That is indeed a description for those that widespread demonise drug users.
I suppose there is also slow suicide and self medication.
Because your knowledge that certain drugs are bad is not stronger than the urge to conform. If your friends are doing it and you’re the only one not doing it, you’ll feel the urge to join them. Some people can resist that, a lot of people can’t.
And then when they try it, it feels really fuckin good, especially the first time. So good it’s life-changing, you might say.
Privileged, ignorant take by this anon. If you get REALLY down bad sometimes relief in any form is enough. Anybody’s who’s been there knows what I mean, anybody who hasn’t should count their lucky stars and try to.
Couldn’t agree with this more.
Also a lot of people who end up getting hooked on drugs first try it when they are young, they still have developing brains and its harder to make long term impact decisions.
There’s no shortage of people who refuse to understand addiction. “Why don’t you just…” “All you have to do is stop.” Plus equate the addiction and not stopping as weakness and failure. IMO those with that POV are talking to polish their own moral superiority and aren’t at all interested in the factors surrounding addiction.
There’s no shortage of people who refuse to understand addiction.
The question was why people CREATE addictions. Not why people are addicted.EDIT: Derp. “Why are people like this and what’s to be done with them”. This is opposite of refusing understanding addiction. Translation from 4chanian to English: “Why the problem exists and how to solve it”.
Theres a lot of us who are this way because we’ve had to deal with the fallout of the damage those with addictions problems have. It’s not black and white, I’ve gone through a similarly fucked up life as my family members who fell into addiction
My comment has nothing to do with the damages caused by addicts to those around them. You’re right, it’s not black and white, and that’s one of the major issues about addiction vs the people who can’t/wont understand it from the outside. “All you have to do is…” is a cry of frustration and maybe even a defense against the damage caused by the addict. Yeah, they did the damage, no getting around that, and that’s a personal issue that I’m in no way qualified to make suggestions as to how to mend - if at all.
I’m absolutely not trying to detract from or minimize what you experienced, but neither can I offer an exception in your case that it changes how addiction works, and also I am in no way trying to be an apologist for the addict. It’s a shit situation. If it were easy we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Fair enough, I can agree with pretty much everything you’ve said here tbh
Hope things work out for you eventually and don’t remain unsettled. Sounds like you had some shit to deal with.
Eh, its in the past. The fact that I distrust addicts now doesnt impact my ability to empathize, it just means I personally wont be the one helping them. Thank you for your own empathy though
Fwiw you’re probably right about trusting addicts, they have to fix themselves first.
Tbh it’s hard to understand for people that have never been addicted for “real”.
Absolutely. But empathy plays a part in our lives. We can try to understand a lot of things our fellow humans experience, but unfortunately when it comes to mental health/addiction, people seem to stop wanting to understand.
The real amusing part of that is there’s a very good chance that those people who don’t understand are very likely addicted to something legal like booze or caffeine. Hell try anyone to try quitting caffeine and they’ll see how much it sucks.
Caffeine is not a good example, no one talked about the negative effects for a long time, they even promote it for the benefits and is extremely common in soda.
I quit caffeine over a year ago. I still think about it almost every day. Every day I’m so tired, and I think, “there’s an easy fix for this, just give me a cup of half-caf.” It’s never an option for me to think, no, I’m done with that. I always just tell myself, “you can have it next month if you still need it then” Addictions suck.
That’s entirely possible. It also leads to the discussion between socially acceptable addictions and those that aren’t. People seem to be “more ok” with addictions that at least offer the veneer of the individual being in control.
People seem to be “more ok” with addictions that at least offer the veneer of the individual being in control.
Dunno. Alcohol creates more danger to everyone than most of banned drugs. And people still ok with it.
Yup, and this is a huge part of why I don’t consume caffeine in any meaningful amount (other than a random soda every so often). I had a friend who was addicted in middle school and tried to quit, and had to go back to drinking soda because of the headaches.
I don’t want anything to have any meaningful control over me, so I actively avoid anything addicting. The most addictive thing right now. for me is video games, so I’ve set some rules for myself: no MMOs, generally avoid MP games, no mobile games (outside emulators). I don’t drink, smoke, etc, and I prefer to manage pain without Rx (definitely avoiding opiates).
I’ve seen far too many lives get ruined through addiction. In fact, one of my life goals is to volunteer at a charity to help people kick addiction to consumerism (I’d love to help people get out of debt).
Addiction sucks, and I highly recommend others to be honest about their addictions and work to kick them. If you want some more motivation, volunteer at a soup kitchen or something and talk to the people there, many if not most got there through addiction, and a lot of them had a career before everything spiraled out of control. Don’t let that happen to you.
and had to go back to drinking soda because of the headaches.
It’s most likely from not having enough sleep. Usually lack of sleep correlates with consumption of caffeine(no shit, Sherlock), but caffeine is usually not root cause for it. Usually it is external source of stress like school.
I’ve seen far too many lives get ruined through addiction. In fact, one of my life goals is to volunteer at a charity to help people kick addiction to consumerism (I’d love to help people get out of debt).
Good human. No, good citizen.
Might also be worth noting how DARE made every drug into the Drug That Kills You Instantly. Cocaine instantly causes your heart to explode. Heroin immediately turns your into a vegetable. Weed is a “gateway drug” that’s laced with every other drug at once. Bath Salts are causing people to eat each other’s faces off.
How many interactions with actual drug users does it take to disabuse you of these notions? The high performing athlete who smokes weed. The kids doing whip its at the concert who look like their having a great time. Fucking gym rats doing steroids and getting swole as hell. The older folks doing oxy and heroin so they can bust through pain and pull an insane shift. The college kids using amphetamines to study through the day and party through the night.
It’s not as though drugs don’t have very immediate and obvious benefits. People aren’t doing them because they want to become washed up stereotypes.
Bath Salts are causing people to eat each other’s faces off.
What? Is it something I don’t understand?
An oblique reference to the Miami Cannibal Attack which police claimed was the result of the assailant being “high on bath salts” at the time of the incident. Toxicology failed to corroborate the claim, but it stuck in the anti-drug media and became a recurring urban legend of sorts that DARE officers would repeat to credulous kids.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_cannibal_attack
Edit: I think the bath salts as a cause has been disproven but the story remains.
accused Poppo of stealing his Bible
Ah, the religion.
PCP, so not exactly the same as bath salts but similar.
can make you go cray cray
Exactly. DARE and related programs aren’t doing anyone any favors because once you try one of those drugs, you’ll realize they’re really overselling how dangerous they are.
Don’t get me wrong, drugs are dangerous and many people get sucked into career-ending addiction. But anti-drug advocacy should be very honest about both the benefits and the negatives, as well as alternatives if you’re looking for some benefits (e.g. regular exercise can increase energy levels a lot).
I’m in favor of legalizing most recreational drugs, which should make dosage way more predictable (no more ODs) and detect warning signs before things spiral. I’d like to legalize and tax drugs, and use the tax proceeds to fund rehab programs. Start with weed and shrooms, and expand to whatever is most popular.
I’m overweight… I guess that means sugar destroys people’s lives. Why haven’t they banned sugar?
$
The UK taxed sugar (to try and curb soft drink consumption, thanks Jamie Oliver) and it just resulted in the non-diet/zero versions of everything containing both sugar AND sweetners. They managed to stay the same price and now all taste like shite, but I guess it’s cheaper for the poor corporations who had to comply (by changing their drinks entirely rather than paying the tax).
But… most places have banned these drugs. I’m not following your logic. Are you saying they should be legal because we’re free to ruin our health in other ways?
I’m an advocate of actual freedom and personal choice. Meth is obviously a downward spiral for most. However, the issue is most drugs don’t start out that way. My point is that criminalizing drugs is the wrong approach. That is all.
To be fair to anon, they’re asking sincerely if you take them at face value. A lot of people just don’t know why others just fall down that rabbit hole.
If our parents didn’t constantly tell us ‘no’ for the specific purpose of keeping good shit for themselves, we probably wouldn’t be this way. Turns out, lots of the drugs are great!
Fkn oath. Some of my best times have been on drugs at festivals with friends. I’m not one for getting shit-faced wasted but getting a lil high on a few different things is awesome.
Op has never felt so desperate to feel anything else
Is it possible to get second hand high from those ?
don’t think so. either way don’t try it. tastes like burnt plastic and not worth ruining your life over
nasty
So this machine is driving at high speeds and is incredibly dangerous and if it crashes while you are in it or riding it you’ll probably die.
Why are people using cars and motorcycles? I don’t get it!
Not a great analogy honestly, you can drive a car your whole life and your odds of dying in a car accident are probably like 1%. Meanwhile your odds of dying, or at the very least having very serious health effects, from using hard drugs your whole life are basically guaranteed.
Both of you are somewhat right. Drug abuse causes an increased risk in getting a bad medical condition. However, if you always drive faster than you should and don’t give a fuck about road laws(which is kinda the equivalent to abusing hard drugs) you might also end up in the hospital one day.
It isn’t guaranteed. Like that old lady that became 120 years old smoking a pack a day.
me neither, but probably because public transport is expensive and not at all optimised
I smoked some opium once when I was travelling and it was possibly the most pleasant experience of my entire life. Shortly after that I was left alone in a hostel room with someone who was dying from an overdose on it, which was possibly the most unpleasant.
We both know this is made up. Opiate overdose victims just go unconscious and their heart rate slows down to nothing. Then again I’m arguing with someone who thinks traveling is spelled with two ls despite spell check being present literally everywhere.
Then again I’m arguing with someone who thinks traveling is spelled with two ls despite spell check being present literally everywhere.
You do realize other countries exist other than the US, right? Travelling is correct pretty much everywhere outside the US.
None that matter. Does it sound like I care? Any other revolutionary ideas you want to share encyclopedia Brown?
Wow, you’ve been here for a year and you’re a flaming asshole for much of your post history. How have I not blocked you yet? Will rectify that now.
Please don’t
haha… what a douche
and yes that is the correct way to spell your nameKNo yew
Great idea. Have done that too.
Incorrect this time old bean, sorry. It did happen.
Or hapen, if you prefer.
Pics or it nevar hopened blody wankar
I can smell this comment.
Smells like straight up natural light and cocoa butter… hints of gunpowder and body odor
insults someone for their spelling mistake
fails at simple reading comprehension
heh, oops!
Oops what? What is really terrible for them? Poor soul has to be in the same room as someone who is literally losing their life quietly?
oops for you, because in your comment you come off haughty and dumb. Happens to all of us though, no big deal.
Huh, to me you come off like an idiot. That’s so weird. Haughty? Give me a break, I can’t make this shit up 🤣
That’s totally cool with me, I am absolutely a dumb idiot.
Difference is I don’t go around correcting people’s spelling to make them feel stupid.
That’s because you have a life. Get back to it loser 🥹
Sorry some of us have empathy. You ever been in a room with someone dying an early death? Also thinking something is invalid because of spelling mistakes is incredibly childish.
Yeah I’ve been to prison twice and seen it plenty. Someone overdosing on opium is definitely a stretch. I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say but who cares? Fuck yo couch and their strange spelling ninja
Edgelord cunt. Goodbye.
No! Wait, please don’t go!
Tell us you’re a smack head in denial without telling us you’re a smack head.
Plz I need halp! Can I borrow a dollar plzzzzz!!
I think they were saying it was unpleasant for them, not the person dyIng.
I know… what’s unpleasant about someone passing out? They aren’t screaming or convulsing or puking
I mean, if you know they’re dying that would be pretty unpleasant.
Meh I guess it depends on who… amirite
What’s unpleasant about someone dying next to you? I dunno. Must be a people-with-decency thing.
Right, it was all about them…not the person dying. How silly of me!
travel (verb) traveled or travelled; traveling or travelling
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should
Unless your opium was laced with heroin or fent, I am pretty suspect about this claim… you would have to smoke an obscene amount of opium to OD on it.
I smoked it, the other guy injected. Thanks for reviving this old thread though.
No idea how I ended up here hahaha. Also I’m sorry for saying I doubt you. Injecting opium is a super bad idea. Smoking it is incredible (and it smells and tastes amazing too!)
Yeah, if it didn’t have such a reputation for being moreish I would probably dabble! I have enough going on with other stuff though.
(in China) “yo, check this out, and if you get caught with some, it’s straight to jail, too. Or even better, death penalty if you’re carrying enough!”
Says something about your daily life when this isn’t enough of a deterrent :/
This is the kind of thing said by someone who has never spent any amount of mental energy trying to understand drugs and drug use in any way. This is not a thought someone develops organically through experimentation and reasoning. This is a line parroted by idiots and it’s the kind of thinking that criminalizes and stigmatizes drug use and gets millions of people killed.
it’s 4chan. they have PhDs in trolling
It’s not trolling it’s ignorance and stupidity.
There’s a difference?
Drug use is bad for health and absolutely does have the potential to spiral into a destructive addiction. Alcohol is a drug, by the way.
With that said, criminalizing drug use barely helps anyone - but the distribution must remain illegal.
Making distribution illegal just leads to people getting a bad supply that leads to overdoses and poisoning.
You are acting like a helicopter parent. Stop it. People have the right to make decisions about their own bodies and health.
Also you really want to ban all recreational drugs? Congrats you just removed one of people’s only outlets and caused more suicide, self-harm, and mental health issues.
Furthermore not even all drugs are addictive. Classical psychedelics actually are used to cure addictions, it’s highly unlikely you become addicted to one. It’s also one of the least dangerous forms of addiction you can have, and is better than whatever other addiction you would develop instead of if it weren’t there.
People have right to make decisions about their own bodies and health
Drugs are one of people’s only outlets
Don’t you see the issue on the intersection of these two points? People usually don’t make a free choice to go for drugs, they do it to make their life feel more bearable.
Solution? Don’t rally for drugs, rally for improving life conditions so that people wouldn’t try to escape reality.
Half this country wants the other half to hurt because fox news said they should. Your last sentence is literally impossible.
More like a third, but a third of people are dumbasses and don’t vote.
Why not both?
If we legalize recreational drugs (start w/ weed and shrooms, expand later), here’s what we get:
- consistent dosage, so far fewer ODs and no risk of laced drugs
- history of purchases, so warning signs if pattern of use changes
- ability to tax in order to fund rehab programs
- ability to refuse service and call for professional help if someone is displaying warning signs
- fewer cartels, because why would you risk buying illegally if you can get it legally at a store?
Banning it just pushes the sale and distribution underground. I honestly don’t see the benefits there, especially for the less harmful drugs.
We should also be rallying to improve living conditions. Banning drugs doesn’t help anyone but the cartels.
Not really plenty of people take up drugs for fun rather than as a coping mechanism. A lot is just because of curiosity too. The motives are diverse.
Solution? Don’t rally for drugs, rally for improving life conditions so that people wouldn’t try to escape reality.
That doesn’t remove the other, more sensible reasons people do drugs. See above statement.
It’s not always possible to improve the quality of life. We should definitely try though, don’t get me wrong. There will always be heartache, sorrow, mental health issues and disabilities though. That’s just the human condition. Sometimes drugs are actually the less self destructive coping mechanism, especially with psychedelics. In some cases something that’s recreational for one person, is a medicine for a second person, and an addiction for a third. See amphetamine/adderall for an example.
distribution must remain illegal.
The cost of criminalization consistently outweighs the benefit, particularly when criminalization is paired with a dysfunctional criminal justice and incarceration system.
Courts disproportionately punish the young, poor, and colored, which is why you’ll never see a Sackler behind bars. Prisons harden younger people into more professional and organized crooks while they break older people and rapidly transform them into invalids. And criminalization of distribution without curtailing consumption just drives up prices and encourages cartelization and police corruption.
Sheriff’s gangs in California and Texas work hand in glove with the military police in Mexico and the CIA/DEA to transport protected cargo over the border, fattening everyone’s wallets under the pretext of drug prevention.
Sounds like more of a criminal justice issue than anything. It’s important enough to work on it instead of admitting defeat.
No one is admitting defeat, they are just telling you to stop focusing in on the symptoms and start focusing in the problem. You want to address drug misuse problems in western society? Start by addressing the problems that actually highly correlated with it. Help for unhoused persons. Better mental health systems. Those two things alone could curb a huge majority of drug misuse. If you take care of the symptoms then the problem will be mostly solved without need for any criminalization, be it criminalizing supply or demand. For the rest of people I think more funding of rehabilitation and drug education (and no, just telling people to abstain from drugs is not good education, just like abstinence is not good sex education).
With that I can agree, while still holding to the position that drug supply should be criminalized.
This simply shouldn’t be considered as a solution in and of itself.
Absolutely a criminal justice issue. Its an economic issue (“unemployable” people gravitate towards black market labor roles). Its a health care issue (street drugs often stand in for prescription medication, particularly pain relievers and psyche meds). Its a color-line issue (drug use becomes an ethnic stereotype which is used as an excuse to segregate).
All these tail effects make explicit prohibition more of a problem than a solution. Tackling the associated problems - health care needs, jobs program, desegregation - goes a long way towards reducing the incentives to consume (and therefore distribute) harmful substances.
The fact that you say “drug use” as a blanket statement proves that you don’t know what you’re on about. There are a lot of drugs with a lot of effects, and even most controlled substances have approved medical applications (opiates for example).
You should look at drug scheduling in the US, which mostly captures if drugs have a medical application.
On a personal note, I hope you never have to face the kind of pain that makes you consider legal or illegal drugs as an outlet.
I know many drugs are used for medical purposes, but this is normally a “lesser evil” kind of situation where drugs are prescribed under heavy control to mitigate the effects of bad diseases and terrible symptoms.
US is actually quite lax at times on their regulation in that particular sphere.
On a personal note, I reciprocate yours.
