MoPaul likes his good green smoke

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021382289

Oh my.

Philosoraptor (14,909 posts)  Thu Sep 20, 2012, 06:43 AM

With poverty comes depression, despair, alcoholism & drug abuse

Very often people who have been down a hard road due to poverty or unlucky circumstances will fall into depression, feel less than human and start to abuse drugs and alcohol just to feel a little bit of joy even though its an artificial joy, and a fleeting one.

I've been there.

And its easy to look down our noses at meth addicts, crack addicts, pill poppers and boozers, but they are real people who are just trying to forget how miserable they are due to their poverty.

There are wealthy people who abuse substances too, but I think most addicts live in relative poverty.

And our society would rather toss them in prison than try to help them overcome these addictions. And prison helps no one.

When I was a young man, it was fashionable to try cocaine, crystal meth, Quaalude, everyone I knew was doing it, dropping acid, smoking weed and drinking booze, and while we thought we were doing it for fun, maybe we were doing it for other reasons.

Fortunately I lived through this crazy period, and gave up these pursuits for a more settled life, but I understand what makes a person a drug addict or alcoholic, its depression, despair and hopelessness often brought on by poverty.

Now I still like my good green smoke, even though I break the law of the land every day, it makes me feel good, and I like feeling good, and there are far worse things to be ingesting, let's face it.

I also still enjoy an occasional beer or glass of wine, and I always feel a little bit guilty and I always enjoy it in moderation, some might classify me as a hopeless addict, but I know I'm not the only one.

My kids are all grown, with kids of their own, and they are well adjusted people who also enjoy an occasional potable or good smoke, in moderation.

I'm not endorsing substance abuse, I'm just admitting that I too drifted into some very dangerous areas with my youthful experimentation, and I was always honest and forthcoming to my kids about the pitfalls of drugs and alcohol, and explained it in great detail, from my own memories, some of which I'm not too proud of.

My point is, poverty can be a major factor in driving large masses of people into a terrible downward spiral, and we should try to help those people and not chastise them or belittle them too much. They are suffering and they need help.

When you look at the crimes committed by the men in the expensive suits in the 1% crowd, smoking a joint or going on a bender seem like petty things by comparison. Steal billions from the poor and use it to kill thousands of innocent people in Afghanistan, and you get a statue made of you, smoke a joint and you go to prison.

The wealthy get addicted too, they just have a better support system than prison.

I may have brought this over too early; only one trivial primitive has been to this campfire.

[Carl]

Another stoned out loser at the DUmp.
Almost a requirement yet they think they are the smartest among us and should be leading the country.

[JohnnyReb]

So, they're not poverty stricken because they do drugs and can't hold a job. They do drugs and can't hold a job because they're poverty stricken....

[GOBUCKS]

So, DUmmy mopaul is bragging that his kids grew up to be potheads.

Poor stupid Beth bragged about how her kid, jailed for dealing drugs, helps the warden run the prison.

[Gina]

Another stoned out loser at the DUmp.
Almost a requirement yet they think they are the smartest among us and should be leading the country.

I have often wondered why someone would want to be "stoned".  I can't stand feeling out of control of my functions/mind.  I like to be very focused and well I don't think pot would do that.  I tried pot ONE time.  I went to a Prince concert with my brother.  He is a lot older than me.  We were in his brand new Silverado truck (blue) and I had some beer earlier.  He let me take 2-3 puffs on that and the world started feeling like I was on a boat in the ocean.  I threw up all over his passenger side of the vehicle.  I never tried that stuff again, and he never offered it again either 

[FaC]

And its easy to look down our noses at meth addicts, crack addicts, pill poppers and boozers, but they are real people who are just trying to forget how miserable they are due to their poverty.

We might have the cause and effect relationship backwards here - I would guess that the poverty is a consequence of the addiction rather than the other way around...