Quote:
Originally posted by Bad_Rich_Chic
Heroin doesn't appear to be quite as bad as everyone commonly thinks it is. It is apparently only slightly more addictive than alcohol, and not nearly so much as cigarettes (though, of course, the cognitive impairment is quite different).
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I have read the same thing about how addictive various substances are, and I wonder what is meant by that. I mean, I am willing to go along with you that heroin may not be quite as bad as everyone thinks it is (depending on how bad we collectively think it is, I suppose, whatever that means). I also agree that some people can and do use it recreationally without much ill effect. But to say it is not so bad because it is less addictive than cigarettes seems to be missing part of the equation.
Let me first qualify by saying that I have never done heroin and have never smoked tobacco (seriously). But, I have talked to (and read about) people that have kicked both. Kicking a long smoking habit sounds really unpleasant. We're talking very, very unpleasant here. But, um, kicking heroin sounds like living hell, and even that may be a bit mild. And then there is the whole "your life is so completely consumed by heroin so that you can focus on nothing other than somehow getting enough money so that you can fix again" thing. There is no Ministry song called "Just One Puff," although I would be quite surprised to learn that Al Jourgensen did not fancy the occasional cancer stick. Oh yeah, then there is the whole overdosing thing. I know lots of people that drink a lot more than they should. Hell, dubious French heart disease studies notwithstanding, I think we would all be better off if we never drank alcohol. But, we all know lots of people who have gone through periods of heavy binge drinking and who have been able to snap back without much trouble. Lots of people who go through periods of heavy binge heroin use just don't live long enough to snap back.
I ain't preaching about the devil in the needle here - if you think heroin is the thing for you, then go for it. Candidly, it sounds like one hell of a fantastic "high," and I think the VU are totally groovy. But to say it is not so bad because it is less addictive than cigarettes seems to be missing part of the equation. Oh wait, did I say that already?
