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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_LHuII-jYQ
This is a really fantastic video where Russell Brand makes some very thought provoking arguments on how we view addiction, illegal drugs, drug abuse, addicts, and the justice system.
What do folks think of Russell's distinction between a "symbolic" (criminal justice) response and a pragmatic (social welfare/public health) response by the government to drug use and addiction?
I have only ever been addicted to one drug, nicotine, and I think the abstinence approach is total garbage. Many people do not count caffeine or nicotine is a drug even. I was once sent to a drug counselor who used an abstinence only approach who was addicted to cigarettes, and by addicted I mean daily use. Addiction is a buzzword; it is used to mean different things at different times. Most people use it to mean hooked on something, but is that really addiction? Are people addicted to facebook or video games or certain foods? That kind of relationship is not really the same one that I had with cigarettes when I was addicted. There are similarities but it's not the same, and it's really hard to put into words what exactly the difference is. Both are created by brain chemicals and in both situations you have a choice. I suppose the main difference is the strength of drugs. Any drug. It's more direct. It's faster. There's more risk involved. But risk is not bad or even really risky if you are well informed and are able to reflect on how that behaviour is changing you.
Russell Brand is not Jesus and even if he was he couldn't save us. We need to stop looking to celebrities and ideologies(authority in general really) for solutions. We are the solution, not these things. It is the way we view ourselves that is the problem and the only way to change that is to stop for a moment and take look deeply into who and what we are. Start with no assumptions and try to find the truth. By changing the way we view ourselves we change the way we view others. Only through this can we bring about a truly compassionate or virtuous society.
Of all the info I have looked at exploring the case that governments are the biggest drug dealers on the planet I think this is my favourite discourse by Mike Ruppert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rFWDHQcIG8