Drugs and Addiction in our Society

Disclaimer: This article is not a generalization by any means. This is meant to be about a certain layer of our society, no more or less.

Without any need of studies or official reports, each of us falls into one of the following categories: a drug addict, has tried drugs before, or knows someone who’s heavily involved in drugs. If you don’t know anyone who’s into drugs, then you’re just unaware of it. That being said, drug use is not my main problem. My problem is that it became socially acceptable to be a drug addict; however, it’s not okay to be a recovering addict – which doesn’t make any sense.

My usage of the word “drugs” doesn’t refer to cannabis or hash or any natural supplements for that matter; which is becoming debatable on whether it’s healthy or not and aren’t as addictive – and I’d rather not talk about that here. By drugs, I mean heavy, addictive and chemicalized drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, and tramadol.

Drugs and addiction have been in all societies throughout the years, it’s nothing new. However, 10 years ago an addict was an outcast. It was a scandal if someone was caught doing drugs. Now it’s an “oh well…” type of situation. Why? Why did we accept drug abuse? Why did it become a normal thing? Why are addicts proud of their drug usage? More importantly, why are recovering addicts not supported? Why aren’t they socially accepted like the actual addicts?

Recently on Facebook, there’s been a post surfing around from the “Society Problems” page. It’s a confession from an addict talking about how addiction became “popular” and the life of addicts and the black market that most of us haven’t heard of before. I didn’t want to believe what was written, because it’s too depressing to be true. Sadly, it seems to be true and happening.

According to the writer, there’s a crowded drug black market in our society that is more like a “hyper market.” Most of the buyers are respectable people with good jobs such as engineers and teachers, and there are even families with their young children. It’s a desperate place, where girls offer their bodies to the dealers to get as little as a sniff. Here’s the sad part, the government and army knows about this, and they’re doing absolutely nothing about it.

In Europe, some countries legalize drugs and some states in the US are legalizing cannabis as well. Like it or not, I think it’s the smartest move. The drugs sold in these countries have to be approved for quality before being sold, which makes them less dangerous. Not to mention, they help in the government’s economics. In Egypt, however, it’s illegal. Hence, no one knows what they’re consuming, and when something bad happens to someone from it they don’t get medical help because they’re afraid of the consequences.

Speaking of consequences, addicts don’t want to admit they’re addicts or seek help or rehabilitation because of this very reason. Most, if not all, rehabs in Egypt degrade their patients. Rehab is all about motivations and all they do is make the addict feel worthless and they give up and go back to the addiction, and maybe get worse. The good rehabs are expensive, and usually addicts who lose all their money on drugs couldn’t afford it.

Conclusion to all of this talk, we need to take action. Why don’t we start anonymous support groups? Make rehabs better for the recovering addicts? Support their recovery? It’s very ironic that addicts are okay with admitting they’re addicts, but never admit they’re recovering. The person who made the post about the drugs black market said that there are pills that make addicts recover in just 3 days. The pills are somewhat expensive, costing 300 to 500 LE. Why doesn’t the government provide these pills for free? Or at least officially supply them even if they’re sold. We could help paying for them and have a sponsor system, where sponsors are sober recovered addicts who support addicts financially and emotionally till they recover.

It’s time we take a stand against addiction, and we have to admit that our society has a problem. We can’t keep tip-toeing around the subject. Egyptians have a drug problem and we could all fix it. Start with yourself; you could make a difference. If you’re an addict, please seek help. Be the help you always wanted and admit that you have a problem. Don’t give up, there are many who want to help but don’t know how. Lead them and tell them what you need to recover. I’m there for you, and many others are as well. If you’re not an addict, help the addicts. Talk to them, make them know it’s safe to recover and give them the emotional, mental, and even physical support they’ll need. Volunteer in anti-addiction campaigns and let them actually make a difference.