[Aurornis]

> People generally do not intentionally throw away stimulating, happy, healthy lives to become destitute drug addicts

It’s true that people don’t intentionally become destitute drug addicts.

However, it’s completely false to claim that people wouldn’t get addicted to drugs if they had stimulating, happy lives.

A very common entry point to drug addiction in modern life is when people are having a great time in life, doing well enough to afford large amounts of drugs, and feeling invincible because so many things in their life are going their way. People willing experiment with drugs for fun, which can quickly turn into a habit and a cycle.

I don’t know where this myth comes from that drug addicts are a product of their environment, not their own actions. When one of my friends was in rehab (fully recovered now for many years, thankfully) one of their rules was that people had to accept responsibility for their choices and actions in getting involved with drugs. Apparently it was common for people and their families and friends to generate a lot of “not your fault” excuses to absolve them of any responsibility for getting involved with drugs: Blaming peer pressure, a breakup, a bad job, a tragedy. This made people temporarily feel less guilt, but it also allowed them to avoid addressing their own behaviors and actions. Their theory was that entirely externalizing the drug addiction and turning the patient into a 100% pure victim just opens the door to relapse when those circumstances happen again, because it teaches them that it’s not their fault and out of their control anyway.