From: peter@petermc.demon.co.uk (Peter McDermott)
Subject: Re: An Ideal World
Date: 1996/10/31
newsgroups: alt.drugs.hard

In article <555va7$mci@sjx-ixn8.ix.netcom.com>,
pez@manhattan.com (Gizmo) wrote:

>Let's all open our hymn book to song 2,394.  Okay, everyone ready.
>It's in the key of E Flat Minor.  All together now.  C'mon.  Yeah, you
>to bunky, clear your throat.  Okay now, here we go.
>
>Verse One
>
>"IT WON'T HAPPEN TO ME"
>"I'M REALLY DIFFERENT"
>"I KNOW WHEN TO STOP"
>"I DON'T HAVE A HABIT, I'VE KICKED DOZENS OF TIMES"
>"I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING
>
>Chorus
>
>"WELL, JUST ONE MORE TIME, THEN I'M OUT OF HERE."
>
>Can I get an AMEN?

Not from me. Y'see, I've yet to meet the dope fiend who was ever
put off by anything that anybody ever said to them. Most of them
have heard this shit a hundred times before, know it to be true,
but still go ahead and do what they're gonna do anyway.

People either come to see this shit for themselves, or not at
all, and the only person I've ever known who was helped by
preaching were a couple of preachers.

>I didn't say that it would deter someone from plunging ahead.  But,
>I've never met a dope fiend who didn't rationalize or think about it
>this way.  But I'm sure there are exceptions, as always.
>
>Perhaps you know some very unique addicts.

I don't think so. I think that the real difference is that here in
the UK, we're somewhat protected from the worst extremes of drug
policy, so we're less likely to 'hit bottom' with the sort of
weight that you do in the US. People aren't often brought
face to face with the self-damage that their behaviour causes in quite
such a stark manner.

Which isn't to say that people don't rationalize their behaviour,
but I don't think that that's a tendency specific to either drug
users, or addicts in particular. eg

"I'll mow the lawn tomorrow."
"What she doesn't know about can't hurt her."
"Taking stationary from the office isn't actually stealing, it's
a perk of the job."
"One more drink won't make any difference."

So, while addicts do have their rationalizations, I don't see
them as being qualitatively different to those of anyone else,
and most of the people I've known who were addicted for any
length of time tended to be only too well aware of the
rationalizations that they use.

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