I would like to see where this girl has been diagnosed with addiction and that being the reason for the break in. Or could it be just a 17 year old making a childish mistake. It's the words we use to describe people, whether it be Blacks, gay, on down the list of people that are different than ourselves or have a problem such as mental illness and addiction. Retarded comes to mind, we dont see that used so much anymore....why?
Stigma in the addiction population is what is keeping us from solving the problem and why so many are dying today. We would rather throw someone in jail than help them with their disease. Meth head, junkie, bag bitch, tweeker, crack head, on down the list of terms where we deny people with addiction the dignity and humanity that we give others without the disease.
I understand that people with a substance use disorder will do things to keep themselves alive. In their disease they reach a point of fight or flight. They are fighting to stay alive and will do pretty much anything to do so. Working on the exchange van. I get to work with so many of these people and help them get into recovery. Main reason a exchange works is the people that come to the van know they will not be judged they are treated with dignity and in exchange we get to have the conversations that lead a person with this disease into a place where they can reevaluate their lives.
We could welcome them by saying...whats up Junkie, or come on in meth head...dont think that would work out very well.
