Discussion Why is drug use not considered selfish but suicide is?

[nigelhernandez]

Just a heads up that I don't believe drug use or suicide is selfish. People have a right to do whatever they want with their body. But I find it really weird that drug use like suicide can devastate families financially when the person steals or when a person overdoses and dies. The interesting this is, most normies never think drug use is selfish.

What I'm saying is that when you ask someone why not to do drugs, they say "It'll ruin your life". In other words, they only focus on the consequences for yourself. When you talk about why you shouldn't suicide, almost always it's about other people.

Can someone explain this?

 

[BPD Barbie]

Interesting topic. Maybe with suicide people are only interested in their own feelings and want a clear conscious. I find that a lot of people feel the need to try and save everyone and I don't believe it's because they genuinely care but more so so they don't have to feel bad.

 

[Fragile]

It really depends on the drug, but most of the people i've meat consider hard drug use as something very selfish. just like you said addiction leads to behaviors like stealing from loved ones, having an abusive personality and health issues that tend to burden a family.

the difference between suicide and drug use is that suicide is something that shocks people, most don't expect that a loved one actually goes through with their suicide. drugs are something slow, a process that often takes years and those around you get used to it in a fucked up way, and at the end of the day, they still have you and have the ever-present hope of a miraculous recovery. there is no recovery once you are dead.

 

[SpareWheel]

I'd wager half of suicidal people are only still around due to their worry of hurting someone else when they go. The selfish thing has always bugged me, it's an easy trope for those that don't understand to peddle from their soapbox. Or someone else being selfish and thinking of their own grief because they lost a loved one, they themselves don't see the hypocrisy in that.

 

[a.n.kirillov]

It is considered selfish, if it deprives society of your functioning in the way it wants you to function. Thus heroin = bad, prozac = good; LSD = bad, television = good.

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

It really depends on the drug, but most of the people i've meat consider hard drug use as something very selfish. just like you said addiction leads to behaviors like stealing from loved ones, having an abusive personality and health issues that tend to burden a family.

the difference between suicide and drug use is that suicide is something that shocks people, most don't expect that a loved one actually goes through with their suicide. drugs are something slow, a process that often takes years and those around you get used to it in a fucked up way, and at the end of the day, they still have you and have the ever-present hope of a miraculous recovery. there is no recovery once you are dead.

This comment almost makes me wish we had upvotes.

 

[Fragile]

This comment almost makes me wish we had upvotes.

aw, i feel the same way about most of your posts/comments.

but the further away that we stay from a reddit-like system the better.

 

[Iamnotperminant92]

It is an emotional reaction mostly though I would say Heroin gets a similar reaction to suicide as most people hearing their loved ones using heroin would be afraid of said loved one being found dead in a bathroom stall or something like that. It's safe to say Heroin is viewed much differently from Weed or even cocaine.

As far as the double standard goes - an addict is perceived as having a string of moral failures especially if the addiction creates toxic behaviors. People are more likely to assume a suicidal person has potential benefit to society which is robbed at death. As misunderstood as mental health is, so is suicide. People are less likely to assume a long history of suicidality/depression or neuroatypicality.

TL;DR. Low expectations for drug addicts vs wishful thinking backed high expectations for suicidal people