Are Drug Addicts Mean?

Posted Jun 4, 2022

Introduction

Drug addicts are often portrayed on TV and in movies as being evil. It is easy to think of drug addicts and picture the violent junkie willing to hurt anyone to get what he wants. Is this an accurate depiction of an addict? Are all drug addicts mean?

Are Addicts Inherently Mean?

Drug addiction changes a person in many ways. You could say that we turn into monsters when we are using 👺. But, if you've seen the movie Monsters INC., you know that not all monsters are evil.

Addiction can provoke us to do some nasty things. It's true that addicts lie, steal, cheat, and hurt people all to get high.

However, that doesn't mean that an addict is inherently mean. People make mistakes in life, but that doesn't automatically qualify them as evil people.

I have come across some very nice addicts during my time in drug addiction. I've seen addicts share food, clothes, and housing with others who were in need. I've watched as an addict carried his sick friend out of the woods to a parking lot where paramedics were waiting for them.

These people had drug problems, but they were still polite, respectful, and kind. Sure, they did some not-so-nice things, but they were not inherently mean.

How Addiction Changes Us

Now that we've established that not all drug addicts are evil, it's time to talk about why we still do bad things in addiction.

Addiction changes a person for the worst. Drugs bring out traits in us that may not have been there before we started using them.

These traits are responsible for some of the despicable behavior that addicts exhibit. Here are three characteristics that can cause an addict to act out...

1. Selfishness - When we're using drugs, we are willing to do whatever we need to to get high. Sometimes that means hurting others with our actions. An addict may feel guilty about their selfish behavior, but the drive to get high is too strong to overpower.

2. Desperation - The longer an addict goes without drugs, the more desperate things get for them. It is moments like this when an addict is likely to abandon any of the morals that they may hold.

3. Greed - The addict lifestyle is a brutal cycle of raising money, buying drugs, and getting high. An addicts biggest fear is running out of drugs. If an addict sees an opportunity to capitalize and potentially set themselves up for a while, they are likely to act on it.

No matter how nice or kind an addict is, they still deal with selfishness, desperation, and greed.

Conclusion

Life for addicts isn't like you see in the movies. We aren't all violent criminals walking the streets with a gun in one hand and a cigarrette in the other.

Drugs make us selfish, desperate, and greedy, which can cause us to make some horrible decisions. Making bad choices does not mean that a person is bad.

Addicts have the capacity for kindness and respect. Doing drugs does not instantly make you an evil person.