Alcohol, Drugs, and Addictions

Most people who do hard core illicit drugs like heroin and cocaine become addicted to them and end up needing professional help if they want to overcome the addiction. Other illicit drugs like crystal meth, methamphetamines, and crack cocaine are highly addictive also, but easier to overcome addiction-wise. Out of all the most popular illicit drugs in use today, crystal meth is the worst because it does the most damage to the body and especially the brain with all those harsh, nasty, synthetic chemicals it has in it. It's use is the most widely spread because it is the most affordable.

Most people who consume alcohol and who smoke marijuana do so in moderation and go through life without becoming physically and psychologically dependent on those substances. However, alcohol abuse has been a particular problem among Indigenous Americans, particularly those from tribes north and east of upper Mesoamerica who were never exposed to alcoholic beverages prior to the European invasion in that part of North America. That is why most Indian reservations, particularly those without casino bars, to this day ban the sale of alcohol. On the other hand, indigenous peoples of the southwestern United States, Mexico, and further south had been accustomed to fermented, intoxicating beverages derived from the cactus family of plants for centuries prior.

Alcohol and drugs are not the only addictions people can become afflicted with. There are psychological addictions to such things as over-eating, gambling, excessive spending, excessive sex, fetishes, other recreational activities, and even love addictions towards certain types of people who fulfill an emotional dependency. A thing, person, or activity becomes an unhealthy addiction when it becomes an uncontrollable, consistent obsession that interferes with one's physical health, daily responsibilities, and overall well-being.

Some people remain in denial of their addictions. Others eventually seek help for them due to either pressure from friends and loved ones, hitting rock bottom, or best of all, by recognizing such a problem in its early stage before it's too late.

Traditional Indigenous American treatments for additions and substance abuse vary just as modern, conventional "Western" treatments do. Indigenous American medicine people have always recognized that some people have a biological disposition for certain addictions apart from them just being a psychological weakness. Certain medicinal herbs are thus prescribed to help control craviings. A medicine shaman can also serve as a counselor and talk therapist, and apply ritualistic, metaphysical, and holistic/integrative techniques in an attempt to cure addictions and other afflictions.

Marijuana and psychotropic plants should only be consumed for medicinal and spiritual purposes, and only in moderation with the guidance of a conventional or preferably naturopathic physician. The latter can include an indigenous medicine person. "Medicinal purposes" can include the relief of temporary stress and anxiety.

For persons who do not have any medical conditions that prohbit the consumption of alcohol and who are not recovering alcoholics, minimal consumption of an alcoholic beverage on a daily basis can be healthy for relieving stress whenever it is present, and also for the control of cholestrol.

There is really no need in this day and age to discuss in detail here the harmful effects of regular, daily tobacco use. Indigenous Americans have used raw tobacco for ages for ritualistic purposes, but not as a regular nicotine habit before cigarettes in particular came into widespread use.

Marijuana and psychotropic plants should not be illegal under any circumstances because their natural reason d'etre is medicinal, and/or for the awakening and enhancement of otherwise dormant areas of the brain that are used to direclty perceive the spiritual in altered states of consciousness.

Even illicit drugs ought to be legal because all their prohibition does is create and maintain high-priced black markets that commit acts of violence; breed corruption among public officials, and clogs up the law enforcement, judicial, and penal systems with offenders.

The "War on Drugs" is not winable in most countries because there is too much of a public demand for the product, and most political parties that legislate most governments and their laws are unwilling to sentence illicit drug producers and suppliers to death or life imprisonment for their trade, or sentence illicit drug consumers to years in prison for simple use and possesion.

Mandatory prescriptions of medications for adults of sound mind should also be abolished.

Most governments do not favor all-out drug decriminalization or the abolition of mandatory prescriptions because they are controlled by political parties with politicians and bureaucrats that:

a) Are morally and philosophically opposed to substances that can intoxicate, especially those that can potentially harm or be addictive.

b) Believe that government has a moral obligation to be paternalistic towards its citizenry in the way of detering people from potentially abusing themselves with substances, even if most of them are responsible adults of sound mind.

c) Cater to special interests that benefit and profit from mandatory prescriptions and drug prohibiton--everyone from black market drug cartels, medication-prescribers, and those in law enforcement who make their living off of enforcing illicit drug and prescription medication laws.

Just another example of how most of the world's major political parties are intrusive, hypocritical, and corrupt.