By Thomas Smith
Everyone has their vices, one way or another. Some people drink soda all day every day and have not had a glass of water in years. Some people eat a bowl of ice cream for dessert every night. Some people drink a glass of wine with dinner. Some people smoke cigarettes every hour, while others smoke a joint after work. Some drink to help them forget terrible things that happen to them. Some people use substances like heroin, meth, and fentanyl to get themselves through the day. In my conversation with Tricia McCarthy, an addictions counsellor for 26 years, it was made clear to me that every single person has something that they do or consume to use as an emotional support.
Comfort food is something that everyone is familiar with. A food that you enjoy that has a connection to you either through nostalgia, or simply having an emotional connection to it. Comfort food makes us feel better emotionally, but is often food with high caloric values. When you read the term comfort food, you think chicken soup, or cookies, or even a poutine. Some people include a beer or cocktail in with their comfort food, or perhaps they refer to them as a guilty pleasure.
There is a clear distinction of social acceptability for people when it comes to eating a tray of cookies versus someone using a substance such as heroin. To begin to understand the issue, it is important to understand the basic human need to not feel pain and to seek comfort. CBC reported record numbers of deaths from alcohol and drugs during the pandemic. It is clear that in times of hardship, more people will use substances to help.
The lines of social acceptability can quickly become blurred. Excessive drinking is often celebrated on occasions such as holidays, whereas someone using heroin to cope with intense pain is deemed as lesser and referred to using terms like ‘junkie’ and ‘addict’.
Would everyone start using harder substances if they were legalized? Absolutely not.
Would it save people’s lives? Absolutely.
In countries that have decriminalized drug use and incorporated harm reduction programmes such as the Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland, HIV prevalence and transmissions has dropped sharply, according to The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.
One of the biggest hurdles people with substance use problems face is seeking support due to the shame, stigmatization and dehumanization.
People with substance use problems fear that they will get into legal trouble by seeking help, or some fear that they will be socially branded with terms like alcoholic, stoner, and junkie.
A huge step towards lowering the death rates of those with substance use problems will be to decriminalize their use. It would remove a massive barrier for people who know that they need to seek help and will ultimately save lives.
Am I saying that I want to see people openly use substances in the streets where kids can see? No. I am realistic in knowing that there are people in my community that are going to use substances. A substance use issue is not always something that is easily visible externally. Anyone could be struggling with a substance issue, even your neighbour, and you may not know it.
Legal or not, people are going to use substances to cope. They always have and always will.
Currently, our society is forcing people to use substances alone and die alone. People that are scared to seek care will die amidst the opioid crisis that Ontario is currently facing. The decriminalization of possession and the use of substances will save lives.