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Vermont College Graduate School of Norwich University, Northfield Vermont

Graduate Thesis By: Peter Stone, 1993

One of the most cited cultural slogans is “Fight for a Drug-Free America.” A drug-free America is a myth. Americans are turning to drugs and other abusive behaviors out of the imbalanced lifestyle that this country necessitates.

Drug involvement, crime, and incarceration are reflective of national disarray. People are turning to drugs to balance their oppressed life-ways.

Crime is increasing in violence at alarming rates out of despair and frustration, and more Americans are being incarcerated at appallingly high rates. Families are being destroyed, people are dying, and careers are being lost, all in the name of “A drug- free America.”

The people who are adversely affected by drugs are destined to live a life of cycles of failure and recovery. Drugs (alcohol is a drug) will always be a part of their life-way because America needs someone to blame and point to when its “responsible citizens” want to feel good. Drug abuse and other mind- and sensation-altering behaviors are not diseases; they are behaviors learned and used in the desperation of acquiring, and maintaining a semblance of a balanced life-style (e.g., control).

Society is uninformed about the motives behind drug abuse and other abusive behavior involvement. There is too much focus on the medium of abuse. Drugs don’t get high, people get high. High is not a drug; it is an experience triggered by a drug. Addiction is not a drug-induced condition.

Tags: Addiction, e-book, incarceration, Substance Abuse