References for causal argument

Bradly Campbell, Vancouver combats heroin by giving its addicts the best smack in the world(2015)https://theworld.org/stories/2015-02-04/vancouver-combats-heroin-giving-its-addicts-best-smack-world

This article written by,”Bradley Campbell”,  expands on the counterintuitive idea that giving addicts drugs is actually safer. Vancoover is a port city meaning lots of drugs coming from the pacific, this makes it a hub for addicts. The city has tried different ways to make the addict rates go down but nothing is really making the difference. After trying different methods and research experiments experts extended a program to 26 heroin addicts. This program essentially was giving these addicts heroin for free however many times they needed it. This in return would stop them from breaking and entering cars and homes as well as harming themselves and others around them for their next fix. Most rehab facilities disagree with this methodology and claim they can help recover even the worst addicts. They also claim that this program is just a way of killing off the addicts in a nice way.

Quotes-  “where addicts could shoot up under the supervision of a nurse and without the fear of being arrested by police. Staff at the Insite center provide the addicts with clean syringes, antiseptic wipes and other instruments.”

“Vancouver combats heroin by giving its addicts the best smack in the world” 

 Maia Szalavitz, Matters of Substance(2014) https://www.drugfoundation.org.nz/matters-of-substance/archive/matters-of-substance-november-2014/ageing-out-of-addiction/

This article is all about the inevitability of growing out of drugs. It addresses the statistics involved in which most drug addicts “age out of drug use” just by getting bored or finding a cause to quit on their own without any programs or treatment to help. It also talks about how people who work in certain professions or have certain past experiences will have skewed perspectives on addiction and often put a connotation on it that once you’re an addict you’re an addict for life.

Quotes-  “if addiction were truly a progressive disease, the data should show that the odds of quitting get worse over time. In fact, they remain the same on an annual basis, which means that, as people get older, a higher and higher percentage wind up in recovery.” 

“Similarly, if your only knowledge of alcohol came from working in an ER on Saturday nights, you might start thinking that prohibition is a good idea. All you would see are overdoses, DTs or car crash, rape or assault victims. You wouldn’t be aware of the patients whose alcohol use wasn’t causing problems. And so, although the overwhelming majority of alcohol users drink responsibly, your “clinical” picture of what the drug does would be distorted by the source of your sample of drinkers.”

Kerry Nenn, Is Relapse Inevitable With Forced Sobriety?(2023) https://recovery.org/is-relapse-inevitable-with-forced-sobriety/

This article addresses the problems with forcing sobriety on addicts. When addicts are forced to commit to multi step programs to “fix” their addictions they more often than not wind up doing those same drugs just a few weeks out of rehab, only this time their body isnt used to is as well and the same dose they could handle months ago they might not be able to handle now. Risking not making rehab mandatory after serious offenses is a debate up to many but this source is biased towards forcing mandatory rehab.

Quotes- ”They found that almost 50 percent of the mandated patients relapsed within a month of their release, while only 10 percent of voluntary graduates relapsed.”

“ Often, when crimes are committed that involve substance abuse, the offenders are sentenced to rehab.”

National Institute of Drug Abuse, Drug Overdose Death Rates(2023)

https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates

This website does not have much information text wise but has very valuable charts that are statistics of different usages of drugs paired together and the overdose rates they cause.  This data is scattered from 1999-2021 giving a very clear visual of the prevalence of drugs through times with heroin increasing more and more until a year or two ago. Also I specifically like figure 4 and 5 that show heroin by itself and heroin combined with other opioids (street drugs) the comparison between the 2 is a great resource

Quotes- “Drug overdose deaths involving heroin rose from 1,960 in 1999 to 15,482 in 2017 before trending down to 13,165 deaths in 2020 “

“The bars are overlaid by lines showing the number of deaths involving heroin in combination with synthetic opioids

Rebuttal argument sources

Name of source

https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/success-rates-and-statistics

This source provides an insight into rehab the the effectiveness of it. This source believes that success differs from center to center. This article also offers treatment success rates and how rehab is more necessary than ever. Also stating that each person will need individualized treatment and everything needs to be adapted from person to person and that relapse is not a failure.

Quotes- “There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to treatment, but it’s most successful when individuals complete the entire course of their treatment and continue with the aftercare programs. “

“Relapse is not an indicator of failed treatment. It means that the individual needs to contact their physician or other healthcare provider to resume treatment, modify modalities, or try a different rehab approach”

“a survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that as many as 90 percent of people who need drug rehab do not receive it.”

Vancouver combats heroin by giving its addicts the best smack in the world

https://theworld.org/stories/2015-02-04/vancouver-combats-heroin-giving-its-addicts-best-smack-world

This source was a good source for causal argument as well as rebuttal due to the end of the source where they had rehab professionals weigh in on what they thought of the vancouver programs for drug usage. These specialists felt as if it was blackmail to keep the addicts from causing crime and not to help the addict at all. They also believe that even the worst addicts can be helped.

Quotes- “Schauffler says that O’Rourke put it in stark terms, saying the city is killing addicts with kindness. “We might as well put a bullet in their head,” O’Rourke told him. “We’re killing them. We just doing it in a much nicer way.””

“He essentially says that he needs free heroin or else he’ll break into a car. Take your pick. It could lead some to believe the city is giving into an unspoken form of blackmail.”

“Schauffler talked with several people working in rehab centers in Vancouver. Many told him they’ve worked with people to get off heroin addictions, even those most heavily addicted”

The Truth About Enabling

The truth about enabling

This article is all about signs that you are enabling an addict and the harm that it causes. Most times loved ones think they are helping when in reality they are doing more harm than good. Covering addicts when they are too hungover to go to work or making excuses for them only prolongs the addiction. Enabling not only affects the addict and causes them to not face consequences but also creates a dynamic in their families that they don’t like confrontation. This is a good source because giving addicts drugs to “help them” is enabling.

Quotes- “ When a person with a substance use disorder is enabled it lessens the likelihood they will see the need for change. “

“When your loved one is struggling with an addiction to drugs or alcohol, trying to help often leads to more harm than good.”

“ Enabling also refers to the act of helping someone in such a way that rather than solving a problem, it is, in fact, being perpetuated.”

Definition Argument

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/street-drugs-risks

Street Drugs: Known Facts and Risks

This article talks about street drugs and how unsafe they are. It lists different street drugs and the harm and risks they can cause. Street drugs are drugs that have added chemicals or are contaminated in some way. Heroin is a street drug often added to prescription pills that cause overdoses. This is good because by giving clean drugs we would lessen the amount of street drugs and in return pose less health threats for the addicts.

Quotes: “When you use street or club drugs, you’re taking a lot of risks. The drugs are dangerous, and usually there’s no way to know how strong they are or what else may be in them. “

“ It’s even more unsafe to use them along with other substances like alcohol and marijuana.”

“Heroin use can be deadly. Risk factors for overdose include, simultaneous use of sedatives or alcohol, use of prescription pain pills, and recent abstinence with relapse.”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1600613522008991

Increases in Drug and Opioid Overdose Deaths—United States, 2000–2014

This article shows how much drug overdose has increased in relation to opioid drugs and heroin. The rates that are going up at a steady increase are a cause for concern with these prescription drugs that are now killing people because they are no longer safe when made on the streets. Heroin is the main driving factor and heroin is one of the many street drugs that are cut with synthetic opioids. This article has many good resources for the argument that drugs are being laced and tripling the amount of overdoses.

Quote:”The United States is experiencing an epidemic of drug overdose (poisoning) deaths. Since 2000, the rate of deaths from drug overdoses has increased 137%, including a 200% increase in the rate of overdose deaths involving opioids (opioid pain relievers and heroin).”

“Opioids, primarily prescription pain relievers and heroin, are the main drugs associated with overdose deaths.”

“a 15-year increase in overdose deaths involving prescription opioid pain relievers and a recent surge in illicit opioid overdose deaths, driven largely by heroin.”

“Finally, illicit fentanyl is often combined with heroin or sold as heroin. Illicit fentanyl might be contributing to recent increases in drug overdose deaths involving heroin.”