I have no answers to this issue - I just have an experience to share . . .
One day visiting with some of my closest friends - a guy (who is a recovering A and truly a spiritual person) said a group of "crack whores"
and I said "May I interupt you and ask you to please call them something else? Addicts, women, qualifiers, even druggies, but please don't call them 'crack whores'."
He said "I apologize I didn't mean to offend anyone just a term they even use, I won't use it. but can I ask what about the name offends you so much?"
I said "I look at those ladies and I see somewhere in there a little girl - not to different than my girls. Not to different that my daughter. I know the disease took her to that place but I will always remember her as my sweet daughter, probably just as someone probably remembers some of those girls as a sweet innocent child. not just as a crack *****. It breaks my heart to know that for quite a while someone called my beautiful, smart, funny, talented daughter that - it probably breaks another mother's heart too."
He said "You know I never thought about it that way. I would hate to have a daughter, even if she was an addict to be called a crack *****. It would hurt my heart too."
Sometimes people just need healthy compassion on a personal level.
PINK HUGS,
Rita