Originally Posted by
soberhal9 
I do not think alcohol and heroin and pills are all the same thing. they have different physiological effects and the lengths people go to for drugs are quite different than the lengths people go to for alcohol. Have you ever seen someone turn to prostitution for alcohol?
I mean no offense to you Soberhal, as I typically find your contributions quite useful and challenging. However, on this topic, I find your view very close minded and myopic. People turn tricks all the time for alcohol, as well as drugs.
I am just shocked at how many of you on this Board are alcoholics that are unwilling to accept that you are addicts. I can only reconcile this as a self identity issue created by the social dogma associated with drug use.
Society creates stigmas based on class. I am wealthy by any standards but see no difference between myself and a homeless IV drug user on the Street except for time and progression of our common disease. It is my view that by self identifying as someone above a disease that has no prejudice or social bounds is only self harming and deluded.
Freethinking - your view is not consistent with several studies. In particular, I would point you towards the studies of servicemen that returned from Vietnam after using heroin for a prolonged period of time and yet only 15% remain addicted over a 5yr period. You can Google this and I believe it nullifies your hypothesis.