Is this what one might call necro-reposting? Because of how old the post is? Well, I think it's interesting, so I wanted to engage with it... Time is a social construct anyways.
I think the concept of addiction and dtugs is interesting, and problematic.
Like, are diabetic people insulin and glucagon junkies? Do they need to lay off the needle? Do people with asthma need to stop huffing those inhalers so much? Or even cancer, so many of those medications clearly poison their body, should they just go all natural, and let nature do what it was meant to do?
Or... hypogonadic people, they're destroying their body, making themselves ugly as hell, with those dangerous AAS, you know, a literal controlled substance.?
Even surgery, I mean seriously, are you going to inject literal fentanyl into your spine? Just because, what? 'Surgery hurty' sounds like you should you should choose the healthier option, of simply enduring the pain of your vital organs being dissected.
I mean... it's so weird, isn't it? These people are all literally taking drugs, substances that alter the body and mind, in large and frequent doses, some being literally the same as 'hard drugs', yet... bit of a different attitude, isn't it?
Of course, even funnier when people do genuinely believe this. They think people should just suffer extreme pain, suffocation, cancer, death, just because. what? Drugs r bad? Just toughen up? I don't need them, so that means you don't need them either? They're unnecessary?
Isn't it clearly fucked? But at least they're a little more honest than the hypocrites, who wouldn't say the same about these uses, yet still criticise others, such as chronic pain, transitioning, mental illness, etc..
The point is, regardless of whether people claim they care about other's health, side effects, wellbeing, well... is it ever really about consent? 'Trans HRT isn't at all the same as those AAS abusers!' The argument against them, is always about everything except whether the person wants to take that medication.
It's why I especially bring up the hypogonadism/AAS example. There's so many examples of the way people disrespect consent with it.
A cis man that wants to take AAS, 'well he shouldn't of course, it'll poison his body! Make him... ugly! He should just work out the normal way!'
A trans man wanting to take AAS, well, on one side, 'he shouldn't of course, it'll poison her body! Make her... ugly! Because those are the most important things. She should just be normal!' on the other side, 'well it's okay, because being transgender is a genuine illness! It's only in healthy doses! It's okay for their body (this time)! It's nothing like those cis men who abuse AAS, those freaks are just ruining their body!'
It flips even more, a hypogonadic man who doesn't want to take AAS, 'well, it's medically necessary, he won't go through normal puberty otherwise! He needs to have normal hormone levels, his body will be ruined otherwise! He'll never look like a proper man!'
Of course, consent isn't part of any of this. Whether it's approval or disproval, whether the person wants to take it not, never has anything to do with anything, in fact, no only is actively depriving people okay, actively forcing people is okay too.
Even the trans man example, the closest it gets to consent, ultimately, isn't about consent. Even the people who argue, trans men who want testosterone should be able to take it, end up arguing, this isn't JUST okay because it's their body, because they should do whatever they want, because they should define what's harmful and healthy, because they should get to do it even if it's unhealthy, because it's their choice, it ends up being about how it's actually healthy! The government and health organisations says it's legal and proper! It's only in small, healthy doses. It's not toxic, their bodies can take it actually.
They allow it because they, the people who's body this ISN'T happening to, ultimately decided it's healthy, or legal, or morally right, or attractive, or normal, are okay with it, the individual's consent, no matter if they're mentioned or not, ultimately isn't actually respected by these people, because it's not the real determining factor.
Again, especially the hypogonadic example, even people who are against AAS in every other circumstance, will suddenly be okay, because guess what, it was never about whatever it is they were yapping about to begin with. 'Trans men are just confused girls, they can't consent!' All of the sudden, consent doesn't matter when it's making the person normal. All of the sudden, AAS stops being toxic and dangerous, because it's normalising now.
('It's just cis men with body dysmorphia, they can be treated with therapy, unlike trans men!')
It's rooted in being anti-consent, no matter whether they use the word consent or not, even their definition of healthiness, danger, unacceptable side effects, etc. are based off their own idea of normal, with the person who would be taking this medication definition of normal not mattering, so like. consent over the details too, to determine things as the wish.
Like so many people with chronic pain. People will understand if it's anaesthetic for surgery or childbirth, because well, it hurts! But when it comes to chronic pain, arguable worse in that it's unending, and also, no reason it can't be just as bad as surgery, all of the sudden, pain isn't that bad, there's no reason to take such unhealthy medications for it. Whether any of these people want it or not, well, irrelevant, isn't it? Even if someone doesn't want sedatives, well, inject them anyways! It's what supposed to happen, it'll make them more compliant! The more the struggle, the more you oughta give them!
For some reason or another, they just decided it's too abnormal and wrong to take regular medication, I want to see them get lectured by aliens for their oxygen addiction, 'what do you mean, you need to constantly inhale a toxic and corrosive substance? And you'll die if you don't have it in you for even a couple of minutes? You were born like this? Sounds like an inborn addiction, stop killing your cells.'
(That's not just a joke btw, oxygen is useful, but the body also needs to fight against it constantly, otherwise... things start breaking. oxidative stress.)
Or God forbid, you need some medication to regulate your mind. Taking seizure medication, is okay of course, because it's 'healthy'. Coincidentally, seizures are unusual, can be discomforting to look at someone stop breathing or moving, or jerking and making weird noises. Totally has nothing to do with the impact this has on their mind, you know, the people witnessing this, not the epileptic person. But anxiety... well, maybe you can just talk them out of it? They should just get over it, there's no need for them to talk, or for you to... think such extreme measures as medication as necessary, because they can 'control it' 🤨 Sounds like this is a determination based on ease of the viewer, just concealed in ideas of ''''healthiness''''.
Maybe I'm not making a very good point, I just think it's problematic. No one really gives a shit about health or consent, they just pretend to, ultimately, any argument about whether someone should or shouldn't do some drug, whether it's healthy or not, that isn't 'whether they wants to take it or not' and instead... literally anything else, or even presumed consent ('you'll regret it if you don'it listen to me! You don't know what you're doing.' (Guess what? No one asked.)) is anti-consent, is just immoral.
So the point I'm trying to make, is fuck the idea of addiction and drugs!
Medications are drugs too, literally by the books, yet people don't want to call it that bc, God only knows, they needed a word for evil substances or some fuck, or maybe they just want to push the idea all healthcare is unnecessary (because normal people don't need it ^^^^^^^).
Being reliant on something? That's called being alive! God forbid people are reliant on n u t r i e n t s [pt: nutrients] to survive. Like oh yeah, you need to have this substance regularly in your body, in substantial quantities, or you'll literally start sweating, shaking, panicking, becoming irritated, poor memory, seizing, total organ failure, and just die? You know what that substance is? Glucose. That's the word you're looking for. That's the extreme addiction withdrawal symptoms that plague everyone.
Like,, those aren't bad things, and if you want to find some usefulness in these words, define them for yourself, instead of what others want to define it as.
I'm just saying, if you wouldn't tell me to just live with unmedicated surgery, you shouldn't tell yourself to live with unmedicated chronic pain. That's just not fair or sensical, it's literally the same thing. Same with mental issues, if you wouldn't tell me to stop being a druggie, and drop all those harmful medications that... decrease my seizures, and other mental issues, then why you, right? You still have cognitive/mental issues too right?
I don't know anything about those medications, actually, so I can't say anything there, but it isn't really relevant either. If it helps you, if you want these effects, or if you just, plain decide this is what you want to take, then you should take it. Society and their 'drugs are bad!!!!' anti-consent attitude be damned.
(Not that this was mentioned, but I just want to say, obviously you shouldn't take drugs you don't want either, regardless of how healthy and correct, society, doctors, governments, friends, family, whatever the fuck say it is.)