Hi, I just wanna like... Mention your reblog to the nasty addicts thing, I am pretty sure given the context of it that it wasn't talking about cleanliness or anything like it. Nasty is very, very frequently used as a synonym for irritable or grumpy at least in NA. Like a "nasty attitude" kind of thing. It seems to be all about accepting people who aren't actually happy go lucky about and with their situation like society expects them to be when you look at the entire post, it's basically entirely about folks who aren't doing the "socially accepted" thing, not really about hygiene or negative stereotypes.
Here's the thing, I've been on both sides, dysfunction, and functional, at different times in my life, and it isn't even a linear progression, sometimes I was functional, other times I wasn't. Let's get some things out of the way.
1. NA is a religious institution that preys on people with SUD, there's plenty of people who have blown the whistle on this, but for some reason, people either a. Don't care, or B. Just won't listen to us when we try to get that straight.
Why am I addressing that? I'm addressing that, because NA and AA, both, kill people.
Their methods are not only janky, pseudoscience, they get people killed, letting them dictate the conversation on how people refer to us, is horrible, but they've taken the last 100 years or so (AA) and the last 60 ( NA) to weave their way into pop culture, and the courts. ( I'm currently mandated into an AA program through my local court, I've been in and out of these programs since I was 17)
It isn't helpful, at all, to refer to anyone with SUD ( substance use disorder) in derogatory terms, that isn't liberation, I never said the post was meant to be harmful, truth is most people who do want to fight for us, have absolutely no idea where the conversation is on our rights, and on how to advance the cause.
It is detrimental, hell the word " addict" is detrimental, the proper term is PWSUD or " person with substance use disorder" this is where the forefront of activists in addiction, are at on language referring to us.
We deserve dignity, furthering stereotypes about us, just isn't dignity.
Yeah, some of us aren't functional, but using derogatory language to throw that in their face when you're trying to help, and mean well, is just detrimental.
When it comes to us, and I'm not saying you're doing this, it feels like non addicts, truly get so fucking pissed off, when we just ask for an ounce of respect.
You'd give that respect to other people, so why not give it to us? We are one of the most heavily mocked, propagandized, demonized, groups in the country, one of the only mental disorders it's still acceptable to absolutely make the butt of a joke, it isn't a joke, most all of my friends are
Dead
And I think, honestly I think, they deserve respect, because yeah, they died " nasty" but that doesn't mean that's how they should be talked about.
I'm not coming from a place of offense because im just oh so functional, it's upsetting because I know how I felt about people talking like that about ME, about my FRIENDS I know how they fucking felt about it.
We shouldn't have to feel shame even around people who claim to give a fuck, it's that simple! Genuinely!
You seem to mean well, so I'd recommend you check out " recovery rebellion with Tara" it's a podcast, but Tara does tiktok and YouTube to, talking about addiction topics, and also, talking about exactly how detrimental shit like NA and AA is to people like us, these organizations are at best pushy evangelical groups who, by the way, have fought and given testimony to keep people in carceral slavery ( to boost their fucking memberships, as they have partnerships with the courts....) to at worst, cults that encourage people not to take mental health medication ( lithium, Seroquel, and other antipsychotic medications, I lost a friend due to this after police killed them in psychosis because they went cold turkey..) these organizations are NOT more than successful than people getting clean on their own, and overall encourage severe harm to addicts
Some people DO get sober in those meetings, and oftentimes it's because they just replace their addiction with Jesus, which is fine if it works for them, but it goes so far beyond that... Ive lost to many loved ones, and friends, not only to the drugs themselves, but to the abuse suffered by these groups.
These groups, as part of my step work ( cw Sex assault mention) told me to forgive not only my stepdad who assaulted me from 5-10 years old, to hug him and make up with him ( this was my first sponsor who did this) but also to forgive and make ammends with how it was my fault, how I had a part in that happening to me..
And it isn't just THAT group either, I've had every sponsor I ever tried 55 in total, for an anecdote that's a pretty massive sample size) tell me some variation of this idea, causing me to relive those traumas, Blame myself, and ultimately relapse because of the distress caused while I was in an extremely fragile state ( under six months clean and unmedicated because they told me i wasn't fucking clean if I took my lithium or abilify)
I'm sober two years as of yesterday. And that's because I cut ties with that organization out of my court obligation, and followed a different path, what saved my life was actually trusting science, and doctors, and not a pseudoscience cult.
So please. Please. Please.
Stop, using what they've set the conversation on, as a way to discredit those of us who deal with this. They aren't an authority on addicts, period. Listen to the actual doctors and scientists, and advocates, who work to help people like me....
If you really care, about this issue, listen to the people who are actually affected by it, it's that simple.
