I think that people who have never done drugs or drink or smoke are are just normal people...?

should not be with people who are screwed up by alcohol, drugs and smoking don't you think? As for dysfunctionality, if they have bee aware of what is making them dysfunctional, like was abused as a child but if they are aware of it and don't continue doing it to others as grown up and have a good head on their shoulders...then it's ok right? what do u think? because it's hard for a person who grew up normal to be with screwed up people right?

i hate smokers, thats unsafe for my own health to be near them i think that ppl who stay away from smoking are makin a smart choice and stupid stoners/drug users in school i hate them too... theyre annoyin and drinkin is okay but not if youre an alcoholic thats screwed up

and so are the other ppl answerin this that are bashin you because of your opinion theyre stupid

all the people who were mean are probably geeks trying to sound like "big kids" or "kewl" as they would say...wow they suck and have no friends Report It

Are you the example?

I don't drink and have never smoked and I'm normal! I don't condem people who drink socially, but have a problem with drug abuse and alcohol abuse!

no i dont ..
i dont drink often ... but i have
i dont do drugs ,, but ive experimented when i was younger .
i do smoke ,,, are you saying im screwed up for that ??
you have alot of growin up to do !
just because others may do things you dont approve of dose not make them bad people ...
with that mindset your gonna have a lonely life dear heart .

Yes, I agree...you are right! But, it is not easy for you to think that they are aware of what happened to them when they were young, so they should stop the cycle and not do it to others. It's not that simple. They are mentally disturbed. They need help. They need counseling. And, some, even with therapy will never change. Molesters, abusers...some will always be dangerous to society. Some use the excuse of the background, but honestly, they choose to behave that way, and enjoy it.

There are wicked people on the earth who choose to be wicked.

Does a drug and alcohol counsellor or a mental health doctor need to be a drug addict or suffer mental health problems to effectively treat their patients?

NO

It may give them personal insight but it is not necessary.

Does a doctor treating a patient with a gunshot wound to the head need to be himself shot in the head to perform the operation?

Sorry...but things just aren't so black and white. There are a lot of shades of gray. Also, people go through phases in their lives where they do things they later regret or grow out of. Your question is much too simplistic.

It sounds like to me that u are being a little judgemental. Regardless of how one is raised or what happened to them in their life, sometimes people just fall victims to drug and alcohol abuse. If they are rich, poor, black, white, tall or midget, it just happens. You should separate yourself from them if they are not willing to get treatment, and support them when they do. This is a mental illness, and if they are not willing to get treated for it then, and only then should you leave them to their mess that they are creating for themselves, but please dont judge, because u never know, it could be u.

Normal people are those who drink, smoke and sometimes do drugs, It's not your case I suppose. I drink and smoke from time to time but don't do drugs and that make me a normal person . Then The weird person here is you.

Not really. I've seen plenty of people who had so-called "normal" upbringings, who went off the deep end. And lots of folks who grew up in real poverty in a totally screwed-up family (myself for example) who never did drugs and pretty much followed the straight and narrow. Why did I survive these almost six decades and many people I knew committed a slow suicide by injesting junk? That's a big mystery. Maybe it's because if kids grow up sheltered they can't wait to break out. Get crazy. Experiment. On the other hand, kids who grow up in a violent home (myself again) just dream about being on their own and having some peace and not bothering anybody. And as far as abuse goes, sexual or otherwise, I would argue that's it's a huge myth that kids who have been abused grow up to abuse others. This happens far less than you would think. Most kids who have been abused become introverts. They just want to be left alone. They are not social types. They just withdraw into themselves. They are inherently no more violent than any other group. And it goes without saying that if you don't put drugs in your body you shouldn't hang around with knuckleheads who do. They'll just reach out and drag you down.

in today's times, people who turn to drugs and alcohol are thought to be self-medicating past pain and despair... the root of each pain might seem different in content but I do believe that when folks are raised as they needed to be raised (with each child's emotional needs being met appropriately) the result is reasonably capable and adjusted individual... when they are not met, the pain becomes intolerable... the drugs and alcohol mask the pain, mask the symptoms of despair... do they fix anything? of course not - just a momentary reprieve from the suffering... and when the haze wears off, back to the blunt, take another swig, yanno?

when you feel worthless, when you feel unloved, when you are abused, when you are made to feel less-than, when you are disregarded, when you are hungry, when you are not understood, when you are stripped of your self-esteem, the very sense of yourself disappears and its painful.... people go to docs to get pills for their pain and that's perfectly acceptable (IMHO those meds are worse for the body and mind than pot and liquor - read the literature)

I think that compassion is in order... not saying you need to surround yourself with people who are disruptive or rude... but "there but for the grace", yanno? appreciate that you are able to function to a reliable capacity... never take it for granted... and perhaps reach out and share some of your strength with someone who is struggling...

when we choose to exclude, we are perpetuating the problem... be as kind to all those you encounter along your path with kindness and respect and appreciation that they are doing the best they can for themselves

I don't believe most folks drink and drug for any other reason than masking pain... it gets out of hand real quick and creates more problems than the original pain perhaps... addiction, societal alienation

sure there are those that experiment, like the high and get caught up even if they WERE raised well... addiction is the price one pays not using insight and practicing control... those are folks I don't hang with much because their attitude to life stinks... not cause they are addicted

we are learning today to look at people who struggle with mental health issues through different eyes... helping them use their inner strengths to face their demons and traumas and come through on the other side stronger for it... it's been a long time coming, but we are finally starting to understand how to help people who feel hopeless and helpless... paralyzed by despair...
knowing what the problem is doesn't mean you know how to fix it and abstaining alone isn't the answer... the pain needs to be dealt with effectively (and it can) for the person not to return to old habits

another reason not to be exclusionary... you will be missing out on some of the most innovative, creative, sensitive folks in the world

welcome diversity.... don't run from it

I wish you well on your path.........

You are way off on your assumptions of normalcy. I was raised by both parents, have a loving and supportive family and was on the honor roll throughout school. I'm 30 now and I smoke cigarettes, pot and drink socially. I also know several professionals who do the same and I associate with others who do not indulge but are fully aware of what I do.

Drugs and alcohol are not limited to people who have grown up in dysfunctional families or persons with mental health issues.

If you are the poster child for normal, I'd really hate to see your version of "screwed up". Go work on your theories, they have just been disproven.

Your 1st premise is off. People who do not drink, drug, or smoke, do not overeat or compulsively gamble, or seem to have no other addiction habits are mentally and emotionally healthier than the rest of us.. Meaning they are more than normal. Healthy people do not want to escape reality or commit slow suicide. They don't want or need artificial stimulation to feel good. We are all dysfunctional people to some degree. Some of us are sicker than others
It really makes no difference whether healthy people are around others who are not, as long as they are around others who are reasonably healthy most of the time. They are good examples for those of us more dysfunctional and trying to get better. We need them as role models..
I speak as one of the more dysfunctional ones; I'm a recovering alcoholic, have an addictive personality, smoking past the point of having COPD, and am not all there some of the time.( Waddayamean, SOME of the time, Robert? !! ")
By the way. Your grammar could use some improvement, but it is a good question. Did I also mentionn I am something of a perfectionist?

This kind of question is asked in some way by all young people. It's one of the traditional issues we chose in our youth to think about, to talk about. We are all shocked at first by how many different kinds and groups of people are out there. People are VERY shocking. And, YOU"RE shocking to THEM. And, we're ALLl shocked. For awhile. But, we all tend to eventually learn that there really isn't any "KIND" of people or "GROUP" of people. As it turns out, we are each and every one of us humans absolutely different from each other. To someone who asked that kind of question, I would answer: On one hand, we can spend our lives dividing humanity into imaginary clusters. We could devote our entire lives finding and ferreting out every miniscule difference that we could possibly find between us and the rest of humanity. And, THEN, we could hate each other and hurt each other and punish each other and kill each other and enslave each other and nuke each other over every single one of those differences until the end of time. OR, on the other hand, we can chose to focus on OURSELVES. Remember what I said. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US IS DIFFERENT. That means, this trip through life, youngster, is about finding out YOUR differences, and then sharing them with the world. We call that, " self-expression". BUT, when we've lived a little, learned a lot, met a million different, wonderful fellow humans, we grow "wiser". And, when we then share our wisdom with the world, we call that " art". Your "art" belongs ONLY to you. That's what we're supposed to be doing, is not find difference between us but to share our own uniquesness in a beautiful way with the rest of humanity through our art. Personally, I would chose a piano recital over having to lob a nuke at you someday because you're not a high and mighty superior Level 5 yamster like mois.