The article “Embraced by the Needle,” written by Gabor Maté, is about the reasoning behind drug addictions. In this article, Maté describes how drug addictions can result from various situations and backgrounds. One thing that is common between all addictions is that they “always originate in unhappiness, even if hidden” (Maté, 2016, pp. 506). The article describes how addictions can derive from neglect during childhood; or, it could develop from a loving home with the burden of stress and depression. Most women and some males in Canada’s addiction capital, the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, have suffered sexual assault in their childhood (Maté, 2016). Abuse and abandonment also have a severe influence on the possibility of drug use in one’s
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Maté makes very good points and provides excellent rationales about his thoughts. A question that Maté could be asked about his patients is, “about how many of them also had a mental illness along with their addiction?” The one thing that was confusing in the article was Maté’s explanation of the stress some parents endure, which causes them to not fully nurture their child. Maté describes how parents carry the stress of their own childhood histories that caused them emotional damage that they have never became conscious of (Maté, 2016). I wish Maté would have included some examples after discussing this idea because it would have helped his thoughts be more understandable. It was surprising to read that no drug is addictive; instead, drug addictions only develop from chemical and emotional vulnerability due to past life experiences. All my life I have been told that drugs are highly addictive; but after reading this essay, I now know that addiction relates to the type of person consuming the drug. This essay taught me to not judge anyone who may have a drug addiction. I cannot stereotype these people about the type of past they have lived. Instead, I must understand that these people have issues with their past that they need to deal with to conquer their addiction. Drug addicts must not be judged for who they are and what their past looks like; instead, these people should be helped and encouraged to move on from the past. I do not have any personal experiences connected to this essay, but I do know someone who can relate. One of my close friends has had a rough childhood. Her mother is on welfare and she has not been able to finish high school. I know that she has tried many drugs and continues to use certain drugs every day. My friend has used these drugs as a coping mechanism. Her mother does provide a lot of love and support to her, and that is
Maté makes very good points and provides excellent rationales about his thoughts. A question that Maté could be asked about his patients is, “about how many of them also had a mental illness along with their addiction?” The one thing that was confusing in the article was Maté’s explanation of the stress some parents endure, which causes them to not fully nurture their child. Maté describes how parents carry the stress of their own childhood histories that caused them emotional damage that they have never became conscious of (Maté, 2016). I wish Maté would have included some examples after discussing this idea because it would have helped his thoughts be more understandable. It was surprising to read that no drug is addictive; instead, drug addictions only develop from chemical and emotional vulnerability due to past life experiences. All my life I have been told that drugs are highly addictive; but after reading this essay, I now know that addiction relates to the type of person consuming the drug. This essay taught me to not judge anyone who may have a drug addiction. I cannot stereotype these people about the type of past they have lived. Instead, I must understand that these people have issues with their past that they need to deal with to conquer their addiction. Drug addicts must not be judged for who they are and what their past looks like; instead, these people should be helped and encouraged to move on from the past. I do not have any personal experiences connected to this essay, but I do know someone who can relate. One of my close friends has had a rough childhood. Her mother is on welfare and she has not been able to finish high school. I know that she has tried many drugs and continues to use certain drugs every day. My friend has used these drugs as a coping mechanism. Her mother does provide a lot of love and support to her, and that is