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Ben Carson was asked about the "human side" of drug addiction and he had this to say:
"There are all kinds of addictions and addictions occur in people who are vulnerable who are lacking something in their lives, so we really have to start asking ourselves what have we taken outside of our lives in America? What are some of those values and principles that allowed us to ascend the ladder of success so rapidly to the pinnacle of the world and the highest pinnacle anyone else had ever reached, and why are we throwing away all of our values and principles for the sake of political correctness?"
I still say that one day shortly Uncle Ben is going to reach up under his chin and pull the zipper and the costume is going to fall off and Sarah is going to step out and say "Gotcha!".
As a recovering addict (alcohol was my drug of choice), I can assure you that this man doesn't have a clue in Dallas what he is talking about. When they ask him trick questions like these and he doesn't have an answer prepared in advance his adrenalin kicks in and he goes into defense mode, and whatever comes up comes out. Maybe at the next debate they can furnish an interpreter.
I would think that any competent brain surgeon would be well versed in the workings of the brain (duh) and be able to tell you that various areas of it respond to different stimuli, and that in some people there are no "limit switches" that suppress a tendency towards addiction. He would know that one drugs like cocaine act on the same receptors as nicotine, and that repeated use of a substance dulls the receptors so that it takes ever increasing amounts of the substance to get to the same pleasure point that a small dose achieved initially.
The first time someone prone to addiction uses an addictive substance, be it cocaine, heroin, oxycontin, percodan, nicotine, or alcohol the body changes and there is a feeling of pleasure, and they will look forward to feeling the same way again. As the dosage and frequency of use increase, the "crash" from the drug's effects wearing off becomes more pronounced, until a point is reached where there is actual physical pain associated with withdrawal from the drug. When this point is reached the addict doesn't want to get high any more, all he wants to do is avoid the pain of withdrawal and use enough of the drug of choice to "maintain" so that he can function.
Heroin users have an easier time maintaining than alcoholics, because of the speed at which the drug works in the body. If after a small dose there is still pain, another small amount can be used to reach equilibrium. Alcohol is absorbed slowly. The alcoholic, like the heroin junkie, doses himself repeatedly trying to hit the balance point, but by the time the first drink is felt he has already had too many and ends up drunk without wanting to be. That is why you can have a physician who is addicted to opiates and has a ready supply who can function normally during working hours, but someone who is addicted to alcohol cannot perform well at his job.
My two cents. Carson should have known the answer off the top of his head and been honest about it rather than trying to create a political issue out of a medical problem. If he didn't know the correct answer it is truly frightening that he was ever allowed to crack a skull.
Ben Carson was asked about the "human side" of drug addiction and he had this to say:
"There are all kinds of addictions and addictions occur in people who are vulnerable who are lacking something in their lives, so we really have to start asking ourselves what have we taken outside of our lives in America? What are some of those values and principles that allowed us to ascend the ladder of success so rapidly to the pinnacle of the world and the highest pinnacle anyone else had ever reached, and why are we throwing away all of our values and principles for the sake of political correctness?"
Can anyone explain what he is saying in layman's terms? Is drug addiction caused by political correctness?
Thought he was making sense until he started talking about ascending the ladder.
All of this Carson talk is meaningless. He's not qualified to be POTUS even if he made sense in this statement, even if he was offered an ROTC scholarship or West Point admittance, even if he didn't lie about the circumstances of the MLK riot or the hammer incident.
Several of these GOP candidates (Trump, Fiorina, Carson) have never governed and it's really unfair to the American people to have them hired into a job that takes governing experience.
It makes sense to me. On all of the addictions, we are supposed to be "pc" about it which seems to be just have sympathy and to further enable the addicts. That has not worked. Just as he said, the study came out and discussed here at C-D, shows suicide rates up in "middle aged" Americans and much, if not most, was attributed to drug use, both legal and illegal.
Note that drugs flow easily through the southern border. Illegals often earn their passage by transporting in illegal drugs. As we know, a lot of these illegal drugs end up in the hands of children who think they are "cool" engaging in the use of them.
It makes sense to me. On all of the addictions, we are supposed to be "pc" about it which seems to be just have sympathy and to further enable the addicts. That has not worked. Just as he said, the study came out and discussed here at C-D, shows suicide rates up in "middle aged" Americans and much, if not most, was attributed to drug use, both legal and illegal.
Note that drugs flow easily through the southern border. Illegals often earn their passage by transporting in illegal drugs. As we know, a lot of these illegal drugs end up in the hands of children who think they are "cool" engaging in the use of them.
I do, however, believe that this problem can be gotten ahead of.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UB50
Ben Carson was asked about the "human side" of drug addiction and he had this to say:
"There are all kinds of addictions and addictions occur in people who are vulnerable who are lacking something in their lives, so we really have to start asking ourselves what have we taken outside of our lives in America? What are some of those values and principles that allowed us to ascend the ladder of success so rapidly to the pinnacle of the world and the highest pinnacle anyone else had ever reached, and why are we throwing away all of our values and principles for the sake of political correctness?"
It makes sense to me. On all of the addictions, we are supposed to be "pc" about it which seems to be just have sympathy and to further enable the addicts.(
nope.
catch the last 10 minutes of any "intervention" episode. that's when the family/friends/loved ones go into the specific actions they will take not to further enable the addict.
I'm sorry but these are the two dumbest statements about drug addiction that I have ever heard.
You might want to take a gander at Chris Christie's drug talk last week. He made some actual sense with an actual solution proposed.
why does the Federal gov't think it needs to stick its nose in my personal addiction business? thought rightwingers wanted a less intrusive government......where in the Constitution does it say the Federal Gov't has any business with my addiction to whatever it may be? Nanny state?
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