A few weeks ago, I traveled to Philadelphia, which is nothing new to me. I’m used to the busy streets, the frequent car honks, and the bustling city life. However, this trip was much different than the hundreds of other times I’ve been to Philly.

During my visit to Philly a few weeks ago, I experienced something traumatic on the PATCO. It was sad, it was scary, and it was heartbreaking, and it dealt with someone who was under the influence of drugs. I don’t want to go through the details of the scenario, but what disturbed me the most wasn’t the condition of the man, but it was the way people treated him.

I get it, and I understand — drugs are bad, and we should stay away from them at all costs. This idea has been drilled into our heads since we were children in elementary school, learning about the consequences of using substances. I understand that drugs are bad and we should stay away from them, but what bothers me the most is how people treat those addicted to these substances. 

During the scenario I experienced in Philadelphia, I couldn’t help but notice how people belittled the obviously struggling man. Instead of helping him and being a helping hand to a struggling individual, they not only chose to ignore him, but to be openly rude and disrespectful to the man. 

There is a stigma around people who are addicted to drugs. I think there is a stigma that they are bad people who ruined their lives, and because of that, they deserve to be treated poorly. At the end of the day, this is simply not true, and it is heartbreaking to see how badly people treat those addicted to drugs. 

How I see it is that that person is someone’s son or daughter. Addiction often begins with a choice, but it is not a choice to be addicted.  They didn’t choose to be reliant on a substance. It is someone who made a poor decision. It is someone who made a mistake and fell into an addiction.

Addiction isn’t just the choice to keep using substances. Addiction, more specifically, substance addiction, is a reliance. According to the Cleveland Clinic, during an addiction, people experience a dopamine increase when they use drugs, which causes them to feel a surge of pleasure. This, partnered with the fact that these substances can change brain chemistry, shows that addiction isn’t a choice, but a pattern that is extremely difficult to break out of. 

Sadly, addiction is all around us, even on college campuses. Everywhere you look, there is someone with a vape in their mouth or a ZYN pack in their pocket. While these addictions may not seem as serious, they are still addictions. 

And unfortunately, there are many addictions on our campus that are more serious than just nicotine. We live in a time where college students glamorize party culture. That party culture makes hard drug use and the abuse of alcohol seem cool and fun. Even though we might not want to admit it, the glamorization of hard drug use and alcohol abuse is on our campus.

Luckily for students, Rowan has resources for drug and alcohol abuse for students if they ever need them. Students in need can contact Bob Logan at the Wellness Center or consult the link to resources Rowan provides on their website. 

I don’t want this article to turn into a PSA about staying away from drugs, but instead a reminder to see the humans behind the addiction. The people struggling aren’t these big bad drug dealers or terrible people who harm our society. They are people just like us. They have families, and they have stories, even if they have made a mistake. Haven’t we all?

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