March Madness for Drugs vs. Alcohol

March Madness for Drugs vs. Alcohol

You can find every possible permutation of a March Madness playoff bracket this week, including one on Jezebel called Drugs vs. Alcohol. Yes, 64 teams, drugs vs. alcohol, broken down into illegal and legal drugs and hard alcohol and soft stuff. With appropriate seedings—what’s the likelihood No. 16 Smirnoff Ice can upset No. 1 champagne?

Sure, it’s cute, it’s funny. To a point. Is it worth getting worked up over? Maybe not. But seeing everything laid out like that is alarming enough. My first reaction was surprise that they came up with 64 types of drugs and alcohol to fill out the bracket, but there are some ringers in there like Advil and Tylenol.

Yes, most of those substances can be fine in a single dose. One person can use one of those drugs every day without a problem, while another person becomes addicted.

I was trying to decide if this was worth the energy. Be indignant, call it making light of a serious situation, which it is. Luckily, the Jezebel commenters have started that conversation themselves. A lot of it comes down to ‘yes, it’s fun and it’s not a problem for a lot of people, but still rooting for heroin or anything else just seems wrong.’

That’s a heartening conversation to see taking place. It’s one I think more people are willing to have in public, or at least, I hope they are.

Finding the line between cute and poor taste is always hard, and many people cross it. It’s especially tough in recovery, when you are just relearning where the lines are. What do you spend your energy on? Making this a teachable moment? Enjoying the fun of it, while not relating at all to what the drugs mean? You don’t want to think about the times you made the choice or didn’t between gin and rum,  molly and meth or drugs and everything good in your life.

If you have expertise with too many of those substances, Recovery Connection can help. We can find the right drug or alcohol rehab for you. Call us any time at 866-812-8231 for help.