Substance abuse is arguably one of the longest running diseases in the world. George and Martha Washington grew - and probably smoked - marijuana without a second thought. Early pharmacies made codeine, opium and morphine readily available for people who suffered even those most mild headaches. Coca-Cola used to put cocaine in their soft drink with the ease of adding sugar. These products were all easily obtained and consumed by normal, law-abiding citizens. Whereas now, those same drugs are highly illegal and use or possession of them is punishable by jail-time. Consumers of these drugs are looked down upon by society and, with the exception of the few, are seen as only "drug users"; their personalities, social status and education are ignored. Somehow, the drug that causes more social problems than any other, alcohol, is legal. So, alcohol is seen as almost socially expected while other substances, which have been used both recreationally and medically for hundreds of years, now are said to cause social problems.
Alcoholism is most common in the least expected area. Many would like to believe that people in poverty and the homeless account for most of the alcoholics. That assumption is very wrong. More "upper class" people are alcoholics than any other group. Is this in itself a social problem? You bet. These are the people you trust to get you custody of your kids, the people who prepare your taxes, and the people who can bail themselves out of jail with little difficulty. Needless to say, that's not the most reassuring thing someone can hear. However, there are ways to get help. .
Alcoholic's Anonymous (AA) was founded to help people with alcohol problems. And it's spreading. Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Marijuana Anonymous and countless others have been developed to treat people and their addictions. The program focuses on building the self-esteem of the addict and living "one day at a time".