Poll: Need Your opinion on former drug users

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I see everyone as they are and have been in my past. It doesn't matter if someone used drugs or not: if they're good people now, I treat them as such and if they are scum I treat them as such.

Edit: if they are just becoming clean, I am inclined to accept a bit more of being not quite nice because I imagine it is far harder than fasting and PMS and I know how bad that is.

I voted for "no opinion, take individual for who he/she is".
It's not (my stance) just one answer, a blanket policy.
It's about how the particular habit, choice of chemical/substance, interacted with who the individual was & is.

People who are zealously, stridently anything (for or against) tend to make me uncomfortable (of course there are exceptions). I'm not against drinking, but I currently happen not to enjoy it a whole lot, yet 15 years ago I drank regularly, even to excess. And no, I didn't have anything to do with a 12-step program, I just switched addictions & now am actually satisfied with how things are for me in that respect.

Am more tolerant of things I've done myself, I admit. People who've done things I've chosen not to ever try make me more nervous & wary, I suppose. I also make clear which things I'm pretty hardline about-as in, don't show up (or call) me when/if you're "hopped up on" this or that drug-and I explain which things I'm rather lax about & don't consider a big deal.

So, I'm perhaps a moderate, technically-I make distinctions between things I'm more or less okay with. Also, so long as someone isn't prosletyzing (sp?) in my face (as if it's their place to judge my choices), I'm okay with people who've renounced certain things-but I'm not ascetic/abstemious myself-so that person might not be willing/able to tolerate me.

My take on issue is similar to my feelings about people with criminal records-it does not automatically make you bad in my mind. There are plenty of folks who do bad things & no one ever finds out (thus, they'd appear to be fine, upstanding citizens-yet that might not be true). At least if someone's upfront about their vulnerabilities (and/or past mistakes & learning experiences), he/she may seem more trustworthy than those who pretend to be without fault.

took last one it bothers me because if this person starts using again i migth be in danger to start too...anyway its cool if they have been clean for while

Interesting that you mention this. I've also seen the slimy underbelly of society in my druggie days (God, have I...), and like you said, there were people, places and situations that occurred that struck me as incredibly beautiful and full of grace in this weird, tragic way and the smallest things were fraught with meaning. Could have been the dope-colored lens I was looking through, but...

Very good point. I hadn't thought about this. One might figure that if someone is honest enough to tell you/me/anyone else that they have a drug/alcohol-abuse past that the person would be respected for being upfront and honest. Like you said, I would have far more respect/trust for someone who tells me if they have a felony or similar mistake in their past than I would have if I found out about it on my own. I still might not discard that person anyway, because I could understand why they might try to hide it, but at the same time, my trust level for them would be greatly diminished.

Excellent posts, everyone! Thanks for taking the time to respond

JKC

Agreed - another good point. In my case, I had to move clear over on the other side of the continent to get away from people I knew in order to stay clean/sober. I don't hang around or associate with active users, and being as it 'Takes one to know one," I can tell right away whenever I meet someone (in real life) if they are currently using. There are always signs, no matter how subtle. I can't read facial expressions very well, but oddly enough, I can tell by body language if someone's using or just now recuperating from it.