CRIMINALIZING DRUGS FURTHER HARMS USERS

USA TODAY reader Mel Maurer makes the classic case made by all
''believers'' in addiction (''Addiction healing is key in Downey case,''
Letters, Monday).

Maurer feels sorry because he mistakenly thinks actor Robert Downey Jr. is
suffering from a weak will. What if the reverse were true?

I think Downey is of extremely strong will -- so strong that he chooses to
use drugs no matter what. He must have an iron will since drug taking is
volitional, and the theory of addiction never has been proved. Drug taking
is a vice -- not a crime or a medical disorder.

Helping people who don't want help at the point of a gun is called
persecution. If a man wants to take poison, that is no business of the
state. The state has no business ''saving'' people from themselves.

What if we just leave Downey and millions of other drug users alone?

Harming people such as Downey by giving them a criminal record in the name
of helping them with a drug problem is perverse.

Chris Buors

Winnipeg, Manitoba
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SELF-DESTRUCTIVE AVOIDANCE

No matter whether someone is a celebrity, drugs are a pervasive and
self-destructive attempt to avoid pain and coping with life (''The long,
slow slide of Robert Downey Jr.: Hollywood is too much for actor, uncle
says,'' Cover Story, Life, Nov. 29).

Whether it be Robert Downey Jr., who receives high-profile media coverage
or a single mother who stands to lose her kids, drugs become a way of life
for many reasons far too complicated to list in an article or letter to the
editor.

As a professional working with people with drug problems, I find a common
theme in so many who struggle is that the reality of living comes up
against wounds -- sometimes from childhood -- that never heal. Feelings are
buried and drugs keep the truth hidden, the pain is undiscovered and left
to fester for weeks, months and even years.

Sobriety is not a safe place to be: It is raw, lonely and unforgiving. It
isn't surprising Downey and millions of others find themselves back where
they started. Without good care and compassion for the treacherous road to
wellness -- it is almost inevitable.

May Downey's story open the doors and windows to the silent pain of many.

Ingrid Middleton

Salt Lake City, Utah