Well this pisses me off.... it’s amusing that parts of
society have no clue how offensive they’re being. I would love to know what
this designer is trying to say but alas I can only guess. Most likely this
glorification of prescription drugs wasn’t a message directed towards people
like me. These shirts appeal to so many young people because they don’t know
how to say “Fuck you” to society. The shirts say, “This is my body, I’ll do
what I want with it. No one can tell me what to do.” It must make people feel
cool to ignore the impact they have on others. No one messes with the kid who
sells pills. The kind of person who would wear this shirt most likely believes
this argument makes them more grown up-more respected by his or her peers.
These shirts even argue that teens are so ignorant they will
spend fifty bucks for a t-shirt to fit in with the cool crowd. Put some
controversial crap on clothing and it will sell like crazy.
But what these shirts say to me is something completely
different… I’ll come right out and say it, I’ve been addicted to pain medicine.
After three ACL/Meniscus surgeries you learn to like the stuff too much. Having
Major Depressive Disorder probably doesn’t help either… Vicodin isn’t something
to mess around with. It may look cool when on the back of a T-shirt but when
withdrawal has you shaking, vomiting, and experiencing extreme anxiety attacks
it’s more like hell and looks a lot less “edgy.”
My ADHD prevents me from learning at the same rate as my
peers. People abuse the medicine I need in order to function. Adderall is not
just a substitute for caffeine. Adderall is a legitimate psychiatric drug
designed to keep my wandering mind clear and focused.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is real. I have been diagnosed
with GAD and panic attacks so yeah I have to take benzos similar to Xanax.
To me these shirts marginalize my situation. When adults see
these shirts, some immediately associate the use of prescription drugs to bad
behavior. They see ME as a “bad kid.” Because of these shirts, (and other
portrayals in the media) other adults think that there are no legitimate uses
for these drugs-that disorders of the mind do not even exist. These shirts make
drugs cool by implying that deep and interesting people have mental health issues.
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