I knew that, materially speaking, this South Bronx man didn't have much going for him. But he did have access to drugs. I'll never forget the vivid image he used to explain what drugs did for him. He told me that when he got high on drugs it was like having an orgasm in every cell of his body at the same time. We need to acknowledge the overpowering seductiveness of drugs.
Some drugs seem to directly stimulate pleasure centers in the brain.
The ecstasy that results can be overwhelming. Having experienced such exaltation, all one can think of is the next high. We need to give the devil its due, to know the enemy. We need to understand that drugs are so dangerous precisely because they are so good at what they do, at providing a shortcut to intense physical pleasure. But pleasure is not happiness.