How to Normalize Substance Use

People will normalize their substance use by affiliating and hanging out with other people who use semilally and also in heavy amounts. "I see lots of college kids with serious substance use problems who will say well I don't you know I drink the same amount as everybody else" It was a moment of intense shame that I experienced realizing oh my goodness I had no idea she was using any drugs at all much less that she was addicted to heroin he said yeah she's upstairs right now using her rig I didn't even know what a rig was."