It is, Crowsister, and I understand what you're saying. I am far more comfortable with the idea of long-term contraception than I am with sterilisation.

I think it's fair to say that *some* users can and do live perfectly stable lives if their habits can be managed, but individuals react differently. Knowing the chaos that my father's alcoholism brought into our lives, I can see how the de-stabilisation of family life has long-term repercussions. And I was lucky, because I had my grandmother and extended family - the impact could have been far more damaging if I hadn't had a safe route out of the situation when I needed it. Drug addiction often causes chaos, whether or not the drug of choice is legal or readily available. Drugs like crack make the user live for the drug. I knew someone many years ago whose crack addiction had done enormous damage to her young son and to her future relationship with him, but she resorted to neither prostitution nor crime, as her family was well off and they looked after her financially. Even if a drug addict can "manage" their habit, it is not not going to mean they are a fit parent, because their first priority is the high and not their child.