People have been destroying themselves with alcohol and drugs since time immemorial. If you think big government can save them (or us) by force, you’re sadly mistaken, as Prohibition proved.
I don’t have the perfect answer, but I do know what doesn’t work.
I was complaining about the actions of government, not promoting it. If the care and feeding of the indigent-through-their-own-fault was not stolen from me and redistributed to them, then no problem. BEHAVIORS (drug and alcohol abuse, AIDS spreading activities, etc.) being treated as diseases by government picks my pocket, and yours as well.
To rephrase an old saying, millions for charity freely given; not a penny for charity stolen.*
*Millions for defense, not one cent for tribute.