If you were walking down the street, would you know who was an addict as you walked past them? You may think that would be an easy task - the homeless man begging on the street? The drunk on the park bench? That group of kids with the dyed hair? The truth is, you just can't tell. Did you think about the stressed out mother who receives regular prescriptions of Valium? What about the pensioner who takes Codeine every day? Or even the Businessman who snorts Cocaine just to get through the long stressful day? Did you consider that? Chances are, you didn't. You cannot tell an addict from the way someone looks, their age or their personal circumstances. We are all addicts in one form or another. Do you smoke? Do you have to have a cup of strong coffee in the morning before you feel human? Though you don't break the law when you take them, they are still drugs.
Many people believe that addicts are simply weak people who have some sort of moral failing. Addicts are neither bad nor weak people. They are just people who cannot live in their own reality without the use of drugs or alcohol. Once again, this does not make them weak people. Do you know what their reality is? Maybe they were abused as a child. Maybe they were subjected to mental cruelty? However, not every addict has been the victim of abuse and not every victim of abuse becomes an addict, there are as many reasons as there are addicts. Whatever the reason, it is safe to say that they hate themselves enough to want to kill themselves slowly on a daily basis.
You may be wondering if everyone who takes drugs or drinks is an addict. The simple answer is no. Some people can take drugs recreationally and have no repercussions or consequences in their lives. Addicts however cannot take drugs without losing control of their lives. They descend into the spiral of active addiction and often do not stop until they lose everything or have had enough of the despair and degradation to which they have sunk or die in active addiction. They cannot imagine let alone believe that there is life after drugs. They are quite literally trapped.
There are 2 things an addict must do in order to stop. The first is to acknowledge that they have a problem. The second is that they must have had enough of the degradation to really want to stop. This can take months or years. Some never make it that far.
So what happens if someone does want to get clean? There are drugs agencies in almost every town where anyone can get help or advice on drugs and addiction. There is also a national telephone help line called Release. They can advise you on where to get help or listen if you just want to talk. Drugs agencies can give you counselling and help on coming off of drugs or alcohol and can also refer you to a detox unit where appropriate. From there you could apply for a residential rehabilitation program. There are many different programs including centres that will accept clients with their children. Drug agencies also offer advice to addicts on safer using and most run needle exchange schemes. These types of schemes are invaluable as it may prevent addicts from contracting serious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C. Unfortunately, the agencies are currently under funded and over stretched. This has resulted in some agencies having a 6-month waiting list for an initial assessment! This is a reflection of how widespread the problem is.
There are millions of pounds being ploughed into fighting against drug related crime but where does that leave the addict? It is true that offenders who commit drug related offences could escape a prison sentence by being bound over to a Rehabilitation centre. However, this is at the discretion of the Judge. This makes the process inconsistent and could depend on the Judges personal views towards the issue of addiction. I am completely in favour of this course of action. Most drug related crimes are committed in order to fund a drug habit, therefore treating the drug problem at source seems the logical thing to do.
At present, there is virtually no help for offenders who are addicted to drugs within custodial facilities. Some people develop serious drug habits within prison. This is mainly caused by the introduction of drug testing within prisons. Most prisoners were using cannabis before drug testing became mandatory in custodial facilities. Cannabis takes 30 days to leave the system and become undetectable. When drug testing came in, many prisoners switched from cannabis to using heroin because heroin only takes 3 days to become undetectable by current testing methods thus escaping time being added onto their existing sentence for giving a positive drugs test. As a result, prisoners went into a facility without a drug problem and came out with a heroin addiction. More money needs to be given to funding agencies to help people in the community. They also need funding to work in conjunction with the prison services if we are ever to make sure that people get the help they not only need but also deserve. It would be ridiculous to say that these people are in prison and therefore should not be using drugs. The simple fact is that it happens. Therefore we need to address it.
When someone decides to stop taking drugs, they often have to go through a period of withdrawal. Symptoms of withdrawal include sweating, stomach cramps, vomiting, muscle spasms, insomnia, restlessness, hallucinations and a feeling of something slithering around under your skin. During this time they will also feel depressed, anxious and angry. Emotions, once suppressed, resurface. This is not only confusing but also quite distressing. This is why it is important for that person to receive some form of emotional support during this time. Getting clean is the easy part, staying clean is not. A great number of addicts never actually make it this far and die having never tried to get clean. It takes a great deal of strength and courage for someone to try to overcome their addiction.
Once someone is physically free of drugs, they must then deal with the emotional dependence on drugs. Their whole life is built around the pursuit and taking of drugs. They must now completely change their lives or risk relapse. This usually means sometimes letting go of a destructive relationship. Some people also need to find somewhere to live and learn how to look after themselves at a basic level.
Most addicts have no self worth when they first come off of drugs, which is why the most simple things can lead to a relapse. I have the greatest respect and admiration for people who come off drugs and stay off within their community. Addicts who are still using often try to get someone who is making that break back into old habits in order to justify their own drug use.
The other option is to go into a residential rehabilitation centre. Most people cannot afford to pay for this themselves and so try to enlist the help of Social Services. The average rehab costs approx £250 per week. For this reason, it is extremely difficult for addicts to be given funding. The government does not set much money aside for this and often it depends on where you live and how much money that area has been given as to whether you get funding. Rehab is often an addict's last shot at kicking the habit.
So what happens in a rehabilitation centre? Most rehabs will only accept a client once they are drug free. However there are exceptions. A rehab is 24-hour therapy. There are various different approaches and methods in rehabs. The main 2 methods are self-empowerment and the Minnesota method.
Self-empowerment is based on the addict confronting not only what they have done in active addiction but also exploring the reasons of why they did those things. This method tends to concentrate on childhood issues and self-destructive patterns. The emphasis is on taking responsibility for your own life and choices.
The Minnesota method is based on the 12 steps originally devised by Alcoholics Anonymous. It uses 'tough love' to break the denial of the addict. They then use the 12 steps to instil a new set of morals and ways to live life without drugs. Often used in conjunction with 12 step meetings.
There is no wrong or right method. There is only the right method for the person receiving the treatment. We are all individuals with our individual problems and we need to treat people as such. Whichever method chosen, they all feature intense self-analysis. This is a difficult and highly emotional experience. Most treatment programmes last anywhere from 2-6 months. This can however be extended dependant on financial funding.
Statistics show that approximately 2 out of every 10 people who go through treatment will remain in 'recovery'. The other 8 will relapse. Though it doesn't have to be this way, often it is. For this reason, aftercare is essential on leaving a rehabilitation centre. For a person who has just gone through the emotional experience of treatment, the world without drugs can be a daunting and stressful place. They must now put into practice all that they have learnt.
It is at this point that a lot of people turn to support groups, usually involving the 12 steps. This can be useful within early recovery and they are proven to be successful. It can help to know other people who are in the same situation and have somewhere to talk about your experiences. I would like to stress at this point that there are other ways. If 12 step meetings don't work for you then try something else. The emphasis is on finding a new way to live your life. This may be through sport, religious or spiritual practices. It could be anything, as long as it works for you.
So what can we, as a society, do about the growing problem of addiction? I see a lot of emphasis being placed on punishing suppliers of illegal drugs. Recently Mo Mowlam called for harsher custodial sentences in relation to drug-orientated crimes. Most drug dealers do so to maintain their own habits. They are in the grips of addiction themselves. I believe that treatment is the way forward, not punishment. Our prisons are overcrowded at the moment; there has been such a sharp increase in women receiving custodial sentences that several men's prisons are having to be converted in order to accommodate this. It seems that many addicts get sent to prison and never get the help they need in order to stop. Then we all wonder why so many prisoners re-offend.
We also need to start educating our youth about drugs with more honesty. Yes, drugs come with painful consequences but we need to stop ignoring the fact that there are good sides to drugs as well as bad. We also need to start sending the message at a much younger age. Drugs education usually starts within schools at age 14. I believe that this too little, too late. A lot of people have already started to dabble at this point. There are schemes starting up where ex users give talks in schools about drugs. This is much more preferable that a policeman or teacher. They are more likely to listen to someone who they can view as a peer, rather that an authority figure.
More money needs to be given to fund drug treatment programmes. Where would the money come from? It costs money to send someone to prison, the money could be better spent on treatment than punishment.
This is a very complex issue. One for which there are no easy answers or quick fixes. The only thing that is safe to say is that the way we have been combating this issue is not working and it's time to try something new. It may seem radical to swap the iron fist for the hand of compassion but at the end of the day, these people have an illness and maybe we should all try to remember this before condemning them.
