AHS Views

A few months ago a mother who was having a drug party at her house gave her two-year old some methadone to shut her up. The methadone killed her daughter. The judge suspended his 10-year sentence in favor of five years’ probation with the proviso that the woman get addiction help.

So, she’s in the treatment center but has now tested positive for alcohol and has broken a few other rules. Her probation hearing is coming up soon, her lawyer will ask for another chance at drug rehab.

Earlier, the woman complained that the process was moving too slowly. That it was holding her up.

Excuse me? You just killed your kid! That’s called murder. You’re lucky you’re not in jail for life.

Chances are not good for this woman as far as I can see. Now on top of everything else she has to face up to about herself, she also has to confront the fact that she murdered her daughter. That’s going to take a hefty dose of responsibility. But she can’t even keep herself from drinking alcohol in an addiction treatment center.

Most people who are addicted to drugs are really deserving of help. But they have to step up to the plate themselves as well. It doesn’t sound to me like she’s doing that.

It’s true, drug addiction is almost impossible to overcome on your own steam. You need help. But when killing your own kid doesn’t raise your necessity to really take advantage of the fact that you have addiction help available to you, I’d say you might be too far gone.

Maybe she feels she has nothing else to lose.

Not too long ago she asked for her kids to be taken away from her because she knew she wasn’t a good mother. That should have raised some red flags with someone enough to insist she get addiction help. If she didn’t want it, she probably wouldn’t have reported herself - like a criminal who wants to get caught.

Not only didn’t she get help, she was also unable to arrange for help for her daughter. Now her daughter’s dead.

What a mess.

Do you know anyone that seems to be heading in that direction? Get them some addiction help services now. And make sure they go to a center that’s not set up to enable alcohol to get into the place.

I was reading an article today on the number of used needles dropped on the streets by drug addicts in Edinburgh - it’s 800, every day. I can’t find these statistics for American cities but you can be sure they’re comparable. Edinburgh has a population of less than 1/2 million. In the U.S. we have 34 cities that size, and many much larger. And people who use needles represent only a fraction of the people needing addiction help.

Comparable U.S. statistics, taking into account the populations of cities of 500,000 or above, would add up to roughly 32,000 needles dropped on the street every day - about 11 million a year. That’s 11 million needles that could well be picked up and used by other addicts, 11 million outlets for HIV, AIDS or hepatitis.

When you consider that’s only a fraction of the damage caused by alcohol and drug addiction in the U.S., you start to get a feel for the magnitude of the problem.

You also start to get a feel for the lifestyle your kids, spouse, other family members and friends are being exposed to when they drink and take drugs if they don’t get addiction help services early in the game.

Ironically, the newspaper that reported this story offers a free glass of wine to everyone who reads the newspaper. Check out the banner ad above the story. How inappropriate can you get?

Some people wonder why they don’t get the reaction they expect when they try to get someone they care about to stop taking drugs. Well, it’s just not that easy. Take this  recent news story about a drug problem in Long Island, for example. These parents did everything they could to get their 18-year-old daughter the drug addiction help she needed - but, now, she’s dead.

In the news story, Barbara Keller, the executive director of the Suffolk Coalition to Prevent Alcohol and Drug Dependencies, said that parents hesitate to seek professional help for themselves and their families. “If you know your loved one; you know when something is not right,” she said. “Trust your instincts.”

A drug addict will do everything they can to convince you there’s no problem. They’ll hide it from you, deny it, lie to you, convince you they can stop whenever they want - they’ll even take your money, or sell your TV. Really, they’ll say or do anything. They’re in the grip of something much more powerful than someone who has not been in their position can understand. And they need addiction help.

If you think there’s a problem, there probably is. Follow Ms. Keller’s advice. Trust your instincts, and call Addiction Help Services if you don’t know where to go from there.

1,200 Massachusetts drug offenders are currently enrolled in the special “drug court” sessions where defendants are given one last chance: Commit to drug addiction treatment — and to intense supervision — and you’ll stay out of jail. Started in the 1990s, it is a program with a demonstrated record of success — addicts who participate re-offend less often, and stay sober longer.

The program grew out of a realization that simple incarceration of offenders with drug addiction issues had been a proven failure. As the number of drug addicts responsible for criminal acts grew — by 1997 about 70 percent of those arrested for crimes nationwide were acknowledged drug users — government and court officials arrived at a consensus that more drug addiction treatment was a better answer. With federal support, some 1,700 drug courts have been established across the country.

Source: www.boston.com