Pubdate: Wed, 02 Aug 2000
Source: Southwest Times-Record (AR)
Copyright: 2000 The Donrey Media Group
Contact:  http://www.swtimes.com/
Author: S. Nelson

METH MADNESS MUST STOP

I am writing on the methamphetamine epidemic in our
area.

I've worked in the drug and alcohol treatment field for more than 10
years. During that time, I've seen fewer dollars available for
treatment and a tenfold increase in the problem of meth.

As we look at the problem, keep in mind that interdiction of all drugs
has been deemed to be a failure by many experts in the field. This is
not to say that law enforcement hasn't put forth a mighty effort to
address the problem. The problem is just too big and too complex to
solve with just one tool.

We need to remember that addiction is what drives the drug trade, and
that the real way to stop this is to provide quality treatment and
prevention programs.

With this in mind, I find it to be a tragedy that the treatment
program that I worked for closed this last year. Nationally, hundreds
of good treatment programs that have helped thousands have closed as
well. The main reason: In the age of managed care, the treatment
industry has been a big casualty. This was because treatment centers
could no longer survive and depend on insurance and private pay; that
pay was cut, benefits were denied and services evaporated.

Some private sector treatment centers have survived the onslaught. The
center where I worked did for several years, until after being cut
down to its last leg it no longer was viable financially to keep it
open. Employers and employees have suffered from this, too.

You see, most persons addicted to alcohol and other drugs are in fact
employed persons with insurance. Often what their benefit handbook
says and what actually gets paid for are two different things (not
only with treatment, by the way). This leaves the publically funded
treatment centers to be taking the majority of the load of providing
treatment.

Most of these centers are overloaded and have waiting lists that get
longer each year. Most provide quality care. Most are horribly
underfunded. The counselors there work under difficult conditions.
Keeping qualified counselors working there after they work long enough
to be certified is a difficult task because of the stress of large
caseloads and low wages.

We like to build jails in this country. It seems with jails being so
overcrowded, society needs to look at the fact that jails are full of
addicts who could be productive members of society if given treatment.
Instead, they are sadly in a jail costing taxpayers more money and not
addressing their problems.

The likely outcome is recidivism, or doing the same thing over and
over again. The insanity of this is society does the same thing
repeatedly by locking them up and expecting different results.

S. Nelson,
Fort Smith
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