Pubdate: Sun, 16 Oct 2005
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Section: Sunday Metro
Copyright: 2005 The Dallas Morning News
Contact:  http://www.dallasnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117
Author: Steve Blow
Note: from our Newshawk: The photos are the infamous ones at 
http://www.hollywoodpolice.org/special_units/cat.htm

ADDICT'S PHOTOS MAKE BIG PICTURE HARD TO MISS

People have asked me to run them again. And the timing suddenly seemed
right to do it.

So today's column is a rerun of sorts - at least photographically.

I hope the astonishing photos you see will provide an opportunity to
talk with your kids about the horrible abyss of drug addiction.

This poor woman's face tells the story better than anything I have
ever seen.

Several things brought the photos to mind again. One was my recent
24-hour stay at the 24 Hour Club.

That's the gritty facility in East Dallas for folks making a
last-ditch effort to kick drugs and alcohol. It's not pretty.

In my visit there, I was struck by something I heard again and again
as residents told me their stories: "I started using drugs when I was
14." Or 13. Or 12.

It made me wonder if addiction doesn't sink its claws into young
brains more easily. And in fact, research indicates exactly that,
according to Dr. Uma Roa of UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Young users face a greater likelihood of addiction and more powerful
addictions, she said.

And then, on top of that experience at the 24 Hour Club, there was the
distressing story in the newspaper last week. It seems drug use has
turned upward in Collin County again.

Of all places, after the rash of overdose deaths there in the
mid-'90s, you would think Plano and the surrounding area would be
impervious to drugs. But three teens have died in drug-related
incidents there this year.

The timing was cinched when I heard that Red Ribbon Week is set to be
observed in schools in coming days. These photos are a perfect way for
parents to reinforce the anti-drug message kids will be hearing at
school.

So let me tell you about the photos. I've learned a little more since
I first presented them almost three years ago.

First, they are real - actual police mug shots of the same woman. They
were taken by Hollywood, Fla., police over a 10-year period ending in
1989.

Roseanne Holland is her name. She's 42 in that last
photo.

Hollywood police posted the photos on their Web site as a vivid
depiction of the depths to which drugs will take you. Ms. Holland was
arrested repeatedly on drug and prostitution charges.

Officers lost track of her, but her photos spread all over the world
via the Internet. About a year ago, they were used in a major
anti-drug campaign in London.

That created such curiosity about her that a London newspaper hired a
private investigator to search for her.

An ex-husband was found, who reported that Ms. Holland died shortly
after the last photo was taken. He said she was "stunningly beautiful"
when they met and dreamed of being a star. In fact, she had small
roles in movies with the likes of Paul Newman, he said.

But an addiction to drugs consumed her, led her into prostitution and
years of walking death.

These are just six of 10 photos posted at www.hollywoodpolice.org .
That may be the best way to show the photos to your kids.

(Select "Specialized Units" at the top of that page, go to the Crime
Suppression Unit. Click on the first of the photos, and you can show
the poor woman's decline, photo by photo.)

My advice: Don't bombard your kids with too many words. Let the photos
do the talking.

If your children are young, just say you love them, and that's why you
warn against drugs.

If your child is a little older, be honest, admit that not everyone
who tries drugs ends up an addict. Just ask if the risk seems worthwhile.

And if your child is a little older still, you might talk about the
irony of drugs.

People take them to feel happy - and end up in misery.

People take them to be independent - and end up slaves to their
addictions.

People take them to feel older - and succeed beyond their wildest
dreams. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake