Pubdate: Thu, 27 Jan 2005 Source: Ipswich Chronicle (MA) Copyright: 2005 CommunitysNewspapers, Inc. Contact: http://www.townonline.com/ipswich/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3663 Author: Bob Ferris Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n136/a07.html THE HORRORS OF INADEQUATE TREATMENT I read with great sadness the front page article, The Horror of Heroin. Working in the addiction treatment field, I am fully aware of this "horrific epidemic" and yet I have seen little change in access to free or affordable treatment, particularly for teens and young adults. Last year treatment dollars from the Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS) budget were actually cut. A small percentage was recently restored. Even when services have been more fully funded, there has been limited money allocated to adolescent addiction programs. The very nature of heroin addiction and poly-substance abuse, so common among our teens and young adults, is that the onset of addiction is so much quicker than with alcohol, marijuana and even cocaine. Access to early treatment is essential. And it is not there. It is barely there for those blessed to have "good insurance" policies. When my own daughter came to us several years ago and told us about her substance abuse, the best we could find for her using our insurance was a group counseling program that terminated after three weeks for lack of "billable" hours. Good treatment services are available, but most are unaffordable for most of us. Enforcement and interdiction are important, as is education. But all the billions of dollars spent on these over the past 20 years have not appreciably reduced drug use, particularly among teens and young adults. Schools, in particular, have little or limited ability to really address the issue. Suspending a kid for drug use basically gives him more time to seek out drugs and use. Jails and juvenile lock-ups throw your child in with more hardened drug users. What we really need to do is put our money and our efforts into increasing access to counseling, support and treatment services in our schools and communities. We need to get creative and "sentence" more first time illegal drug offenders to meaningful and mandatory community service and to educate their parents. If a teen, or their parent or teacher, begins to recognize he/she has a problem with drugs or alcohol, there needs to quick, free or affordable access to counseling and treatment. We need to let our governor and our legislators know we see this as a priority. Bob Ferris Blaisdell Terrace - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake