Pubdate: Sat, 23 Jan 2010
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2010 Times Colonist
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html
Website: http://www.timescolonist.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: Marlene E. Hunter, MD

ADDICTION IGNORANCE MAKING THINGS WORSE

It has always been amazing to me that so many people consider drug 
addiction to be a chosen attitude. I can remember the wife of a U.S. 
president cheerfully commenting, "just say no."

Drug addiction is a health issue. For some people who are 
particularly vulnerable, it only takes one incident ("Aw, c'mon, once 
won't hurt you") to become addicted. For others, it becomes an 
addiction after longer use, but nevertheless by then it is indeed a 
health issue in all aspects -- mental, physical and emotional.

Why does our society treat such health issues with dismissal or 
downright nastiness? Are we afraid of something? If so, what -- that 
the whole community will become addicts? Our society would be better 
off if such believers took a good, hard look into the whys and 
wherefores of addiction.

Becoming "unaddicted" is a long and difficult journey. Having worked 
one afternoon a week, some years ago at a local pharmacy, with those 
who were working hard to release themselves from drug addiction, I 
began to understand just how huge and demanding such a journey really was.

I also learned that my being "too soft" was not helpful to those who 
were doing their best to change their lives; those who had decided 
(often for the second or 20th time) to get off drugs may do well with 
a "tough love" attitude from their therapist or physician.

On the other hand, those who are not ready to undertake that journey 
need all the help that they can get in order to just get by, day by day.

Stephen Harper needs to take a good, hard second look. In essence, he 
is just making everything more difficult.

Marlene E. Hunter, MD

Victoria
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom