Pubdate: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 Source: Illawarra Mercury (Australia) Copyright: Illawarra Newspapers Contact: http://mercury.illnews.com.au/ Page: 16 Author: Tom McCrimmon AN EX-ADDICT'S HEROIN ADVICE I WAS addicted to heroin for most of the 1970s and did a lot of harm to myself and my family. By the grace of God, I can now speak as one of the success stories. I went through a long-term residential rehabilitation program which helped me redress the underlying personality problems that led to my drug dependency. This gave me a fresh start in life and I have never looked back. I haven't touched a drug for 18 years. Since completing my rehabilitation in 1984 I have acquired extensive experience working in this field, first as a counsellor and then as a psychologist. I am strongly against any proposal to lift prohibition on heroin and I have no doubt in my mind as an ex-addict that every effort should be made to restrict the supply of heroin as much as possible rather than making it easier to access. The bottom line with the addictive potential of heroin is that the more you get, the more you want. Drug abuse usually starts with peer pressure, but leads to dependence in people who are looking for an escape from their personal problems. The more severe their problems, the greater the dependency and the more likely the dependency will be on heroin. Giving them heroin or methadone only deals with the physical withdrawal symptoms and does nothing to address the psychological problems. This is why I am a strong advocate of long-term residential rehabilitation. Recovery from heroin addiction takes a long time and a lot of resources. There are no short-cuts or quick-fixes to this problem, but it's taking a long time for politicians, the general community, and many treatment services to understand this. It is time to increase our investment in long-term residential treatment services so that our community can reap the long-term benefits. TOM McCRIMMON, Kiama - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea