(This column is continued from the one that appeared in the Parklander March 15) The serious addict will, at some point or another, be faced with a stark choice: quit or die. Non-addicts may have difficulty understanding why. Even though the choice is so clear, many addicts will not make the obvious one. I did not understand either, when my efforts and those of my siblings were unable to stop my father smoking, an addiction which shortly after his first hospital admission went on to claim his life. [continues 457 words]
Hinton Parklander - AADAC Is Practically An Alberta Institution. It is older than most of us, and has its roots in the days when the only "real" addictions were to alcohol, heroin, and opium. In those times, smoking was still not seen as a serious health risk, problem gambling had few venues in which to develop, and heroin use was the stuff of movies and novels. Sexual addiction? Well, really!! We now know the extent to which substances and behaviors formerly considered harmless or maybe just naughty can consume the lives of otherwise normal, healthy people. We also know that breaking free of addiction is more than just an issue of will power. The issue of quitting typically involves much more than just no longer using, and too often, someone who has the desire to give up a bad habit lacks the resources to do so. As the old joke has it, I know how easy it is to quit smoking - I've done it at least a dozen times... [continues 216 words]
