I would like to start off by saying that I'm not an addict. Thank God for that little bit of a blessing too for if I was an addict I highly doubt I would ever be able to get sober. With the sky-scraping costs being asked to secure a bed it's almost impossible without having insurance to afford treatment. Not only is the price unheard of but also the centers come far and few between. The facilities that are available for a low cost have so many people trying to get into one that there is always a line out the door and never enough available beds.
The definition of addiction is a chronic relapsing condition characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and abuse and by long-lasting chemical changes in the brain. Addiction is the same irrespective of whether the drug is alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, or nicotine. Every addictive substance induces pleasant states or relieves distress. Continued use of the addictive substance induces adaptive changes in the brain that lead to tolerance, physical dependence, uncontrollable craving and, all too often, relapse. Dependence is at such a point that stopping is very difficult and causes severe physical and mental reactions from withdrawal. The risk of addiction is in part inherited. Genetic factors, for example, account for about 40% of the risk of alcoholism. (MedicineNet.com).
The genetic factors predisposing to addiction are not yet fully understood. The key words here people are "medical condition." Now while I am not an advocate for people to go out and become addicted to a substance I do think it's preposterous that the Government isn't doing more to help these people. If someone had cancer we wouldn't tell him or her that they had to wait possibly a month or two to be looked at and given a bed to recover in. Drug abuse may be a self-induced illness but nonetheless it is an illness. There are all kinds of evidence that suggests the illness is due somewhat to hereditary factors.
We advocate through many different avenues how we wish to keep our society a drug-free community. That's all fine and dandy and I agree with the message. However, I think that if we truly plan to facilitate the motto than we need to first start looking at the people already affected by addiction. We can't have a drug-free community so long as there are still so many people wanting help. Not to mention the people who want help but just can't afford it or who refuse to get help in a terrible neighborhood. We need to bring it to the Government's attention that the facilities available just aren't doing a good enough job.
Cutting down on crime and drug abuse should be on the top of all of our to do lists. I want my children to grow up in a world that is wholesome and not corrupt. I'm sure that most of the rest of the world would like to see the same thing happen. In order to stop the world from going on a downward spiral we need to take a look at the things that we can change. If we continue to ignore the problem it isn't going to go away magically. Therefore if we want to see a change we need to put action where our mouths are.
