There is something going on in the
United States that many people don’t know about and it’s called the Heroin
Epidemic. Many people don’t realize how common it has become to be addicted to
heroin and also how difficult it is to get treatment. Most addicts who are
searching for help will often try to go to jai to detox because it’s the only
resource available to them. Wait lists at rehabilitation centers are four to
five months long, too long for an addict to wait, and most addicts pull out
after 2 weeks. However, there is hope for people trying to get treatment for
this “disease of desperation”. The Obama administration has begun looking into
a new way to help people who are addicted to drugs, instead of prosecuting
them. They are trying to find the sources of the drugs, are focusing in 15
states, and are using local law enforcement paired with health workers to be
more efficient. The Gloucester Police Department has also created a new policy
where addicts who need treatment won’t be charged with a crime and will be
placed in a recovery program as soon as possible. They will have someone
helping them the whole way through rehab with very little cost. The Police
Department is using funds from dealer busts to pay for people’s treatment and
after 3 months they have only spent 5,000$ on this program which has helped 109
people. Jails aren’t the best places to go to get clean but with just a little
research addicts kind find help wherever they need it.
Charlie
Gile wrote an article about heroin addiction and how people who are suffering
from that can get help. It was written on Sept 6, 2015 and because it so recent
the facts in the article apply to people in the present. My family as been
affected by addiction so I know what its like to suffer because someone close
to you is suffering, and because I know what its like personal I feel connected
to the people he mentions in his article. The article is very general in the
sense that it doesn’t discriminate against whom it’s targeted towards. It could
be for addicts, family members of addicts, or the general population. The information
about rehabilitation programs is really helpful for people looking to get help
or help others, but with the statistics given it can help someone who isn’t affected
personally by addiction understand what addiction means. Charlie helps show
that there are more ways to get help other than jail or long wait lists and it’s
important to look at as many options as possible before giving up. In our world
today it can be hard to focus on one thing and with addicts its nearly
impossible to do so but knowing that there are treatment opportunities can give
anyone hope for something better.
Carlos Joglar
ReplyDeleteToo many people have died from heroin overdoses and have succumb to its danger. I'm just happy that people are finding even more ways to help it. I can't even fathom how many lives could be saved by new treatments, and thinking of artists, like Janis Joplin, who died too early because of heroin. We need to be promoting help instead of shaming addicts.
I can relate to your analysis because I have had to deal with addiction in my family as well. I understand that the best thing to do is help and not continually beat down on someone for a mistake. Like Carlos said, Amy Winehouse recently died because of an addiction to several drugs and if I she had more help, I think that her amazing talent could have been salvaged.
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