People who wrestle with addiction are often viewed as dirty and disheveled.
Thanks for joining us again as we dig into the subject of drug addiction, and how our current approach is making the problem worse. In the previous two installments we looked at a couple here in Michigan who are working to raise awareness and change legislation that would allow loved one to force addicts into therapy. We also talked about the fact that during America’s ‘war on drugs‘ the problem of addiction has become worse, not better. Moving on, we are looking at a shift in points of view that doctors who work in the field of drug and alcohol abuse treatment are suggesting may help.
As we discussed previously, Dr. Mark Calarco, the national medical director of American Addiction Centers, says that four things need to change. Those four things are People, Cause, Stigma and Media. But what does that mean, exactly, and how can we change them? Everyone knows that talking about change is the easy part. Actual change is hard. So how can we in Michigan implement those changes? Let’s take a look at the first item on the list…
The People:
According to Dr. Calarco, ‘the people’ in this instance are the ones struggling with substance abuse. For the most part, society sees addicts as ‘dirty.’ Hollywood perpetrates the notion that addicts congregate in abandoned houses, where they share needles and other drug paraphernalia, and pass out in pools of their own vomit and urine. They are often depicted as being sick, malnourished, and desperate enough to do anything for that next hit, including stealing, lying and sometimes prostitution. Indeed sometimes that does happen.
Movies like Trainspotting, Requiem for a Dream, and The Basketball Diaries capture the dark, gritty underworld of drug addiction and ‘junkies.’. A world that certainly exists in communities all over Michigan, but doesn’t begin to represent the variety of people who struggle with addiction. From our blue collar workers and housewives, to high school students and rock stars, the number of people who wrestle with substance abuse issues is substantial.
You have only to spend a moment thinking about the vast number of pop culture icons and celebrities who have died of drug overdoses to realize that society often misrepresents those struggling with addiction. Cory Monteith, Lisa Robin Kelly, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Prince are a tiny sample of the rich and famous whose struggle with substance abuse cost them their lives. Lives that were not in any way ‘dirty’, ‘disheveled’ or ‘desperate.’
According to some theories, we need to change the way we view the people who struggle with addiction, or we will never be able to address this subject out in the open. Until we Michiganders can see individuals who struggle with drug addiction as valuable people who desperately need help and care, then we will never be able to obliterate this scourge on our society. Drug users are people, just like you and your loved ones. The only difference is, they are fighting a terrible battle without the necessary weaponry or defenses to succeed. That’s why they need our help. Otherwise they, and many other hundreds of thousands just like them, will be lost. That’s not what Michigan people are all about.
Join us next time, as we look at the next two factors that would need to change in the public perspective in order for us to have a chance at combating drug use in the future. Until then, if you or a loved one have been accused of a drug related crime, or any other illegal activity in Michigan, contact us immediately at 866-766-5245. The defense attorneys at The Kronzek Firm have decades of experience and are skilled at protecting and defending our clients, regardless of the severity of the charges they are facing. So call us today. We are here to help.