Coping with a Silent National Emergency

Imagine a nation in which a deadly but treatable condition is taking its toll on more than five percent of the population. One that is wreaking havoc with the lives of millions of men, women, and children, but only 20 percent of the people who need life saving treatment are receiving it.

Would we help?

That's the situation that prevails in the United States today. The condition is alcohol and drug addiction.

Men and women in the recovery community cite three disturbing trends that contribute to this deteriorating situation. First, there has been a noticeable re-stigmatization of substance abuse and addiction as the great strides made during the "modern alcoholism movement" that gathered force through the 1970s have slowly dissipated. Second, substance abuse and addiction have moved further and further outside the medical realm as the idea of addiction as a treatable condition comes under attack. This is alarming given there is better information than ever before that addiction is a condition characterized by compulsive drug-seeking behavior that results from prolonged exposure to drugs. Third, there is a continuing criminalization of addiction. We are building more prisons and continue to incarcerate people with alcohol and substance abuse and addiction problems. In most cases, they receive no treatment while in prison. When released from prison untreated they fall back to old behaviors—behaviors that begin The Downward Spiral all over again.

All these factors contribute to a tremendous cost to society—an estimated $294 billion annually.

What can be done about it?

Not long ago, experts in the recovery field at the Federal, state, and local levels collaborated on an initiative to develop Changing the Conversation: The National Treatment Plan Initiative to Improve Substance Abuse Treatment. The plan recommends a variety of actions to help the Nation meet the challenges presented by addiction. The guidelines for positive action in the plan range from closing the serious gap in treatment capacity, and urging insurers to provide coverage for dependence, to assuring that an individual needing treatment will be identified, be assessed, and receive treatment no matter where he or she enters the realm of services—including the judicial system.

One of the most important guidelines for positive action in the plan is one that each of us can and should support. That is the recommendation to Change Attitudes. Each of us can work to reduce the stigma associated with addiction by first recognizing it for what it is—a treatable condition, one with a model of successful treatment.

With that understanding, there is no better time than during September, National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month), to raise our voices to urge our community to make effective treatment available at the local level for all those in need. Such action is in the spirit of the 2002 Recovery Month theme:"Join the Voices of Recovery: A Call to Action." I hope you will join me in taking these vital first steps toward solving this national emergency.

Narconon of Northern California
Participants, 2002 National Recovery Month
(800) 556-8885

To learn how you can participate in National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month, visit the CSAT Recovery Month Website.

 

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