Screen Shot 2016-04-12 at 12.03.10 AM.pngShould Heroin addicts be forced into treatment?  As a father of an addict, I would say it some cases, a definite yes!, but that path is still finding its definition.  In the article, Compelled Drug Addiction Treatment,  you get a window in the that kind of thinking.  We do have the skills to know who can benefit.  Conventional wisdom may work fine for easier cases. 

Alcohol and Drug-Free Housing, a key strategy to breaking the cycle of addiction and recidivism,  is an approach written and detailed by Susan Mandiberg and Richard Harris.  This is a solid piece of research that outlines a workable path for the worst of addicts to get on board with recovery after detoxification.  Please download this and read later.   This is a pathway that is be part of a humane but compulsory treatment strategy.  It would be based on modern screening techniques applied to addicts caught committing crimes or when those who simply ask.  The old days of allowing addicts to abandon critical detox in the middle of an excruciating inhumane withdrawal seemed to be something designed to assure failure.  It was a mystery to me why my son’s  insurance company would only pay for detox if  was quick and painful. We know what to do now; how to look at this.  Governments are coming around with acceptance.  In our city, Tucson,  we see addiction getting worse because of a lack of options.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, the United States is in the midst of the largest epidemic of opiate and heroin addiction in the history of the world. There are now more deaths from opiate overdose than all motor vehicle accidents and the numbers are growing. Arizona is ranked in the top 10 states struggling with this epidemic.

In, The Heroin Epidemic, this exploding  scourge is getting finally noticed by the right people and government leaders.  It is demanding new paths.  More people are dying and filling  jails and we are seeing it.  Too often, people rely on a belief that human will is all that is needed.  We know now that for the worst addicts,  will power has deteriorated and needs much time to be restored.  When an addict is endlessly in and out of  jails and prisons for drug related crimes, you have no choice but to try something else.  When they keep dying, you need options.  There is a new consciousness growing everyday.  It embraces the humanity of caring for hopeless drug addicts in bold new ways.  Through more humane approaches, addicts can reattach to a lost sense of humanity; of belonging.  Food and shelter are huge in assuring success!  This is a major facet of stability that can allow those on the fringe to grab hold of something they will not walk away from.