The question came up in Women's Studies this week, should drug addicts be imprisoned or should they be made to go into drug rehabilitation programs? In my mind, both answers are wrong, because both imply that outside force is enough to break the internal bonds of addiction. Physical weaning is possible, but how does compelling a person who does not wish to stop taking drugs to be forcibly separated for her addiction also achieve psychological independence? Drugs are often a salve for many problems, such as homelessness, joblessness, unresolved emotional turmoil, and broken or dysfunctional relationships. It is almost laughable that sending, for example, someone who is doing drugs because she has zero self-esteem, due to being raped at age 12 by a trusted relative, to prison to punish and wean her from her addiction would work. Prisons are notorious for smuggled drug activity anyway--it is likely she'd still find a source, and prison would only give her more reason to hate herself and want to find a way to anesthetize her pain.
Similarly, requiring her to attend a drug therapy program will also not work if she is not willing. She can simply return to her habit after she has completed the program, or even drop out before finishing.
I believe the best way to address drug addiction is through programs such as MHMR-Tarrant County's, which is where my husband works. Their substance abuse program is predicated on designing a plan of treatment that is based on the client's own goals for his or her future. If a homeless client wants to get off the street and into an apartment, for example, MHMR-TC designs steps to help her achieve those goals, by helping her wean herself off the drugs, while building her self-confidence through workshops, providing therapy, and connecting her to a variety of education programs and resources.
And it must be voluntary, or it will only seem that outside forces are, once again, in charge of her life. If there's one thing I've observed in known drug users, is that many feel very much out of control already. In order to feel "in charge" again, they need to be their own agents of change, lest they feel that they are merely powerless--a perception that is greatly at odds with the intent to break and addiction.
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2 comments:
Rebekah,
Great post, I agree with you whole heartly and feel that we choose or own paths. If someone doesnt want to be clean than forcing them into mandated rehab or jail is not going to fix the problem. We have to help people with drug problems get to the core of the addiction because it usually is always deeper than the addiction itself. Good job were almost done!!
I never thought about I felt that if some is on drugs that they needed to get off, and the only way was mandatory rehab. You are right, there is a source to every problem and that needs to be found. Sounds like something I've been hearing on Oprah for year about food but never applied it to drugs. Good points.
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