FIGHTING ADDICTION: HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE

When thinking about the various problems that affect our communities,
a multitude of issues come to mind. We often ask ourselves what
difference we as individuals can make. An individual who embraced
this idea of making a difference was U.S. Drug Enforcement agent
Enrique "Kiki" Camarena.

In 1985, while serving as an undercover agent in Mexico in the fight
against illegal drugs, he was brutally tortured and murdered. Every
year in October we honor him during Red Ribbon Week and recommit
ourselves to living drug-free lives. This drug prevention event is
recognized all over our country and involves an estimated 80 million people.

Addiction involving alcohol and drugs has been and continues to be a
significant problem affecting our community in various ways.
Addictions do not discriminate among people and can affect all of us
in one way or another. People often have mixed reactions when they
hear about this problem - with some having had first-hand experience
while others have only heard of it.

Often, individuals with addictions and their families are confronted
with living double lives as they tackle the demands of daily life. In
addition, they are faced with feelings of anger, guilt, shame and
other emotional troubles as their family, social and work lives are disrupted.

While these problems sound challenging enough, it is often the case
that others stop seeing the person behind the addiction, and the
addiction takes its place on center stage. This is likely to have
negative consequences as the limited social supports these people
have also start to fall away.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "If you lose hope, somehow you
lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to
be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so
today I still have a dream."

As such, we can certainly be strong as we offer hope and support this
week to those in need. By better educating ourselves, our youth and
our communities about addictions, we can strengthen our fight to
promote drug-free lives.

Our community is currently served by a variety of medical and
psychological services related to addictions, along with very
valuable community resources such as private organizations and
volunteer programs. Utilizing these resources for ourselves, a family
member, or even a friend can help improve the lives of us all. We can
all make a difference.

Pritesh Parbhoo is on the staff at Manatee Glens, a not-for-profit
health care provider that delivers services from seven Manatee County locations.