Attack on Addiction

Actor and playwright Carroll O'Connor and his wife, Nancy Fields, spoke to
a class of firstyear medical students this month about their family's
experience with substance abuse. The O'Connor's son, Hugh, committed
suicide in 1995 at age 32 after more than 15 years of alcohol and drug
abuse. Since then, the O'Connors have been outspoken advocates of family
and public intervention in cases of substance abuse, arguing that addiction
needs to be treated like an other disease. The couple was visiting the
Medical School to discuss Stanford's proposed center for addiction research
and education.

"People talk about 'handling' addiction through education or therapy," said
O'Connor during the sometimes emotional hourlong symposium on Oct. 6. "I
believe we need more than waiting for an addict to say, 'Help me.' I
believe in attack in closing down the retail outlets, which in this case
are the pushers on the street. We can't let these bad things go on without
doing something."