SUBSTANCE ABUSERS SHOULDN'T GET PRIORITY

I read Keith A. Kuhn's "Governor must sign bills to restore funds"
letter in the Oct. 8 newspaper and I'd like to state a different opinion.

I know and have known many alcoholics and people who abuse drugs, but
I myself am neither. Some are even very close to me and I see
firsthand how devastating these addictions can be and what they can
do to those who use and how it injures relationships, whether it be
friend or family.

You can't force treatment on those who use and abuse because most
want to do what they are doing. They have to want to be free of the
addiction. I've seen many go into very expensive treatment plans,
mostly because they were forced to by the courts, etc. only to go
right back upon being released.

We all have choices in life. You can choose to drink to the point of
addiction or use drugs or tobacco to the point of addiction. You can
because you are in America where you're free to choose. It's all out
there for one to satisfy curiosity or craving. I myself wish it
wasn't, but unfortunately here the choice is ours to make.

There are other fields this $253 million could be used and
appreciated just as much, if not more. Before I got Medicare, I had
no medical insurance. When I caught pneumonia, I went to three
clinics and was told I needed $70 to $90 up front in order to be seen
by a doctor. I went to the county for help; they said I made too much
in Social Security. Have you ever heard of such? I tried the local
charity with the same results.

I got desperate because I was very sick and I took someone else's
leftover antibiotics. Luckily, they did work. A person shouldn't have
to do this. Help should be out there for those who never had the
choice of getting sick.

I say, help those who get sick from something other than a
self-induced addictive substances first!

Ervin W. Stone Beardstown