DETOX DILEMMA

Detox centres save lives. Not only can they keep drug addicts alive,
but they can save the social, emotional, familial, functional lives
of addicts and alcoholics who otherwise wouldn't be able to tear
himself or herself away from the bottle, pills, powder or pipe.

Similar centres set up in other communities aren't empty buildings
set up to appease critics. Addicts go through the doors and, in many
cases, come out clean or at least with a glimmer of hope.

The fact that there is no such treatment centre in Parry Sound or
Muskoka, regions that statistically have higher numbers of drug and
alcohol users per capita, according to provincial health studies,
than most of the province, is a sign of misplaced priorities, not a
lack of potential clients.

Users generally don't have the wherewithal or means to travel for
treatment. It can take every ounce of effort family and friends can
muster to get loved ones to acknowledge they have and addiction. It
takes that much more effort to convince them the treatment they need
is worth relocating to an unfamiliar urban setting.

It's time for the community to step into the campaign for a detox
centre. It will be the entire community that reaps the benefits of
fewer addicts, fewer alcoholics, and fewer children forever lost to
the grip of addictive substances. .