RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEM HALF THE BATTLE

Drug abuse is an equal opportunity disease. Families of all socioeconomic
levels are impacted when a loved one becomes dependent upon drugs.

Most people have heard that drug abusers must hit rock bottom before help
will impact them. This is true in some cases. However, we see many people
with a genuine desire to get off drugs and stay clean who have been
successful without hitting bottom. The desire to get straight may be the
most important factor in recovery.

Even when the desire is there, help may certainly be needed to begin the
process. Many people ask for help at that point where the use of drugs
and/or alcohol begins to effect their daily life decisions and actions.

Another indicator is when family members begin to express concern that
their own lives and decisions are being impacted by the drug use.

In fact, family members and loved ones usually notice the problem far
sooner than the abuser. The family's question, "What can we do?" is many
times the beginning of help for the drug abuser.

A family intervention can be a good start. Those people who are most
important to the abuser gather together to confront the behaviors they see,
and to express their concerns. The desired result is that the abuser agrees
to seek help for the problem. A family intervention can be quite an
emotional experience for everyone involved, and there is always the risk of
the abuser becoming upset and refusing help. Families must be prepared to
hear the worst. It may be a good idea to seek professional help to discuss
this process, as well as individual expectations, before attempting an
intervention.

Professional services within detoxification and treatment programs may also
be needed. Individuals with means to pay are usually admitted within days.

In Oklahoma, we have very limited availability of programs for those who do
not have the ability to pay for treatment. There is often a waiting list,
and sometimes the wait may be several weeks or longer. This delay creates
another problem for the person in need of treatment. He or she has finally
made the decision to get help and then learns that there is none available.

Depending upon the severity of the addiction and the drug involved, it is
possible that an outpatient program would be the best course of treatment.

Joy Sloan is the director of social services for Green Country Behavioral
Health Services Inc. in Muskogee.

Sidebar

Meth fact

In 2002, 46 percent of the 15,676 methamphetamine lab incidents were
reported in nine states located in middle America: Missouri (2,788), Iowa
(862), Kansas (763), Oklahoma (595), Tennessee (560), Illinois (551),
Arkansas (398), Kentucky (372), and Nebraska (272).

Source: The National Institute on Drug Abuse