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News (Media Awareness Project) - US NJ: Column: Kids And Community: Recent Death Brings Out The Difficulties Of A
Title:US NJ: Column: Kids And Community: Recent Death Brings Out The Difficulties Of A
Published On:2004-07-23
Source:Beacon, The (NJ)
Fetched On:2008-01-18 04:20:31
KIDS AND COMMUNITY: RECENT DEATH BRINGS OUT THE DIFFICULTIES OF ADDICTION

Many People Would Be Surprised By The Many Faces Of Addiction.

Eric Douglas had it all. The youngest son of Hollywood actor Kirk
Douglas and half-brother of equally famous Michael Douglas, he was
born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth but spent a
significant portion of his 46 years in and out of drug rehabs. At one
point he was in a coma for eight days because of a drug overdose.

On July 7 of this year, Eric Douglas died. I understand he had a small
part in "Delta Force III: The Killing Game." I never saw the movie,
but I have seen many people like Eric Douglas in my lifetime. Addicts
who go in and out of recovery, maintaining sobriety for months and
then back on the bottle or on the drugs or on the food or whatever
substance temporarily numbs their emotional, physical and/or spiritual
pain. I have seen people coexist with their addiction well into the
senior years and others who die while still in their prime. Eric
Douglas was most definitely still in his prime.

The Face of Addiction

I'm glad that the story of Eric Douglas reached the front pages, if
only for a day or two. Many of us have a stereotypical picture of an
addict as a hopeless skid row bum, someone who has lost everything, is
living on the streets and will die there. In reality, the face of
addiction is often quite ordinary. A lot like yours and mine. And Eric's.

I understand that he had a nice apartment on East 29th Street in the
Kips Bay section of Manhattan and worked as a stand-up comic at places
like the Comedy Club. Not everyone knew about his long and
unsuccessful battle with alcohol and drug addiction and how he was
losing that fight.

The insidious thing about addiction is that a person in the early
stages of alcoholism or other drug addiction can often appear
functional to those around him. It is only when feeding the habit --
consuming alcohol, drugs, or food; gambling, or engaging in harmful
relationships -- becomes all-encompassing that a diminished quality of
life becomes noticeable.

Unfortunately, many addicts and families continue to suffer in
silence. The addict promises tomorrow will be different, and loved
ones cling to that hope. Shame, guilt and hopelessness combine to
create unhealthy secrecy. That's the bad news. The good news is that
recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is possible, but finding and
staying the course of getting healthier means learning about this
disease and asking for help.

Nature of Addiction

Addiction is a chronic, progressive, and sometimes fatal disorder. It
is a compulsion that drives an individual to continue to behave in a
way that is harmful to oneself and loved ones, despite an intense
desire to halt that behavior. It is a disease of more -- an active
addict needs an increasing amount of substance to get high and is
unable to stop using without painful withdrawal symptoms.

This is true whether the addictive substance is a drug (such as
alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, or heroin), food, or behavior
(such as gambling or sexual promiscuity).

First Steps of Recovery

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for addiction. For many addicts,
periods of abstinence are coupled with times of relapse, yet with
appropriate identification, treatment, and self-care, an individual
can live a productive, substance-free life. The first and perhaps most
important step is finding a way to stop using the addictive substance.
Usually, professional and lay support both are needed during this time.

Many people begin by consulting their family physician, who may
recommend an addictions counselor. Others choose to join a peer
recovery group to get free support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Nearly every addiction has a 12-Step program and has meetings both in
real life and on the Internet. Examples include:

AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) for alcoholism NA (Narcotics
Anonymous) for drug addiction OA/FAA (Overeaters Anonymous/Food
Addicts Anonymous) for eating disorders GA (Gamblers Anonymous)
for gambling addiction Al-Anon/CODA (Co-Dependents Anonymous) for
addictive relationship issues Debtors Anon (Debtors Anonymous) for
debt problems SLAA (Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous) for sex and
love addictions

Many non-12-Step programs, such as SMART, Rational Recovery, and Women
for Sobriety, also provide support for a clean and sober lifestyle.
Further information on 12-Step and other addiction-recovery programs
can be found in the Yellow Pages and on the Web.

Post Script

It is reported that Eric Douglas yearned to leave a screen legacy like
other members of his family. Hopefully, the story of his life as an
addict struggling for chemical sobriety will leave a different but
equally powerful message regarding the critical need to finance
research on the brain chemistry of chronic alcohol and drug relapse
and to create and support innovative treatment strategies for this
group.

Most of all, I hope that his story can inspire each of us to contact
our legislators and insist that monies earmarked for prevention
programs be tripled and quadrupled so that our youngest citizens can
bypass the nightmare that became Eric Douglas' life and death.

Judy Shepps Battle is a New Jersey resident, addictions specialist,
consultant and freelance writer. Additional information on this and other
topics can be found at her Web site at www.writeaction.com.
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