UNDERSTANDING THE ADDICT AN IMPORTANT STEP FOR SOCIETY

(This column is continued from the one that appeared in the Parklander
March 15)

The serious addict will, at some point or another, be faced with a stark
choice: quit or die.

Non-addicts may have difficulty understanding why. Even though the choice
is so clear, many addicts will not make the obvious one. I did not
understand either, when my efforts and those of my siblings were unable to
stop my father smoking, an addiction which shortly after his first hospital
admission went on to claim his life.

What I did not realize is that addiction has nothing whatsoever to do with
rational thought. And even though it affects us emotionally, the addictive
drive is an even more primitive drive than that.

This is where the addict's dilemma lies (see my March 15 column). Unless
she has already chosen death, does she seek help? Or does she, out of
shame, out of the prospect of being rejected by family and friends, out of
the possibility of social isolation and job loss, shut up and hope against
hope that she is the one who can beat the odds?

The choice for an addict in Edmonton or Calgary is relatively easy, because
addiction treatment can be had relatively anonymously. But if you're a
crack head here in Hinton, who's to know? Just about everyone, it seems.

As Lao Tzu's memorable quote has it, "the journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step." It's like that with addiction. No one asks the
newly-realized addict to dress in potato sacks and wear a sign that says "I
am an alcoholic. " The first step in recovery is only to admit to the
still, small voice inside that one is an addict. That's all. While it is
possible to overcome addiction on one's own, the percentages are grossly
against success, and the second step must be to seek help. Agencies and
organizations set up to assist addicts in recovery are usually made up in
large part of former addicts. There is an understanding and acceptance of
the need for anonymity, unless and until the addict is willing to share his
burden with others.

The medical understanding of addiction is long past the days of seeing it
as a moral issue. No self-respecting doctor would advise his addicted
patient to develop a backbone, or to repent and sin no more. Unfortunately,
societal beliefs and expectations often lag decades behind what observation
and research tell us is the real story. For the addict choosing recovery
over the long downward spiral, the fear is, "Who will find out?" Programs
that hope to assist addicts in recovery must take this fear into account.

Some of you reading this now are trapped in addiction. Some of you are
addicts looking for help. You might like to begin with a call to an
absolutely anonymous toll free number. Calling 1-866-332-2332 connects you
to AADAC's Help Line, a low-risk entry point where real live people will
hear you and do their best to help you without having slightest need to
know what your name is or where you live.

- -This column will be continued in two weeks