# 69

More from an excellent series on substance use and governmental response, heavy on the "throw-in-the-towel" approach and absolutely void of any consideration for eradication of coca and poppy.

"Substance abuse" long ago became a term which is not politically correct.  Nevertheless, it is used in articles like this to stage a case for "holistically" dealing with addicts - yes, another descriptive term which is no longer politically correct because yesterday's "addict" is today's "substance use disorder" patient.  Arguably he is in need of having society pay for an extended stay in rehab...or for having legislatures pass laws which force insurers to cover the extended stays.

Everyone agrees it is a problem - use of substances- but there is little consensus as to which groups receive resources and in what amounts.

Silent in this series is this blog's effort to address the needs of juveniles and adults who are in the status of "the day before addiction" or not yet physiologically dependent on substances which lead to "substance use disorder."

By looking past this group of persons, who may outnumber the sad group of dependent persons, society needs to ask whether it is failing to prevent new arrivals to the addiction (bad term) cycle, while diverting most of its resources to a cacophony of vying interests who each have their preferred approach; each featuring high rates of recidivism and death.

If the above paragraph is true, in what regard should we hold fresh candidates who are in their own, personal, "day before addiction?"

Have we thrown-in-the-towel regarding this vital slice of humanity and devoted almost zero resources devoted to the potentially fatal choices they may someday make and cast society's lot with juveniles and adults who no longer enjoy a status of "the day before addiction" who are making potentially fatal decisions with high frequency?

All life is valuable and the effort is currently loaded towards the end of the continuum having less promise.  Those persons who are not yet addicted, at the other end of the continuum, are like an incoming flood to a very large reservoir which has erected no containment gates designed to stem the inflow.  In this sense, the reservoir is like a poisonous pond for which society is trying to remove individuals who are addicted before they die (one at a time and quite demanding on resources) while little resources are at work in stemming the new arrivals to the poison pond.

In earlier posts, we have suggested that the current crisis may give testimony to efforts like the DARE program in North America.  Would DARE's proponents take a position that the current crisis would be far worse were it not for their efforts for 30+ years?

An invigorated approach is needed in which the true value of the lives of all persons not yet addicted (bad term) are prioritized in the continuum of society's effort to obtain and distribute resources in the area of substance abuse (bad term).

http://wtop.com/local/2017/01/hooked-on-crisis-fight-for-treatment-funding/slide/1/