War on drugs

Have good friends who have children with drug issues

Even if they are ready to give it up and go to rehab, I believe stats are not good, 80% revert back to drugs.

Its been a revolving door, I lost count how many times our friend’s children have been in and out of rehab.

This is all Government funded and of course as they cant hold a job they receive many government handouts ie housing etc

I know one child gets $500 per week which she uses on drugs and Always ends the same way ....gets evicted, house trashed

Lots of carnage here, and it may be sad, but these hand outs are enabling them and I dont know what the answer is? Seems like throwing money is not working...... and stats support this

 

Pretty much most drug use (legal or otherwise) comes down to a mental health trigger. There is a very large suicide rate in Australia also, and these things are very much correlated. Despite the rhetoric, Australia is no longer a 'happy go lucky' society.

Many are slipping through the cracks, and yes, there is a very much an underlying demand problem,..the real war should be on mental illnesss, not drugs.

 

Totally agree - it's not about the "drugs" but rather the reason people feel they need to take them. Is it escapism - does it stem from abuse as a child - is it a brain chemical imbalance - is it dissatisfaction/boredom/purposelessness?

I've never tried illegal drugs (nope, not even pot) - although have been around those who have - but I tend to "get off" on life itself ... and it's this aspect that needs to be researched rather than simply banning

***note - yes did cigs when a teen (made me ill) and have been known to over indulge in alcohol on occasion, if just to remind myself why I don't over indulge

 

You can talk till you are blue in the face, an addict will promise to seek help, declare they will enter rehab next week, you can beg, plead, cry and threaten. (We tried everything.)

Until they reach a place they realise for themselves is a situation they just can’t get out of (and do not want to remain in) unless they actually DO something about their addiction, there is really not much anyone else can do.

We have another long-term reformed addict in the extended family who was an enormous help and moral support. He knew the rehab “system” and was available to pick up the pieces when the first rehab attempt failed.

Certainly more places are needed, the last thing you need is to get an addict willing to seek rehab, then find there is an 8 week wait for a place. And given the intensity and expense of running the courses many require the applicant to be drug free (blood tests) for several weeks before entering the program. For us, the reformed addict had relative live (and work) with them during this time.

The second attempt appears to have succeeded - so far. It involves total abstinence from all addictive substances - drugs, alcohol, tobacco.

The main (and lengthy) part of rehab is not in withdrawing from the chemical addiction, but dealing with all the social issues - exploring reasons for starting the drug, reasons for continuing etc. also the addict is usually in a social group that is taking, or approving of, drugs, so many friendships have to be abandoned which leads to social isolation, the main reason for relapse.

Our fingers are permanently crossed.
Marg

 

This is actually the focus of the rehab programs we are aware of. The actual chemical addiction can be overcome relatively quickly, but the underlying issues take far longer to be sorted out.
Marg

 

Education I guess, needs to be more of it, personally I was taught 0% about drugs and alcohol in school, if you only tell kids "don't do drugs, they're bad" curiosity may get the better of them, in my opinion. Having reformed addicts speak to them could possibly be beneficial, I'm not sure, I'm no expert on the subject.

Maybe it is a flawed system and needs to be changed. Surely you cannot just have an addict leave rehab with no ongoing psychological help - ideally continuing consistent follow-up appointments with psychologists - not sure if the government currently assists with this financially?

 

This is good, there are some interesting recent studies of treatment of addictions with a single dose of Psychedelics (such as Psilocybin from psychoactive mushrooms) however this treatment is much more successful is when patients have ongoing follow up appointments with psychologists.

"In addition to the UNM study of alcohol dependence, researchers at Johns Hopkins University have tested the ability of psilocybin to halt nicotine addiction and have seen striking outcomes. At the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy for cocaineusers is underway. In February, a team of researchers affiliated with Boston University and Harvard Medical School, among other institutions, published a study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology reporting that illicit opioid users were at markedly less risk of becoming dependent on opioids if they also had experience with psychedelic drugs, suggesting a protective effect" - A Radical New Approach to Beating Addiction

 

The minute you step outside the airport in Amsterdam and wait for the taxi ,one can smell the hashish skunk nitro in the air people are smoking everywhere,they knew full well that they could not control the use of drugs so just like the US in several states that if you want to control something make it more available and tax the guts out of it..
As i have invested in several now listed companies that are in the medical green smoko only time will tell..

 

Good question, dont know?

Some

There is plenty of follow up and government assistance in the way of counseling, therapy groups, on going urine tests, psychologists, home visits but its an addiction.

If only it were that simple as throwing money at it, but its not, thats why its not going away

The addiction comes first, thats why 80% fail

 

It's like obesity - often stems from baggage (abuse - either mental or physical - being the main culprit). And, unless the underlying reason tackled from a mental health point of view, then the success rates of keeping weight off/staying clean are very low.

Due to lack of spaces, I have a girlfriend who nursed her daughter and daughter's boyfriend through detox ... but they didn't stay clean for long after as (I suspect) there are underlying childhood "father" issues that haven't been acknowledged, even tho the father is no longer in their lives

I feel - from what I've observed (and no expert) - that a lot of the issues boil down to a fulfilling purpose and self worth ... although gut health has now been shown to have a lot of affect on mental health, but that's a whole other topic

 

More resources can't be a bad thing though, I'm not saying it's a silver bullet solution - as with most things, prevention is key.

 

I guess I have been around this now for over 10 years now effecting 2 families, I have seen the revolving door and how its failed

Mxxx goes back to rehab next week, I think 9 months this time. Prior to this she overdosed on prescription drugs, induced coma, she came through, but it was touch and go

She must be clean before she is accepted into rehab, hope it works this time. This is all government funded, during this period she will have access many health professionals.

I don't if anyone has the answers more funding??? Its an addiction thats the issue

 

I wouldn't say plenty - long waiting lists to get onto programs - you either had to get a doctor referral for counselling to cost $60/session - or was $180/session ... and even then is a long wait for a session ... and the $60 is limited to 10 sessions

 

I would say its case to case how they prioritise, and diagnosis, mental state, treatment.

I am not privy to costs etc and dont know how the system works, I am just giving an account of what I have seen watching friends go through this process

one is an ice addict with a child so child welfare are also involved

 

I do agree mental health plays a huge part in this

Mxxxx has a fantastic supportive family, she went to one of the best private schools, thats where she got introduced to drugs

she also has a University degree. I think held a job for 2 years?? Long time ago now.

Has 3 siblings, triplets, all doing well, none take drugs

So what happened to Mxxxxx, dont know, neither do her parents

 

I'm not sure it actually is a whole other topic... we have a fair amount of food intolerance issues in my family (immediate and extended) and I have seen first hand how diet/gut health can affect mental state. More and more research is coming out showing this, and also some correlation with ASD.

cheers,
Inertia.

 

I meant as in "a whole other thread" ... our family also have inherited (but previously undiagnosed) intolerance's and the difference when those foods are now avoided has been huge