Let's turn this thing around!

 

We have a serious drug problem on this Island! As a province, we should be doing everything we can to combat addiction, including expanding our treatment options to incorporate modern, scientifically proven approaches along with the traditional ones. I’ve had enough of individuals, families, and communities being devastated by this disease – a disease that is treatable. How about you?

So, why aren’t we adequately treating it? Good question!

The biggest barrier is funding. The Province needs to step up and make the investment in addiction treatment. Research suggests that for every $1 spent on treatment, $12 is saved in other areas including health and justice. That sounds like a good investment to me. Any investor would put money into something that would yield a 12:1 return. Why won’t our government?

To be fair, our government has made some investment in treatment programs, albeit small. Some of the programs already in place work for some people, which is wonderful! I am always so pleased to hear about a success story. However, they are few and far between because what is being offered to the majority of individuals seeking help is not enough OR there are long waiting lists so Islanders cannot access the services in a timely manner (timing is everything with addiction treatment). Overall, and for many reasons, we are failing. Our increase in IV drug use, the increase in cases of Hep-C from IV drug use, as well as having the highest crime rate per capita in Eastern Canada are all good indicators of this failure. Please see my previous post for more information on these increases.

It is heartbreaking to see so many people, especially our youth, caught up in addiction. It is heartbreaking to hear of so many young people contracting Hepatitis-C, and it is heartbreaking to see an increase in crime in our communities. It is not too late to turn things around but we have to put the pressure on government in order for them to act on this epidemic. Call your MLA and talk about it. You have to CARE enough to do something.

If you don’t give a darn about addicts, perhaps you care about your community and sense of safety. Maybe that will be your motivation to do something. You may be one of those people who say “throw them in jail for a long time” thinking that is the solution. Well, it isn’t. Locking someone up with no treatment for their addiction is not solving the problem. They will get out eventually and still have all the same issues only worse because they are further hindered by a criminal record.

As a responsible citizen, I do believe that if you do the crime, you do the time. We can’t have people committing crimes with no consequences. However, there needs to be treatment offered as part of the rehabilitation process. The more logical approach to crime is to have treatment available BEFORE a crime even takes place. Less crime means fewer victims. That would be nice!

We never know what the future holds. You may not be directly impacted by addiction today but you could be down the road with a child, grandchild, niece, nephew, etc. becoming addicted. Addiction knows no boundaries. Let me tell you, when/if it does happen to your loved one, you’ll wish that you did something earlier to ensure the necessary help would be there. There is no scarier feeling than having your loved one sick with something that could easily kill them. As if that isn’t bad enough, finding out that there is not enough help available and that we have a system full of gaps is downright devastating.

As a province, we need to expand our offerings and our resources so that we can find something that works for each person. Because we are all unique individuals, whether you have an addiction or not, one size does not fit all with anything in this world and that includes addiction treatment.

Let’s take a stand for our fellow Islanders and for ourselves as well as future generations by demanding more of our government in this area. This is a disease that is treatable. That is the positive part. We can turn this thing around with a little investment of money and compassion.

Sincerely,

Rose