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Insanity
By lindamuralidharan on 2018-03-30 05:29:32
Okay, this is a term that is batted around more today than ever. "Insanity". It is used in its imprecise lay person's sense of
somebody behaving irrationally or in a disapproved way. It is now also used in the way popularized in 12 Step Programs.
This latter, and in my view, much preferred way is to say that the actual definition of "insanity" is doing the same thing over
and over and expecting to get different results from that same action. It could work in sports A person could practice
throwing a curve ball 30 times and on the 31st practice pitch put the ball exactly where you want it. But of course, even in
that example there were subtle differences that the person was attempting to effect. The successful pitch was not quite the
same after all even though the act of throwing was the same. I use the term in this way despite not caring too much for
phrases that may seem trite, and I am also doing other things in this post I normally resist. I am repeating for a second week
the same topic. Since topic of substance abuse and addiction is also very much talked about these days, thus I choose to go
further into the subject. And while doing so I am more or less plagiarizing one particular column in my local paper although
I attribute my writing to one of its major sources, Jacob Sullum. His recent column appeared in the "Honolulu Star
Advertiser", and he apparently writes regularly for the "Creators Syndicate". I believe he is happy to endorse a basically
Libertarian point of view, and sometimes I am in agreement with his positions. His recent column basically takes to task the
plans by President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeffrey Beauregard Sessions to utilize any number of policies with
respect to substance abuse that have been found wanting....if not downright counterproductive...in the past. [caption
Partnership fora Drug-Free A merica
id="attachment_11056" align="alignright" width="300"] This is your brain
on drugs.[/caption] I really did think I was in Never Never Land when Sullum quoted Trump as planning to develop a series
of media commercials that would be "very, very bad" and show drug use in a dreadful light. Yes, some of us actually
remember "your brain on drugs", fried egg style, and "Reefer Madness." These were dishonest and kids have quite a nose
for dishonesty and hypocrisy. Furthermore, research showed the results were not as expected. The propaganda did not have
much impact for the goal of reducing teen drug use and the adds apparently even intrigued some youngsters to the extent
they were motivational in the direction of experimentation with using. Why would Trump tout_a failed policy? Perhaps
because he implements or tries to implement many of his pet ideas based on his personal conjecture and prejudices without
having much knowledge of the subject. It seems he is allergic to advice and input from informed advisors. My column last
week elicited quite a bit of controversy, and in some follow up posts both I and Mickie Lynn have posted with clarifications.
On some of these issues, I speak only for myself and not the other bloggers although we all agree that what we explain are
ideas we think....individually or together....reduce violence, suffering and conflict in the modern world. Pretty much we are
used in America to three main ways of solving the problem of addiction and overdoses on some of the street drugs. Not a lot
seems to be done to address overdoses on alcohol although some universities have banned fraternities that encourage some
forms of binge drinking. One main way to tackle these problems is to provide treatment. At various community levels there
are places where Medicaid will pay for those who have burnt all their bridges, as we in the treatment community say. And
there are now many private pay programs, some luxurious ones and some that are a little more basic. In nearly all these
latter programs, the motive is profit. The National Institute for Drug Abuse may have some recent research. The last I
heard...a decade ago...the most effective programs for people with severe addictions are those providing 12 to 18 months of
residential treatment with at least 6 months of aftercare. There are few places of this nature in the country. Some people do
very well living in the community and rigorously attending 12 Step Meetings. These may be Alcoholics Anonymous or
Narcotics Anonymous or a combination. [caption id="attachment_ 11057" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Anti-drug poster[/caption] For the most part, insufficient funds, training and public
education have been provided in America to meet the needs of society as a whole or of many suffering individuals. It is
easy for some to be judgmental and say that addicts are somehow flawed individuals and some people still even believe they
are hopeless. Some believe that treatment does not work and that will power is the answer or some religious dogma will
solve all one's problems. Occasionally a person will undergo a profound change and find a clean and sober way of life
through meditation, or an exceptional support system or through devotion to a religious deity. For the vast majority,
however, some deep involvement with recovering peers or well trained recovery specialists or both is required in order to
achieve sobriety and avoid relapse. [caption id="attachment_11058" align="alignright" width="225"]
F
Ce
ww “| Are some doctors pushers?[/caption] We have waiting lists and often bureaucratic
hurdles to recovery so in many cases our friends and family members don't get the help they need. Some individuals simply
cause more problems for themselves and others while waiting for something to open up, some get into trouble with the law
and end up in jail or prison, and some die. People die from overdoses, from lack of medical care for other health issues,
from DUI car crashes, from being in the wrong place at the wrong time and being stabbed or shot. Treatment is known to
work when properly applied and made available.k Another method we use is prevention. Reducing alcohol advertising in
poor neighborhoods (affluent white suburbs already have fewer liquor outlets and store front ads appealing to youngsters),
informed education in schools and communities (not to vilify drugs but to place the emphasis on waiting until a youth is 21
or older and to place the emphasis on the risks of using drugs that are still illegal and lead to legal problems and/or
associating with unreliable people). Prevention can also include providing a lot more good role models and activities for
kids outside of school. The third significant method for reducing substance use or abuse is generally called interdiction. For
the most part that involves sending those 10,000 DEA agents around the country and into foreign lands to capture or
discourage shipments of drugs into this country. We waste a lot of money on this as it does not work. Too much time of
local police departments is also spent arresting drug users or dealers. Some police work would always be needed even if we
legalize more drugs and in more places as it really took years after prohibition for people to get used to getting licenses and
paying taxes when producing alcohol products for consumption. And even now somebody has to make sure businesses are
not violating the terms of their liquor licenses and that paperwork is up to date. [caption id="attachment_11059"
align="alignright" width="300"] Could this doctor be a pusher?[/caption]
However, drugs other than alcohol continue to stream into our country or are produced here in clandestine labs. We have
called it the War on Drugs, and we have lost it and need to declare a truce. That will probably mean fewer entertainment
profits based on tough police chasing and shooting up those very bad drug dealers..what would the entertainment industry do
without bad drug busts and bad drug dealers to chase? Vested interests in organizations such as the DEA resist losing their
jobs. There has always been a mantra out there of let's get tough on drug dealers and/or users. And, here again, no matter
how many we lock up, the problem continues with law enforcement, DEA, and prison operators...whether public or
private...the only ones really benefiting. In recent years, prison reform has made a little progress with fewer people being
locked up or given stupidly long sentences for using or dealing at lower levels. We have begun to save tax payers money,
get more individuals back on the tax paying roles, and begun to help communities which don't need to have generations of
their adults stashed away in rural prisons. Now, partly because of the publicity and the true devastation of the opiate
overdoses, people with a cruel streak and the dysfunctional wish to control other people as part of their DNA (or childhood
conditioning!), want to roll the clock back. Sessions and Trump, for example, talk about tougher sentences and even the
death penalty for major dealers. Well... haven't actually heard Trump call for putting our local supermarket managers or
managers of liquor stores to death. Is that because they are usually white and people think of heroin and cocaine and
marijuana dealers as people of color? We do know that the more people are prosecuted for drug offenses, the greater the
negative impact on communities of color even though when it comes to marijuana, for example, the use of it in the white
community is slightly higher than in the black community. Or what about the doctors who have over-prescribed opiate pain
killers? There are plans afoot to counter these irresponsible actions with a major reduction in supplies of opiate pain
killers. We have some very responsible doctors and some responsible patients out there and it can really cause suffering
among the innocent...those who truly can benefit from proper doses of opiate pain killers. Iam one. Recovering from hip
surgery 3 and 4 years ago and suffering from an extremely painful arthritis attack in 2016, I found Oxycodone about the
only thing that helped. As a retired substance abuse counselor I am very cautious. I only take what seems critical for
exteme.....not every day..pain. About 7 years ago I had some suspect diagnoses and a lot of leg pain. I was given a
prescription anti-inflammatory and Tramadol. I was told the Tramadol is not addictive. I looked it up. Actually it is more
or less a synthetic heroin and, while fairly mild, is definitely addictive. Whether I am finished with the need for Oxycodone
or Tramadol or any similar drug, I know to reduce the daily dose very, very gradually to avoid any significant withdrawal
discomfort. I, personally, don't use these medications except for rare health issues. Following surgery it is important for
patients to have sufficient relief. They also need to be informed by the medical establishment of the risks and how to use the
medications responsibly. Some monitoring and followup by doctors is also critical. Pretty much I was on my own but had
the knowledge or what to do...and, yes, I did double check with my doctor about the ending of the med routine. Some
doctors over the years have given a variety of mood altering medicines to their patients in recovery from addiction. Those
of us in treatment programs tried to alert doctors or we told our clients to ask the doctors for something else to take. For the
most part, medical schools were not good at teaching the doc about addiction. And some medical professionals have just not
cared, and willingly supplied "doctor" shopping patients with repeated doses of opiate medications. I am also told now that
locally the people not strung out on some form of meth are likely to be addicted to Xanax because their relatives have plenty
in the medicine cabinets from doctors who would rather prescribe a bill than help the patient with whatever is in their life or
life style that is creating so much anxiety. Some other typical medications may also cause relapse in recovering addicts.
=r)
The lab thattests
your weed
[caption id="attachment_ 11061" align="alignleft" width="300"] Testing
weed|/caption] Back to opiates. Coming down much harder on the supply of opiates, as Trump and Sessions vow to do, at
this late stage in the epidemic, is pointless and will likely hurt the non addict patient who really deserves relief from his or
her pain. Further, Sullum reports that nearly all current deaths by overdose are from street heroin or fentanyl since the
medication addicted patients are turning to the street forms of heroin when their prescription medication is cut off. While
there have been opiate medication deaths from overdoses by addicts....often people who became addicted through pushing of
opiates by the pharmaceutical industry...fentanyl is extremely powerful in small quantities and extremely dangerous. Again,
cutting off supplies often doesn't work and when it does it often has unintended consequences. In my last post I explained
how the crack down on heroin in the 20th Century because of its association with Chinese immigrants led to suffering by
people who actually needed the medication. [caption id="attachment_ 11062" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Is it time to support honest research into the use and abuse of all recreational
drugs?[/caption] We have here numerous examples of insanity. We have spent billions on interdiction to no avail and now
we want to do more of the same. The simple fact is that it is so profitable, and there is so much demand, that people will get
the drugs here one way or another. A wall next to Mexico will not work. Messing with the cocaine growing economies in
South America or the poppy growing economy in Afghanistan does not work. Furthermore there is already a death penalty
for high level illegal drug dealers in the Federal statutes. It, however, contradicts Constitutional law that says that a death
penalty may not be imposed unless the crime resulted in a death. Are we going to take my local grocery manger to death
row because she sold the bottle of tequila that led to a woman driving drunk and killing someone in a drunken rage? We
have people here from time to time trying to kill people with their cars...police and civilians both and sometimes they
succeed. And we have our share of accidental fatal DUI crashes as well. [caption id="attachment_ 11060" align="alignright"
width="341"] ~ Afghan poppy field .... more heroin for the market
place[/caption] If we really care about people using any drug destructively, we need to spend less on failed policies and
redirect much of the funding to actual, affordable, and readily available treatment. We need to direct some of the money to
public education. We need to direct some of the money to better trained and additional substance abuse counselors and
case managers and doctors and psychiatrists. In the modern world, among homeless people and among people needing
treatment everywhere, there are few people addicted to alcohol alone. Nearly all addicts abuse more than one drug. Among
the majority (70%? 80%?) of people seeking mental health treatment today, substance abuse coexists with their symptoms
of mental illness. Treatment has become very complex. And we have begun the transition from "mother knows best"
treatment in mental health to peer informed approaches. We have learned from the 12 Step approach of one addict helping
another. Of course there need to be structures. AA is not a free for all. and medication is not always the answer especially
if self centered local governments are trying to do all this on the cheap. Talk therapy and group therapy can be more
expensive and take longer.....and potentially be more effective....than putting people in chemical straight jackets. There is a
lot of knowledge out there, now. The question is where is the will. And even more accurate knowledge will also be helpful.
We need to recognize that nearly all of the recreational drugs can be used safely by social users if we regulate them. We
have a good start in some places with marijuana. We need to be careful in how we move forward and in how we act as
though one cannot have a good time without getting high on something. We don't need our present culture of celebrating
getting high, nor do we need a culture of abstinence. We need a culture of moderation and informed consent. Or are we
content to wallow in our insanity?
