The sad truth is that NO ONE will begin working towards ending the cycle of addiction until they hit their bottom ... wherever it may lie.

The necessities for a Crack Addict

Did you happen to see this headline in the Vancouver Province yesterday (December 29, 2011)?   Free crack pipes now distributed in Vancouver as part of health strategy

The story began by saying:

… Crack addicts in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside have started receiving free crack pipes as part of a Vancouver Coastal Health Authority harm reduction strategy aimed at curbing the spread of disease…

I’d don’t know about you, but that immediately prompted me to ask, and wonder, about this:

Do these addicts sign a waiver resolving the Health Authority for any responsibility should they overdose using supplies provided by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority? I’m no lawyer, but it seems to me they have put themselves in a VERY vulnerable position should a family member decide to sue the health authority for having played a role in the death of a family member.

They did of course wrap up the news story with what seemed to be an obligatory quote / question from the other side – that was David Brener from the Drug Prevention Network.  Here is what he had to say:

… the B.C.-based director of the Drug Prevention Network of Canada offered a far less optimistic opinion.  “Programs like this ignore the problems of addiction,” said David Brener. “All this does is aid and abet. What we should do is put that same amount of money into treatment and prevention. Because treatment and prevention work.”

I will be blunt and direct; in my personal opinion there is NO SUCH THING AS HARM REDUCTION!

It's a scam and anyone that has gone through, and been involved with AA, NA, etc, will tell you it cannot be done in most cases. Addicts cannot have and consume their drug of choice.  That is because for those who suffer from addiction; their first drink, first use of the crack pipe, first needle in the vein … is one too many ... and the rest will not be enough to fulfill the need and desire that drives them.

Anyone who does not believe this needs to read the words found in the literature of Narcotics Anonymous … especially the second half of the material on their “Am I An Addict” brochure … or the brochure from Alcoholics Anonymous entitled, “This is AA … an introduction to the AA Recovery Program”

Both NA and AA are 12 step programs – and the wording of the first two steps, for each group, are very similar.  Here are the first 2 steps from AA:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity

In NA they say, “The only way to keep from returning to active addiction is not to take that first drug. If you are like us you know that one is too many and a thousand never enough. We put great emphasis on this, for we know that when we use drugs in any form, or substitute one for another, we release our addiction all over again.”

These are the words of addiction groups that have been around for decades now --- and they have proven success WHEN those afflicted with their addiction finally hit the point where they are willing to say --- “I’ve had enough, I need help” … that’s step 1.

Helping the addict to continue in their addiction is NOT something ANY government body or agency should be doing!

The concept or idea of Harm Reduction, as described by Harm Reduction International, says:
Harm reduction complements approaches that seek to prevent or reduce the overall level of drug consumption. It is based on the recognition that many people throughout the world continue to use psychoactive drugs despite even the strongest efforts to prevent the initiation or continued use of drugs. Harm reduction accepts that many people who use drugs are unable or unwilling to stop using drugs at any given time. Access to good treatment is important for people with drug problems, but many people with drug problems are unable or unwilling to get treatment.

The sad truth is that NO ONE will begin working towards ending the cycle of addiction until they hit their bottom ... wherever it may lie.  Sadly for some addicts, and their families and loved ones, that bottom will be in their death.

YES … we need to provide all of the resources and assistance we can, to help those suffering from addictions to recover --- BUT we should not be providing them with drugs, alcohol, and crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia to continue in their addiction!

By the way, I would like to point out that nothing I have written here today is BC Conservative Party policy --- but it is what I would call common sense reality … something both NA and AA seem to have realized a long time ago.

Here’s my message to the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority … and any other government agency with similar policies … stop helping addicts continue in their addictions!

A survey by Narcotics Anonymous indicated that 39% of their members had been drug free for over 10 years … and the overall average is 9 years drug free. 

With the help of others, these people have saved themselves from what their bottom likely would have been --- DEATH.  I wonder how many of these people would have instead died, had the choice been to instead accept the drugs, alcohol, and tools of the trade, offered by health authorities and other government agencies.

The only way to keep from returning to active addiction is not to take that first drug.

I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops, with the thoughts of one conservative