The complexities of both the physical and mental aspects to addiction continue to baffle those of us who aren’t educated on the issue. I’ve been blogging about addiction for over two years now, and while I’ve gained some general knowledge, and have read countless internet articles about a wide variety of addiction issues, I confess that I still know very little. Perhaps the internet wasn’t the best place to look, and perhaps my lack of knowledge is simply because I am not a psychiatrist, a doctor that specializes in addiction, or a trained addiction counselor. What I do know, is that with the absolute rampant drug use in areas of our country that many of us thought were immune to such things, families and friends of those addicted to drugs and alcohol are becoming increasingly overwhelmed.… Read the rest »
The issue of welfare and those worthy of receiving it has always been a huge problem for governments. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that the Governor of Michigan wants those receiving welfare and other state funded assistance programs to be using the people’s tax dollars on the things they need to survive and function, instead of drugs. Of course, for the most part, people receiving such benefits are down on their luck and are living so far below the poverty line that drugs may seem something like a vacation away from their lives, lives spent worrying about what the future will hold and how to potentially raise kids or take care of themselves in general. While an addiction to drugs can affect just about anyone, the poor are often the hardest hit, and while it’s understandable that a state government would want to see it’s money go to those most in need, it could become a very cruel exercise if they do decided to crack down on welfare recipients who test positively for drugs on routine analysis.… Read the rest »
To some, it’s a rare occurrence when the federal government of Canada does something right that should be applauded and recognized as a good idea. It isn’t a new idea, but the feds have decided to re-open and fund provincial level courts that deal with non-violent crimes committed by drug addicts. It certainly makes a lot of sense, as such crimes are usually committed out of desperation, but it is still important to remember that they are in fact crimes and that behavior cannot be tolerated. While some hardliners would see such criminals arrested and thrown in jail for years, the more reasonable thinking believes that it’s a waste of police resources and taxpayer money to keep such people locked up in an environment that offers no real rehabilitation.… Read the rest »