OUR VIEW: Making a push against addiction

Published 5:15 am Wednesday, March 14, 2018

The drug epidemic continues to wreck lives with prescription pills, methamphetamine, heroin and a variety of other deadly substances.

Families across Cullman County watch as relatives and friends plunge deep into addiction, often feeling the long arm of the law and landing in jail multiple times. The road of despair for many seems to never end.

With the growing alarm over drugs, WellStone’s New Horizons Recovery Center is reaching out to offer free treatment and counseling for substance abuse on an out-patient basis. Formerly Cullman Area Mental Health, WellStone Cullman is under the direction of Chris Van Dyke who has been a voice for providing better funding to help with all types of mental health care issues.

Mental health professionals have long observed a connection of mental illness to drug abuse. The lack of funding and insurance plans push some to self-medicate. Too often, those in the addiction trap started as recreational users and now find it impossible to break free.

Law enforcement officials also note drug abuse is directly linked to many crimes such as burglaries and theft. Police also see the impact on families who deal with the continuous problems addiction brings.

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Offering treatment and counseling opens the door to a tremendous community service. Van Dyke has noted in the past that funding issues prevents being able to retain some counselors as they move to higher paying professions.

In recognizing the effort coming from WellStone, it would be timely to see local governments and organizations commit to providing additional mental health care funding so trained professionals can be retained and provide the help many need in our community.

A lot of people complain about seeing drug users going to jail, making bond and returning to the same lifestyle that led to their arrest. Law enforcement and judges can only do so much in their roles. State laws are set on bond and time or incarceration. So yes, there is a revolving door. But the reason many offenders return to substance abuse is because treatment is often not accessible.

WellStone is taking a bold step forward in an effort to make a dent in the nightmare of drug dependency. Supporting this organization financially to continue this work at a greater level will allow our community to salvage some lives that might otherwise be lost.