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Recovery in the News
Guest column: Heroin articles gloss over addiction issue
LivingstonDaily.com
October 25, 2009
On Oct. 11, the Daily Press & Argus had two front-page articles, each by Lisa Roose-Church, that highlighted the growing opiate problem in Livingston County and across southeastern Michigan. These articles addressed the legal, financial and emotional costs of addiction, including both heroin and other substances. Three days later, the same writer had a follow-up article that described recent law enforcement efforts within Livingston County and the surrounding area. We are concerned that these articles sensationalize a very critical topic and gloss over or leave untouched many critical components of the addiction issue, particularly as it relates to opiate addiction.
One example of sensationalism is the linkage of heroin use with Afghanistan. While it is true that this war-torn nation is the source of most of the world's opiate production, the first taste of opiate use for many teens and young adults comes from a legal source — the medicine cabinet. Vicodin, Oxycontin and other prescription painkillers, often stolen from the medicine cabinets of parents and grandparents, have become a frequent "gateway" towards the use of heroin and other "street drugs."
These articles very specifically highlight the social/emotional costs of heroin use through the story of Shauna Mikula. Certainly, we are grateful that her family was willing to share their tragedy for the sake of others. However, Shauna's reaction to the DARE officer and her decision to try heroin out of disbelief were extremely rare reactions. This provides a disservice to the DARE officer and to the thousands of students who have heard the same message and have decided to make very different choices.
In addition to the emotional costs to the families and friends of addicts, the articles also underscore the financial costs to the law enforcement community. The 43 arrests required the efforts of 11 law enforcement agencies and undoubtedly required hundreds of investigative hours. However, law enforcement is only one piece of the response system. These articles failed to share information about the treatment options that are available for the individuals and families who are struggling with addiction.
While at least 10 people will die this year due to a heroin overdose, many more will successfully begin a recovery process from this addiction. And, many other people will also begin a recovery process from alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and other addictive substances. Livingston County is the home of several substance abuse treatment organizations, and many others are located across southeastern Michigan. These agencies have been an important part of our community response to the opiate problem for several years. The failure to highlight treatment is a glaring omission from these articles.
In addition to the law enforcement and treatment efforts, our community is home to several agencies that currently provide substance abuse prevention services. Six of these agencies are working collaboratively through the Livingston Community Prevention Project. In September, the LCPP sent a press release to the Daily Press & Argus announcing a media campaign to increase community awareness about the issue of opiate addiction. Sadly, this detailed press release was condensed to a few short sentences and hidden in the middle of the newspaper — not provided the same splashy front page of the three aforementioned articles. This media campaign includes billboards, pharmacy bags, a new Web site, www.neversaynevermi.com, and other vehicles with a goal towards increasing awareness and education within the local community. Perhaps our mistake was that we chose to educate, as opposed to sensationalize.
Law enforcement, substance abuse treatment and substance abuse prevention all have a financial cost for delivery. Many law enforcement agencies, including the Michigan State Police and some of our local departments, will experience reduced revenue due to the budget cuts being made in Lansing. Substance abuse treatment services similarly suffer from these same budget cuts and from the fact that Michigan is a state that does not require the parity of health benefits for substance abuse and mental health as compared to physical health. It is also important to note that substance abuse prevention services, the activities designed to steer our children away from harmful substances and towards healthier choices, will also be cut this year.
Signed by Mark T. Robinson, executive director, Livingston County Catholic Social Services; Janet Loesche, executive director, Livingston Family Center; Maureen Norman, director, Complete Counseling Center; Karen Bergbower, president, Karen Bergbower & Associates; Anne King-Hudson, executive director, Key Development Center; and Polly Mallory, executive director, Women's Resource Center, on behalf of the six member organizations of the Livingston Community Prevention Project
Copyright ©2009