Alicia Loc: NYC

A few years ago I came across an article in Tico Times (English language newspaper in Costa Rica) which had a spread on how wrong-doers were treated in their prisons. In that article they were bragging about how their prisoners were being treated: They had classes in various areas, even in acting and music. These people were being prepared for their re-entrance into society. They even had a wedding between one prisoner and his non-imprisoned fiance. I believe this is an excellent philosophy as opposed to that in the U.S. Why should the balance of one's life bedesroyed because they made a mistake in judgement?

Then I came across this article and would like to hear others' thoughts on the subject.

http://wakeup-world.com/2015/05/26/the-likely-cause-of-addiction-has-been-discovered-its-not-what-you-think/

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Thanks for the article, Alicia. There appears to be much t***h in it. As I am tired, I will re-read it later when I am better rested, and give it further thought.

archie bunker Loc: Texas

While I think this has some merit, I also think that it depends on the individual involved. I have much experience in this area in my personal life, and I think that some people just don't respond to anything because they enjoy that lifestyle.
I would be happy to share my experiences with you off of the public forum, and see what you think.

pafret Loc: Northeast

Interesting idea but there is much real world evidence that says the warm connected environment has nothing to do with addiction. I have an example in my brothers family, five children, one who was a bad apple, who became addicted and got two sibling hooked as well. It was a stable rational environment and the children were nurtured and supported by both parents. The primary addict was in and out of rehab and every dime he could beg borrow or steal went into his addiction, again and again until my brother finally had to deny him access to the family. He had repeatedly stolen so much and was a source of corruption for his sisters that his presence could not be tolerated.

There are other such stories so it is not cut and dried that this method is 'the cure" for addiction. The reason that narcotics became controlled substances to begin with was that people who were prescribed drugs for injuries and wounds ended up becoming addicted. This would contradict the statements that people who are given potent forms of heroin for pain after surgery can easily shed or never get any any addiction problems. The historical fact is that they did get such problems.

Alicia Loc: NYC

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Can we ever know whether a person feels s/he is being ignored? From the outside everything can look perfect. I have a sister who is in her 70s who still resents the fact that I received music lessons and that I always got the best of everything. T***h is that when I saw the music lessons were not beginning, I f**ed crocodile tears and cried for my parents. For another instance, I was first born and had to go through training my parents to be parents. I was my mother's china doll. She may have mentioned her desire once and then expected them to jump on it. I believe I am correct in that she always gave her children identical gifts where I and my husband gave them the gifts each desired.

While growing up I was limited in play because I HAD TO look pretty while my sister had the opportunity to run around in jeans. I think it's more important that the love and attention come from those outside of the family because being too close to a situation blinds one and treated them as individuals. We also gave them gifts of games which they had to play together.

I certainly believe our penal system is wrong in that a one-time felon loses the right to participate in e******ns. Sounds a bit too Puritan to me in that for one mistake one must pay for the rest of his life. Offering training in prisons allows the prisoner to be able to resume a normal life after release. I'm all for the Costa Rican method. It was also mentioned that the instructors donated their time and talents so it cost the government nothing.

I do believe that President Obama nixed the information box that asked if the prospective employee state if s/he was ever arrested. Today one can be arrested for protesting. Correct me if I'm in error.

I do resent your referring to the addict as a "bad apple" as if he were born bad. That's such an easy way to escape an interest.

Alicia Loc: NYC

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You're on! When and where shall we meet?

Donna45 Loc: Florida

Thanks for that.
I haven't read the article yet but i will. Ive been in n outta jail rehab.
Ive been clean 2 years now from drugs. I was a garbage can junkie. Most my life i was on some kind drug since i was 14. I was given beer in my baby bottle. I had good parents but my dad was an Italian mobster born in 1917 on the CrazyTrain lol.
I dont mind sharing any of my experiences or places drugs took me and did they ever take me places in hell i never wanna go back to Thank you God. You have to have a stronger desire for something other than your desire to get high bottom line. Thanks 4 listening to me. Enough of my rant i could go on. If you wanna talk about it let me know. Hagd God bless!

Alicia Loc: NYC

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I do feel for you. After you read the article, please get back to me.

Donna45 Loc: Florida

I sure will.
Im in a great place now. Your experiences make you who you are. I walked that path for a reason i suppose. I would always pray God let me be walking this path so that one day my children wont have to. I dont agree with AAA view points you are not powerless over anything but God and they try to make you think u have no control when in all actuality you have full control.
You control your mind it dont control you.
You have to have a strong mind.

pafret Loc: Northeast

I did not use the expression "bad apple" lightly, the boy exhibited anti-social tendencies and traits from an early age. He was a constant source of concern and always in need of attention. He was the second sibling; he received more attention than the other four combined, simply to keep him in check and attempt to correct his behavior. Whether you resent it or not, there are innumerable cases of individuals who have remained willful, unruly, headstrong sociopaths all of their lives. While one does not wish to characterize their own offspring as being such an individual it must be recognized that if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and associates only with other ducks, the odds are quite high it is a duck.

Your description of your family life is disjointed and confusing but as an outsider I would hazard an opinion that it does not "look perfect." Rather it looks as though you exhibited all of the characteristics of a selfish, spoiled brat, overly indulged, by a doting mother to the exclusion of her other children.

As far as love and attention coming from those outside the family, to what end? In charity I am required to feed the poor, cloth the naked and house the homeless. This does not make it incumbent upon me to clutch the serpent to my bosom. All of the programs which treat addiction, with any modicum of success, indicate that the addict must desire to change and that change is brought about by will and spirituality. Environment can help but the motivator must come from within. Addicts are consummate actors, completely able to simulate contrition and repentance; while you believe you have effected cures they are laughing at your folly.

Arguments can be made that the penal system has become big business and the pipeline must be kept full of minor infraction felons but this still does not absolve the individual of his responsibility to obey the laws. Those laws were established, for the good of humanity in general, and to deliberately contravene those laws says you place yourself outside the pale of society. Why then should you have the same rights as law abiding citizens? Particularly since you have already demonstrated a disregard for the rules and conventions which keep us from murdering each other willy-nilly.

To return to the original premise, someone who has grown up "all alone" and resorted to drugs because there was no other distraction is unlikely to ever appreciate those distractions when provided to him. I know the article claims immediate success and this in itself raises f**gs. Anyone with experience with addicts knows there is no immediate success no matter what you do for those afflicted with addictive behavior. I believe that what is lacking is an extreme training in the effects and consequences, of addictions of any kind coupled with a rigorous indoctrination into the immorality, of such behavior. We have abandoned the moral, spiritual side of our young peoples education and deprived them of the necessary spine to reject behavior which leads to addiction and to refuse addiction if accidentally exposed.

"Just Say No to Drugs" is failed Madison Avenue Ad Propaganda and is as easily ignored as all the rest of the tripe pushed at everyone all day long. The obvious response to that imperative is "Why". Without the background education there is no convincing answer to be provided.

pafret Loc: Northeast

Your story is typical of the history, of most of the addicts I have known. By the grace of God I have never had a destructive addiction and I am left only with a coffee addiction in my last days. I believe you when you say that the desire to not be an addict must come from within. I will include you in my prayers that you may continue to have the will to be free of your addictions.

Donna45 Loc: Florida

Yes it is. We didnt say growing up i wanna be an addict on the contrary i wanted to be a lawyer in NYC. Then life happened and my journey began for wh**ever reason. I just prayed that i was on that path so one of my kids wouldnt have to. Thank you
all prayers are appreciated. I dont have a desire or struggle with it at all n I was shooting Heroin in the end of that journey. I believe everything happens for a reason. Ive been in numerous vehicle accidents ended up in induced a coma with minor bd. I've jumped off a 2nd floor balcony in my sleep. Fallin down flights of stairs in my sleep. Driving accidents in my sleep. Ive overdosed i cant tell u how many times.
Im here bc God has kept me here. I could go on n on but il leave it there for now. God bless you God bless our POTUS n God bless America.

archie bunker Loc: Texas

I think you're 100% right pafret. We have a bad apple in our family who has caused nothing but pain and destruction with everyone she encounters in, and outside of the family. She just ain't right in the head. I've been saying for years, and the family finally agrees that the best way to deal with this person is to have absolutely nothing to do with her.

chuckybrass

Problem is, there is still the 25% that just want to drink the bad water under any circumstance, and the question of how we can deal with them.

Alicia Loc: NYC

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I don't believe that the article stated "immediate success." Even the mice had to be able to tell the difference, in time. Still a system directed toward preparing a one-time law breaker or mistake maker so that they could pick up a normal life after service their time is much more preferable to condemning a person to a life long punishment. Please don't give me any BS that you "never" did something wrong and always obeyed all the rules. The difference is that you didn't get caught so your passing yourself off as righteous. Please keep in mind that those prisoners mentioned were not imprisoned for murder.

I must laugh when you refer to having "spine" in order to remain unaddicted. You seem to believe that religion is quite necessary in order to have willpower. On the other hand I stated that I believe it is the Puritan Ethic which leads to over-punishment. But then, I do have faith in our youth. I feel sorry only for those who have been raised and brainwashed in their parents' beliefs. Yes, brainwashed, because they will not allow themselves to think outside of their parent-induced bubble. And, like you, demand that later generations follow the older generation's thoughts even though they haven't worked. Please note that it is always the younger generation's responsibility to lead this country. AND they ARE aware of it.

I do resent your concluding that I was a spoiled brat. Being first born is a difficult job. I once saw my mother cry ( I was about 4 at the time)and being a child I blamed myself. So I swore to myself that I would never give her cause to cry again. I never did find out if I was the cause the first time. That's walking a tightrope. Sadly it prevented me from dong some things I might have enjoyed but hesitated because I might not have done well enough to please her. Fortunately I was blessed with much talent and succeeded at wh**ever I set my mind to. Regarding the music, when I was only studying 4 months I auditioned for the High School of Performing Arts in NYC. I believe it's called LaGuardia presently. In addition to having to take an academic course that would prepare the student for college, I was required to take four hours of music theory daily. AND in addition to all my academic homework assignments, I put in two hours each evening practicing and at least eight hours on weekends. As you can tell, I had very little social life.

My sister enjoyed sewing and attended Central Needle Trades HS. She should have gone on to the Fashion Institute of Technology but, instead, enjoyed dating. She was fabulous in that artform but, after designing my costumes, she never took her talent any further. She might have become a famous costume designer but belittled her own talents. I can't be blamed for that. I did suggest she do a little advertising which she didn't follow through on. I believe she never thought ahead of where she was. She never followed through on anything. If one doesn't put in the energy toward forethought to further oneself, that person is to blame. I do resent her holding her lack of success, even up to this date . against me. Seventy years is a long time to hold a grudge.

I could say more but my autobiography would fill at least 300 pages.