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Helping New Orleans Addicts

By TChris, Section Huricanes Katrina and Rita
Posted on Fri Sep 09, 2005 at 01:44:51 PM EST
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by TChris

They don't have an effective public voice. Many will say that they deserve to suffer the consequences of their own actions. Advocates for the drug addicted nonetheless remind us that people who were trying to get their lives together in New Orleans shouldn't be ignored now that their support systems have been destroyed.

Among the estimated 1 million people left homeless by Katrina are thousands of drug abusers and alcoholics, some who have never been in treatment but many who have been torn from recovery programs.

"They're people. Don't we care about the people?" said Kathleen Kane-Willis, a Roosevelt University researcher who has pushed for greater aid for displaced heroin addicts. "Why should we make a judgment that the people who use drugs aren't deserving of care?"

Hundreds of displaced addicts have overwhelmed the Baton Rouge Treatment Center, hoping to continue their methadone programs.

Without it, they face a harrowing withdrawal certain to compound their already considerable despair.

As Congress appropriates money for disaster recovery, it shouldn't forget those who have been working toward personal recovery.

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    Helping New Orleans Addicts | 5 comments (5 topical)
    Re: Helping New Orleans Addicts (none / 0) (#1)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:35 PM EST
    A few years ago I spent one year working as manager of a couple of rooming houses in a very low income neighborhood. I had approximately 250 tenants, living in single room accomodation. 95% were welfare recipients. The majority of these were either people with mental health issues, some quite serious, some milder, or people addicted to various drugs such as cocaine, crack, heroin, crystal meth, or other drugs. Many addicted to multiple drugs. Many with both adiction, and mental health problems. Some in treatment or recovery programs, some not. Most were good people. Some had been dealt crappy hands to play by life, fate, or upbringing, some were sociopaths. Some had been born addicted. Many had various diseases as well. Aids, HIV positive, Hepatitus, and others. They were the bottom of the social order, and many had dug a pit so deep for themselves that it was impossible to climb back out, with any amount of help. The treatment and recovery programs, and social workers in the area tried their best to help these people. Many were beyond help, but not all. The point of all the social programs was, in my opinion, not explicit, but was SELF-INTEREST on the part of the larger society. Not helping them led to greater problems than helping them. Crime, drug profiteering at the expense of the weakest, and to a great degree - the continuance of the social support industry and the jobs that depended on a permanent supply of these people. That is pretty cynical, but it is a fact. The people in these situations now in New Orleans will become savage, out of sheer survival instinct. Out of self interest on our part as a society it makes more sense to help them. As revolting as they can be, they are humans...

    Re: Helping New Orleans Addicts (none / 0) (#2)
    by Johnny on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:36 PM EST
    Edger, I agree 100%. However, if as I suspect, NOLA will not be allowed to rebuild, it will be easier for the police state which arises to shoot and kill these people. After the guns are taken, and the final forced evacuation is completed, all that will be left are obviously criminals, and no amount of propaganda will be spared promoting these people as such (as it already has)... They will be gunned down in the streets. They will be locked up at such high rates as to make Stalin look like Prince Caspian... And the "cleansing of the gene pool" will be one step closer to complete... yay for the eugenics crowd. Or, we could simply offer some help and compassion.

    Re: Helping New Orleans Addicts (none / 0) (#3)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:36 PM EST
    Johnny:
    if as I suspect, NOLA will not be allowed to rebuild, it will be easier for the police state which arises to shoot and kill these people. After the guns are taken, and the final forced evacuation is completed, all that will be left are obviously criminals, and no amount of propaganda will be spared promoting these people as such
    I hope you're wrong, and I'm concerned about the number of people who, out of their fears and insecurities, will try to make it so, not realizing that they, too, will also have to live under the heel of their own monstrous creation. The propaganda that will not be spared is what can create consensual reality, if not countered by an equally infectious and rapidly spreading meme that needs to be developed and spread by free thinkers. That is what we do here daily, and that consensual reality is what is at stake... ------ “See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.” —George W. Bush, May 24, 2005

    Re: Helping New Orleans Addicts (none / 0) (#4)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:37 PM EST
    For a good introduction on how memes develop and propagate, watch this video... Speaker: Daniel C. Dennett, Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy and Director, Center for Cognitive Studies, Tufts University Subject: Social Sciences Produced by: Tufts University, December 8, 2001 Runtime: 00:56:47 Player: Windows Media Player Re: Helping New Orleans Addicts (none / 0) (#5)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:37 PM EST
    Broken link above... Evolution, Culture, and Truth

    Helping New Orleans Addicts | 5 comments (5 topical)