Drug and Alcohol Addiction
23.5 million Americans in the United States are addicted to drugs and alcohol. That is one in every ten Americans over the age of twelve, and only eleven percent of those with an addiction get treatment. The more scary part is that due to drug use, about 570,000 people die annually. Break that down, and about 440,000 deaths are due to disease from tobacco, 85,000 to alcohol, 20,000 to illegal drugs, and another 20,000 to prescription drugs. This is a major problem, because, when you do the math, about 1,560 people die everyday. This will focus on a story of a girl named Savannah, and what organization helped her drop her addiction, and change her life for the better.
She was only ten when her drug use started. Her parents were drug addicts, and her mom offered Savannah some pills one day. Eventually, Savannah became addicted, and started smoking weed, drinking, and taking pills such as Percocet and Vicodin, which are narcotics to treat pain. She started getting depressed and her parents were both physically and verbally abusive, so she began hurting herself. At the age of thirteen, she was living in a shelter with her mother and sister until she was taken back to her father by the police. After three years of living with her father, her go to drugs were meth, ecstasy and cocaine. Those were the drugs he took, so she tried them out. She ran away from home in July of 2009 and never went back. She would take any drug she could get her hands on. Eventually she stayed at another addict’s house, where they took more drugs, until Savannah’s grandparents found her and got custody over her. That did not stop her from doing drugs though. She did more drugs, including cocaine, liquid codeine and pills. She looked into a bathroom mirror one day, and was terrified at what she saw. She had bruises and cuts all over her body, and her eyes were sunken in. She did not even recognize herself at first. She then was caught by the police and sent to juvenile hall where she failed every drug test. She then went to get special treatment where her counselor did not give up on her, even after she relapsed, was arrested and sent back to juvie. One day, she had the sudden realization that she could get through her addiction, even if nobody else believed she could. Savannah remembers sitting with her first sponsor and was ashamed of confessing that she would never be happy, but her sponsor said “Don’t worry, you will be.” Savannah has been sober for three years. She says that her own spirituality and surrender did it. Savannah now has a boyfriend and a job, and plans on living her life to the fullest.
This specific organization is ‘Phoenix House’, founded in May 1967, helps people with drug and alcohol related problems. Phoenix House is located in eleven different places in the US. There are centers in California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Metro DC, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. They help thousands of people find the right treatment, manage their recovery and help them get back their lives, including Savannah’s. They offer full spectrum care of substance abuse evaluation, educational services, outpatient counseling, residential treatment, and sober living or recovery supports. People are treated with dignity and respect by a professional staff, some of whom are in long term recovery. They show how drug and/or alcohol use or mental health problems can affect a person’s life. It can affect the family, schooling, career, their quality of life, and the person itself. They also get active by going hiking, picnicking, and going to the music studio to show what life could be like substance free. Phoenix House also has a specialized program for underserved groups such as Latinos, women and veterans. For treatment support, this is Phoenix House’s number: 1 888 671 9392 “Your road to recovery starts here. Fill out this form to learn more about our safe, affordable care at a location near you.”
So many people die due to an addiction. It is so important to get a person help, because every pill they take, every drink of alcohol they drink, every puff they take, it is getting that person closer and closer to death. Care enough for people with this addiction, and get them help. Talk to them, and be there for them, because they will feel so uncomfortable, and angry, not only at the person trying to help, but at themselves. They will thank you in the end, and every comment they may throw, it is worth it. A life is worth more than a pill, a puff or a drink. Do not be the bystander that “innocently” watches from the sidelines and sees a person die when something could have been done to help. This is a problem that sometimes people cannot fix on their own.
Works Cited
"Drug Facts Chat Day: Drug Abuse." NIDA for Teens. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 07 Mar.
2016. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
"New Data Show Millions of Americans with Alcohol and Drug Addiction Could Benefit from Health Care R -
Partnership for Drug-Free Kids." Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. Join Together Staff Writer, 28 Sept. 2010.
Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
Savannah. "True Story: Savannah." Savannah: A True Story of Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery. Phoenix
House, 02 Oct. 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.