Do away with cloak of secrecy surrounding addiction to drugs
Re: ‘I can’t let them kill themselves,’ Feb. 23. Recent reported cases of tragic drug overdoses in Ottawa have only highlighted the tip of a much larger problem, especially among young people. There is no part of society not affected by this epidemic, particularly when combined with the rise in fentanyl use. In Ontario alone, 625 people died of opioid overdoses generally in 2013. Fentanyl was involved in 133 of them and, each year, it now kills twice as many people as heroin.
If you think this is an isolated problem, think again. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2008 drug overdoses passed fatal vehicle accidents nationwide for the first time in the U.S. The majority of overdoses were the result of opiates, many of which were prescription painkillers. A much larger proportion of the American population has been exposed to opiates than was the case in the 1970s with the heroin epidemic.
Drug addiction is a health issue. Like mental health in the past, addiction carries with it a stigma often leading to a cloak of secrecy within communities and families.
While unfortunate, these recent tragic cases of overdose may have finally brought this epidemic to the forefront. It’s time Ottawa engaged people, families, governments, health-care services and others to do away with the cloak of secrecy surrounding addiction. Brian Curry, Ottawa
Legalizing all drugs one potential solution
Re: ‘People are still dying,’ Feb. 22. The gathering of the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs, at the Centennial Flame, was a meaningful protest. Most all of humanity are drug users, whether Aspirin, heart medication, thyroid medication, diabetic medication, sleeping pills, diet pills, cocaine or other drugs. We have no idea how many people have died from prescription medications.
It has taken governments too long to realize that the “war on drugs” is an abysmal failure. Legalizing all drugs may not be a perfect solution, but it has to be better than the disastrous drug situation facing society today. Shirley Webb, Ottawa
‘Just say no’ the best line on drugs for kids
Re: Facts, not fear, advised in talks with kids, Feb. 22. Jacquie Miller has reflected fairly well on how to talk to our kids about drugs. But in one major respect, I strongly disagree.
In talking to her own 12-yearold, Miller clearly had in mind the crucial need to deter “the allure of a friend offering (her) a little green pill” and how best to do that.
For what it’s worth, I was a 12-year-old in 1956 (you do the math!) and I’ve helped raise a number of 12-year-olds since then. No matter which decade was involved, not one of us ever took that little pill when, inevitably, it was offered. But why?
Without exception, the parenting involved left no room for any doubt on the youngster’s part but that using drugs was absolutely unacceptable. No, nyet, nada, zippo, never! This was the “just say no” message, uttered repeatedly and firmly and without a hint of humour or flexibility. For the great majority of preteens and teens (but not all, of course), I am certain it works quite effectively.
While I mean no personal disrespect here, we need a lot more academic research before trivializing the “just say no” approach to deterring drugs experimentation by our precious and vulnerable children. John M.A. McKay, Ottawa
Ottawa addicts and family have support
Re: ‘Chloe had a spark of life in her that was pure sunshine,’ Feb. 17; A father’s emotional open letter about teen drug overdoses in Kanata, Feb. 20. I was deeply moved by the death on Valentine’s Day of 14-yearold Chloe Kotval, and by Sean O’Leary’s open letter on his daughter’s drug use.
As someone who has wrestled with addiction issues in her family for years, I know that treatment and recovery are a lifelong journey.
While detox and 21-day drug and alcohol programs are crucial, they make up only the first, essential, step on that voyage. Fortunately, the journey need not be undertaken alone.
A local charity, Serenity Renewal for Families (SRF), has been of great benefit to me and my loved ones. By helping the individual deal with some of the issues that often underlie addiction, SRF offers the person and his or her family tools to strengthen an often-fragile recovery and prevent a relapse.
As a charity, Serenity Renewal for Families turns no one away because of lack of funds. Clients are asked to pay what they can, but SRF offers its services on the basis of need, not the ability to pay.
One of the greatest strengths of the organization is the warm and supportive environment created by the many volunteers — often former clients — who make the place run.
They know, as perhaps few non-addicted persons can, that recovery is an ongoing process that can only be sustained by sharing it freely with others. Kathy Godding, vice-president, Serenity Renewal for Families