Vancouver Canada has been in the news recently because it’s where the 2010 Winter Olympic Games were held. And, while all of the Olympic coverage was taking place, across town, like many other large cities across Canada as well as the US, there are daily problems with illegal drugs.

Vancouver has come up with an interesting “social experiment” having to do with the illegal use of injection drugs. Addicts line up every morning at a facility called Insite, where they can safely and legally inject their illegal drugs like Heroin, Cocaine, Morphine, etc. Basically, the only requirements for addicts are that they register their name and substance of choice, and that they inject themselves under the supervision of nurses who will provide them with sterile injection equipment.

The basis of this program is harm reduction. Over the seven years that this facility has been in existence, there have been studies done, since it is basically an experiment, that show that it has reduced the number of public injections, overdose fatalities, transmission of blood-borne illnesses like HIV & Hepatitis C and injection related infections. While all of these results are good, you have to wonder what type of message this sends out to the public.

What is lesser known, at least from the information that I’ve read and viewed about this program, is that they do offer the addicts who use the facility a chance to work with drug counselors who can get them to detox and drug rehabilitation programs, which are part of their facility called Onsite.

I can honestly say that this will be a controversial topic, no matter how you look at it. And, whether you agree with the “it’s legal here so just come in and be safe” approach or something else, the bottom line is that what is really needed is for people to be offered good drug rehab solutions.

It’s obvious that pouring resources into legal systems and jails isn’t fixing the problems that have become a worldwide epidemic. And while I don’t fully agree with Vancouver’s edgy and controversial approach, I think it’s noble to have thought outside the box.

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An interesting commentary article from the Phillipines talks about enablers – people who somehow support the bad habits of their friends and family. Gamblers who are loaned or given money, and drug abusers, and dealers, whose parents and family members turn a blind eye instead of getting them into an addiction treatment center where they can get help.

One of the problems mentioned in the article, which leads to ‘enabling,’ is trying to avoid conflict. I would say that’s a major problem – especially within a family.

When someone tries to talk to their husband, wife or kid about their drug or alcohol problem, there’s a good chance they’re going to meet with hostility. The addict, or alcoholic, will throw everything you’ve ever done wrong in your face, or will be beligerant and angry, will storm out of the house or go into another room and slam the door, and so on.

In other words, they attack the person who’s trying to help them and make the situation so uncomfortable the person either backs down or gets so embroiled in the argument themselves they can no longer do what they’d set out to do.

How can you avoid this? First, don’t try to speak with the person when they’re currently on drugs or drinking. When they’re sober they’re more likely to agree they have a problem. Second, try not to get upset when they do so you don’t give them anything to fight with. Generally, it takes two to argue.

Third, and most important, be ready to take them to an addiction treatment center right then and there. Have it set up beforehand so as soon as you get the person to admit they have a problem, you can put them in the car, on a plane, whatever it takes, to get them into treatment before they change their mind.

If you can’t do this, get help from an interventionist. They can help you see the whole thing through to the end. In fact, most interventions aren’t what you would expect. A good interventionist can get the job done without a lot of drama.

All the reasons you have wanted a loved one to stop drinking or taking drugs, all the fears you’ve had about it, are a reality. If you haven’t yet experienced the worst of it, ask anyone who has. And then get help through a drug addiction treatment center.

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One of the attractions of beer for someone who’s an addict is that it’s relatively cheap. But this guy in Australia doesn’t seem to care how much it costs. He’s a father of four, a construction worker, takes home $1440 a week, spends $150 on rent, $150 on buses and taxis, $50 on his phone and spends about $1000 a week on beer. That’s one serious alcohol addiction. How he manages to work is beyond me.

He was also just convicted of drunk driving for the seventh time. In one of the accidents he killed someone. His most recent arrest came when he was driving his motorcycle at 123 mph.

He has now allegedly gone cold turkey and is involved in an alcohol rehab program. Let’s hope he gets into a long-term residential program that can get down to the bottom of his addiction problem.

This is an unusual case, no doubt about it. Not many people spend that much money on beer every week. However, alcohol addiction is the most common addiction in the U.S. and it kills thousands every year. Most of those people die from accidents or by taking risks they wouldn’t take if they were sober.

If you know someone who needs alcohol rehab, contact Drug Rehab Referral. They can help you find a drug and alcohol rehab that will really work. They can also help you with intervention services if you can’t convince someone they need alcohol addiction help.

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A recent article says a record executive ‘tricked’ Amy Winehouse into drug rehab. I would hardly call what he did trickery. He had a marketing person in the company spend two days gathering all the news stories written about Amy and then laid everything out in his office, called Amy in and showed them to her, then told her to tell him she doesn’t have a drug problem. Obviously, it was exactly what she needed because she’s finally in drug rehab and getting the help she needs.

Did he do the right thing? Of course. I have no idea why anyone would see that as tricking her. She’s already proven that she was incapable of making the right decision since her judgement is so clouded by drugs and alcohol – but being confronted with articles from all over the world, and they often contain pictures, there’s no way that she could do anything other than see that she has a problem.

And that’s what she did. I hope she makes it, and I hope that when she gets out of drug rehab she doesn’t go back into the same life she left behind her.

What her record producer did was care enough to make sure she got help. He created enough of an impact to pull it off. If someone you know needs help with drug addiction, remember that you can’t just wait for them to do the right thing – you need to help them get into drug rehab so they can get out of danger and turn their life around.

If you need help doing that, you can call Drug Rehab Referral about intervention. It’s not always easy for a family member to convince the person to do something about their drug problem – an interventionist is a pro, has usually been there himself, and can help.

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