BRIDPORT RADIO - REHAB - MYTH/REALITY?

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Monday, 06 October 2008 ~

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REHAB - MYTH/REALITY?

Rehab? well does it exist? It's sung about, talked about, written about and joked about, but does it actually exist as an option in this town? My experience is that it's thin on the ground as an option for drug takers who are sick of if all and want to get out of the spiral of despair. An option for the Amy Winehouse, Pete Doc, etc but they pay, and its good for business in the press clipping department

{audio}radio/01 Purple Haze.mp3{/audio}

I know several addicts who have been on endless waiting lists that go nowhere, the drug agency in this town is a pitiful waste of time and taxpayers money. They either put the addicit on the long finger, or are away on endless sick leave, or just make excuses, they know who they are, and I am outing them. Any addict ticks the salary box of god knows how many health care professionals, docs, chemists, so called councellors and of course our dear police. Whats happening out there? It seems to get into rehab you must commit a crime, and then get fast tracked into rehab as an option other than prison. whats the message boys and girls?

the drug agency in Bridport is money for old rope, except I would rather have the rope, i could find many a good use for it.

Better to rehabilitate people and give them a chance to contribute, or is it?

Users' Comments (15)

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Posted by draino, on 01-05-2008 08:16,

Trouble is the same as the penal system - there is neither rehabilitation nor punishment. I watched a documentary about the opium growing regions of the east and when a local boy got hooked on poppy juice his family took him aside and berated him "...that crap is for those western fools..." he was not left alone until he had been forced to kick the habit. Now that's what I'm talking about.

Posted by tuzo, on 01-05-2008 13:03,

can i take it (draino) that you will be opening your own clinic then? What shall we call it?...answers on a steret please

Posted by draino, on 02-05-2008 09:11,

I don't think I'd have the patients / patience...

Posted by Rustic, on 03-05-2008 06:50,

The thing is people don't have any sympathy or empathy with junkies and that will continue as long as they continue to break into our sheds, cars and houses. Of course it is not just the junkie on his own but the network of scumbags around them that help to support their misguided and tragic life choice. This is of course the dealers, who you would expect, the fences and other lowlifes that buy and trade in the stolen goods that the junkie steals to fund hisher habit. So where is the solution?
The police probably spend up to 70 or 75% of their time following up drug related crime but they don't make the law they just enforce it no matter how ridiculous (i.e. current prohibition drug legislation) or politically motivated (i.e. beating up trades union members during the miners strikes in the 80sand suppressing peaceful demonstration to this day). They would be able to do a far better job of properly policing the “community” if they had the time to do it. The health service is inundated with the medical effects of junkies having to inject product cut with all sorts of rubbish.
So a major problem for the community needs a radical solution and this is one idea that would work: All addicts have to register their habit at a special clinic. The clinic will then administer a clean hit of heroin the registered addict daily. This coupled with an effective rehabilitation programme and steady decrease in the drug would bring these people back into the community and enable them to make a positive contribution to that community rather than keep taking from it.
It would immediately cut out an entire underclass of criminal ie the dealer because if you can get good product for free you don’t need to buy it, and the fences because if you are getting good quality product for free you don’t have to steal anything to fund it, The fences because if no-one is nicking anything you haven’t got anything to sell.
The savings in health service and police man hours and resources alone would be enough to pay for the treatment and the drug ten times over. The benefit to the community of not having to live in fear of having their stuff nicked all the time would be enormous.
There will always be the true blue hang ‘em, flog 'em tory and blinkered religious zealots along with the Daily Mail and Sun readers bleating a protest but let’s face the harsh reality, the current system of prohibition DOES NOT WORK AND IS NOT WORKING. It needs a massive change of thought by people brave enough to first think it and then try to put it into action. Perhaps if all the political parties actually chose to serve their constituents interests instead of their own hold on power or self interest then we may make some progress.

Posted by tuzo, on 04-05-2008 07:29,

well rustic, your idea was tried some years ago, i think in lthe liverpool area, put together by two doctors, it wasnt a hit, it was a packet of fags as i recall, (not your usual fags) watched a 60min special on it in the states, the police liked it, as you say crime was down, people were not drawn in as every user had thier own. It ran for a while, but the Tory government of the time drew a line through it,bad for business giving people what they needed perhaps?

Posted by Carlito, on 06-05-2008 10:00,

How naiive to think that 1 free hit a day will stop a smack-head from stealing to sell items for more money to buy more hits. That one free hit, will simply be added to the number of crime-funded hits. That's what addiction does to you Rustic. You get as much as you can, when you can, any way you can. You don't think for one minute that a mouthful of methodone makes the smack-head think "right, well that's that for today then...I'll just sit here and watch cookery programmes till my next free hit tomorrow then...".

And anyway, EVEN IF the impoverished smack-heads were cured of their addiction to the point where one free-hit of pure smack per day was enough, the dealers would still make a killing on the far-more-profitable, good ol' fasioned c-c-c-c-c-co-caiiiiiiine...! NO crime required to keep that product in the market...the only crime is the PRICE! (ho ho).

So let's just live with it. The police do. They don't have a choice. The police could nip the whole lot in the bud tomorrow if they wanted to, but the social repercussions of removing one monopolising crime circle which reliably keeps everything organised and predictable, would be terrible for Bridport. Micro-dealers and opportunists would appear out of the woodwork, more deaths due to dodgy drugs would occur, the problem would spread and be more difficult to manage.

The police have been working like this for decades on this front. It works. Leave 'em to it.

Posted by tuzo, on 06-05-2008 19:24,

the oracle has spoken, and as usual a depressing shot of nonsense. There is a way forward, but with hide bound idots in the way, its almost impossible to find, every case has its merit, and every human being deserves help. With jackasses like carlito who tipify people for thier own tedious purpose, we will get nowhere... I am thinking (and not about silly cars on the road to beaminster)

Posted by Rustic, on 08-05-2008 04:30,

Carlito, as much as it pains me I have to agree with Tuzo here as, judging by your comments, you have obviously been reading the Daily Mail.
Things are not "fine as they are" and if you spoke with some policemen off the record they would tell you that they don't like "things the way they are".
I admit I havent put forward any answers to other problems that would occur and I didn't fill in many of the grey areas however it is about time some alternative thinking to the current method of dealing with "drug problems" was started.
So rather than come up with a limp and defeatist "leave it as it is" why don't you apply your considerable powers of argument to exploring "other ways".
Shape up mate.

Posted by goccibos, on 08-05-2008 12:35,

Chill out guys and stop hogging that spliff, it will soon be a prisonable offence again so get passing, quick

Posted by Carlito, on 10-05-2008 18:30,

Is it the fact that you can't see th article you're referring to anymore when you add a comment, or did you not read my comment correctly?

Rustic, I said that if the police weren't happy with the way things were then they could stop it all tomorrow. There are a whole host of reasons why they don't and as long as those reasons exist, so will the dealers.

I was listening to a piece on Radio 4 about a month ago and it exposed the fact that coming off smack is EASY. Compared with coming off alchohol (where delerium tremors can be deadly and cause strokes), the "cold turkey" smack come-down is a walk in the park. Mentally challenging yes, but physically easy. The trouble with smack-heads is that they are running away from life and are fundamentally unmotivated unless there is a chance of a hit for them.

So here's a possibility Rustic, convert the Dod Warden van into a Smack-Head-Mobile and round them up. Remove them from their families, put their children into temporary foster homes, stuff the whole lot of them at Sandhurst for 8 weeks of beasting and training, then release them back into society and reunite them with their families.

They will return re-programmed, and from that point, they will not only resent smack and all narcotics, they will have a tendancy to start fights in pubs, and look down on the rest of society.

Job done.

Posted by Rustic, on 12-05-2008 04:17,

I prefer my rehab under a nice crumble and served with custard like granny used to make.
Talking of granny she did once mistake a quarter of Moroccan black for an oxo cube which made sunday dinner quite interesting. The hardest thing was trying to work out why the after dinner joints tasted so beefy.

Posted by Papa Lazarou, on 22-05-2008 19:15,

I agree with Amy Winehouse, I aint going to rehab, rehab is for quitters.
Smack is great, oh for the sweet release of morphine.
If you live in this town your going to need it, especially market day.

Posted by Papa Lazarou, on 22-05-2008 19:42,

Tuzo, are you by any chance an IRA sympathizer, with a penchant for misbehaved jack russels?

P.S. liked your comment about the sterets by the way, doubt many of the bridport numptys would have understood the irony.

P.P.S. Keep your comments coming, I need someone to converse with.

Posted by tuzo, on 23-05-2008 12:55,

unfortunately (papa) I cannot divulge my views on irish politics on this forum, or indeed my canine preferences twill have to be shrouded in mystery, we were never married to each other were we?
As for the irony of a steret? I find if you have enough of them you can start a good fire, and they seem to give out more sterets than good service to addicts, so some small ammount of comfort there I suppose?

Posted by Papa Lazarou, on 23-05-2008 18:48,

Tuzo, have you by any chance ever been visited by a Minstrel like character, attempting to gain access to your house and sell you pegs?
On entering was he labouring under the misapprehension that your name was 'Dave', and that you wished to join the circus?

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