Our drug abuse statistics are hard to ignore

To the editor:
    I’m feeling so frustrated. So many times have I heard, “We don’t have a drug problem in Houlton.” Really? Tell that to the mother and father whose son died while waiting to get into treatment; to the parents of the bright, young athlete who is now struggling to be “normal” without drugs every day; to the young woman who was once a class officer and represented her class on Student Council and is now a convicted felon. Tell that to the local businessman who finally had to close his establishment because he could no longer carry the debt that came about as a result of thefts. Tell that to the little third-grade boy who confessed to me his concern that his dad was selling marijuana. He knew it was wrong, but he loved his dad. What does he do with those conflicting emotions? And tell that to the family who came home after burying their husband/father to find someone had stolen irreplaceable jewelry and medications. Can you imagine the impact something like that would have on you? All for drug money.
    But we don’t have a drug problem in Houlton, right? Maybe you haven’t been directly affected by someone else’s addiction, and I sincerely hope you never are, but statistics tell a different story. As you will see, we all have been affected.
    To me, statistics are boring, but I am aware of a fact that’s hard to ignore. At a presentation to the Houlton Rotary Club in 2004, the presenter told the group that the total impact of substance abuse on the southern Aroostook community in 2000 was a staggering $8,021,240 each year. (These facts were taken from the publication by the Maine State Office of Substance Abuse in July 2004 entitled “The Cost of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Maine 2000.”) This impact is from death, medical care, crime and child welfare. Did you catch that? $8,021,240 each year!
    Recently our local news told of four young men from Houlton and the surrounding area that were arrested by Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and charged with felony drug trafficking crimes. Four young men with families hurt, angry, confused. But we don’t have a drug problem in Houlton.
    I say all this to offer hope, because there is hope. No one has to live with this pain, shame, guilt. If you are someone struggling with addiction, there are places to go to get help. So many people offer help each and every day. I’ve been to support groups where the attendance is dramatically small and the facilitators are discouraged to the point of wanting to quit. How can that be? With all the need and all the people crying out for help, why aren’t the support groups overflowing?
    If you’re one of those people who are sick and tired of being sick and tired, here are some names and numbers where help is available: Aroostook Mental Health Center, 532-6523, or Life by Design, 532-9660, can offer substance abuse evaluations and/or treatment. AMHC also has the 24-hour helpline at 1-888-568-1112. Resting Arms Ministries (David Tuttle at 694-1595) can find someone to sponsor you so you can go to in-patient, Christ-centered treatment.
    In our instant gratification society it’s difficult for people to wait, but that’s what you might need to do. Even though there is help available, you may need to wait until a spot opens up for you. While you wait, you can always attend support groups.
    Alcoholics Anonymous meet every day in the Houlton area. You can find out the place and time by checking the Houlton Pioneer Times or calling 800-737-6237. You will be welcomed there even if your drug of choice is a different drug than alcohol. Celebrate Recovery meets every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Military Street Baptist Church.
    Studies show that for every addicted person, they affect at least 10 other people, family, friends, co-workers, etc. These people need help too. You can get help, strength and clarity from Al-Anon meetings which are held every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the UMPI Outreach Center. You can also attend the Celebrate Recovery meetings.
    The Link for Hope Coalition began in Houlton several years ago. LFH’s vision and purpose is to promote the health, safety, and quality of life for all youth, families and communities in southern Aroostook. The mission of LFH is to enhance the quality of life by reducing problems related to alcohol and other drug use and teen suicide. LFH needs individuals from every segment of our community to do this important work i.e. law enforcement, social service, medical community, recovery community, faith, schools and business communities. Please call Trudy O’Bar, 521-2283, for more information and to learn when our next meeting will be held.
    In closing I’d like to leave you with a quote I found recently. Joan Ward was speaking to an insurance review board regarding her son Rob’s treatment for addiction. “The world looks at our children and they see druggies, junkies, felons. We look at our children and we see cowboy boots and ballet slippers, we see Christmas mornings and birthday parties. We hold forever in our hearts that first instant that we first looked into their infant eyes and we knew in a heartbeat that we would give our very lives for them. Unfortunately that’s the last absolute of parenting; it’s all guesswork after that. When you get right down it to, our options are really quite limited. We can build a better system or we can continue to bury our children.”
    Don’t let apathy kill our future, our young people, our community.
Rebecca Miller
Link for Hope Coalition
Resting Arms Ministries