Captain Paul Becker of our SCV Sheriff’s station addressed the city council regarding our community’s drug issues. There are some alarming statistics to consider. January 2009 to May 2010:
• 450 drug related arrests
• 12 lives lost to overdose of heroin/prescription meds
• Common age was 24 to 35. Of those, most had been arrested before and had been through treatment/intervention several times.
• Over 5,214 incidents of “party calls” where sheriffs were dispatched to a party. Captain Becker stated that 40-plus calls every Friday and Saturday night typically involved unsupervised teens or young adults. What is going on? How can we protect our kids and community? 1. Send a clear message that you will not encourage your kids partying. Do not get them alcohol. Do not let them host parties with alcohol. Do not let them party in the garage, by the pool, in the backyard or anywhere. 2. Be adults and curb your own party habits and act like mature role models, leaving your own party days behind you. Let them know if they are going to do it they will put themselves at risk to be arrested or worse! Don’t be fooled by their pleas that partying at home is “responsible;” it’s not!
Maybe you can’t stop them, but you shouldn’t encourage it. Call the sheriff on your neighbors, your parents, your friends or even grandma if it’s out of hand, too loud or teens are hanging and drinking there. Get involved because this is your business!
Now for the harder stuff: Heroin is running like a river in SCV. Captain Becker stated that there are over 57 treatment places within 20 miles, but what he doesn’t know is that some of them are inept, crooked and defective. Treatment needs to be inventive, customized and by a qualified, certified, addiction specialist who is himself a recovered addict and not farmed out to the local AA meeting, MFT, psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, angels, priests, etc., who are not always capable of treating the serious complexities of this elusive and destructive disorder. You cannot drop off your loved one at treatment and expect results. It is a delicate process and can be lethal if not performed correctly. You wouldn’t drop off your car at a lawn mower mechanic or get your medical attention from a vet, so please go to true, certified addiction specialists who are recovered addicts who know how to reach the kids who have or are developing these problems. Please visit my website for more editorials and articles.
Scott Spackey is a California Registered Addiction Specialist, Interventionist, Life-Coach Hypnotherapist and recovered addict. For more information, please call 661-299-1966, email: Scott@Life-Mind.com and visit www.LIFE-MIND.com.