Archive for February, 2010
Catch-22
Last Updated on Thursday, 25 February 2010 07:05 Written by Monica Wednesday, 24 February 2010 06:58
I saw a letter to the editor in the paper the other day. I don’t know if the woman was writing from personal experience, because of a loved one or just what she had seen around her but she brought up a very valid point. She basically asked the question: if a person does his or her time, pays for the crime, then why don’t we see it as just that? We give people who have been in trouble with the law a hard time and then wonder why they return to what got them in trouble to start with.
The economy is still rough. There is no denying it. But as I thought about that woman’s letter, I understood what she meant. People get paroled from prison for their drug convictions, then they can not find a job to meet their parole requirements. I have seen a woman get the third degree over writing bad checks eleven years earlier because she was honest about it in a fast food job application. A misdemeanor had her judged harsher than necessary. There is no doubt someone with a drug felony is getting an even harder time.
So, the question is, where does the rehabilitation factor come in? If we deny people jobs, turn our backs on them, refuse to give them a chance, then are we not interfering with the rehabilitation of that person? Several repeat offenders have stated they could not get a job. They said they had no way to make money. They could not get a job.
It is my understanding that the Patriot Act is suppose to be about protecting us from terrorist attacks. We had drug and alcohol problems before 9-11, we had felonies and misdemeanors before then, too. You want honesty on an application, someone gives it to you, and you turn them down? The truth is what the Patriot Act is about, right? Someone who is planning an attack gets to set off a red flag for nearly two years and shoots up a military post or attacks are made on passengers on a plane even today. Someone who made a mistake, paid for it and admits to it is ostracized. Seems like the wrong people are being penalized here.
Getting clean is hard but it can be done. Being honest about it is a matter of integrity. If someone is honest about it, give him a chance. Political correctness is helping the wrong people. Try remembering what rehabilitated means and look at the individual situation. He doesn’t want a Catch-22, he just wants a job.
Tags: Alcohol, drug, drug felony, rehabilitation | Posted under Texas Rehab | No Comments
Intervention: Reality Tv That is For Real
Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 05:48 Written by Monica Monday, 22 February 2010 08:41
Some reality shows are all about hoping someone messes up or hoping someone gets picked for romance. Some are about money, striving to be the last one on an island or in a house full of different personalities. Once in a while, a show comes along that actually teaches us about a problem or situation that affects families, friends and society as a whole. Intervention on A & E is one such show.
Now in its eighth season, the show reveals that an intervention is a process in which people at the lowest levels in their lives due to the control of drug or alcohol addiction in their lives are offered hope. Sometimes we can not see what is right before our eyes until it is too late. An intervention is the final step that many families and loved ones take.
What exactly is an intervention? A time when everyone comes together, not to persecute the addict, but to open his or her eyes to what is really going on, what he is doing to himself and to his loved ones. With trained professionals on hand, an intervention is highly likely to be quite emotional before ending (hopefully) on the note that the addict recognizes he or she does need help.
As with all television, there are the rating hopefuls. Pain sells, scandal sells. Still, if the end result is that someone is really and truly getting help, then a show such as Intervention may very well be the best reality show out there.
Intervention offers hope. It shows viewers who may very well be going through the same thing that there is a way out of the swamp of drug addiction. It may be a reality show but the truth is, this particular reality show will hit home with people who will say to themselves “that’s my family” or “that is exactly what we are going through”.
Since its premiere in 2005, Intervention has built up an audience that is not only a fan base but continues discussion afterwards online, where some people confess it has helped in their own family situations. Being able to acknowledge it, to admit there is a problem in one’s family with drug or alcohol addiction, is the first step. Intervention is a reality show that actually helps people instead of just building ratings. In the end, isn’t that what it is all about?
Tags: Alcohol Addiction, drug addiction, intervention, ratings, reality show | Posted under Texas Rehab | No Comments
School Drug Testing in Texas
Last Updated on Thursday, 18 February 2010 08:14 Written by Monica Thursday, 18 February 2010 08:14
Drug testing in schools in the state of Texas is something that has been argued for and against for a good ten years or more. In 2001, the U.S. Court overthrew drug testing in Lockney, Texas. Since then, however, school districts have continually dealt with drug and alcohol issues in regards to students and random drug testing is still in effect in many schools, which honestly? Isn’t a bad thing
With more and more teens turning to drugs and alcohol due to peer pressure or just because of their own accountability, it is up to someone in authority to make some changes. Normally, that would be the parents, it should be the parents. However, in fairness to some parents, they do not always know what is going on right under their noses. Some because they don’t care, some because they can’t believe it (“not my kid”) and some because they just honestly do not know what to look for.
The security of mandatory drug testing and random drug testing have come together in one place: extracurricular a
ctivities. When parents sign permission slips to allow their middle and high school age kids to participate in school activities such as sports, music, school council, theater group and more, they also sign that they give permission for random drug testing. The teen then agrees voluntarily for a random test or if he or she looks to be under some type of substance influence. If you don’t have anything to hide, taking the test should be fine, right?
It is not just athletes being targeted in this. You might be surprised (or not) at the other teens who do drugs as well. The “nerdy” computer kid? Quite possibly. The “geeky” loner? Could be. The class clown? Maybe so. It does not matter what “group” a teen belongs to when it comes to random drug testing. All are expected to take part if they participate in extracurricular activities.
Maybe some parents think of it as a violation of privacy, but really it isn’t. Drugs and alcohol affect everyone around the user, not just the user. It is a safety issue as well. Plus, if a student does test positive in a drug test, he or she isn’t kicked out of school. He is temporarily suspended from the activity and referred to a drug and alcohol treatment program.
. Texas cares about its students, its schools and its extracurricular activities. This is a good way to show kids that we are looking out for their best interests while teaching them accountability.
Tags: drug testing, extracurricular activities, schools, students, treatment programs | Posted under Texas Rehab | No Comments
Date Rape Drugs are Illegal, Too
Last Updated on Friday, 12 February 2010 01:33 Written by Monica Friday, 12 February 2010 01:33
Most of us have heard of date rape drugs. We know that the most common date rape drug, rohypnol, is nicknamed “roofies”. But where did they come from and how are they seen in the eyes of Texas law enforcement?
According to Texas (and Florida) law enforcement sources, roofies were first brought to light in the early 1990s. They were popular at clubs and parties frequented by teenagers and college students alike.
Texas takes date rape drug use seriously. Not only does it cause the victim to black out and not remember what happened until she wakes up in the middle of the rape, it also leads to other dangers such as breathing problems and death.
Invariably, yes, there are those who willingly take “roofies” but more and more cases are coming forward where the victim insists she (or he as men have been raped by other men as well) had no knowledge of how she got into the situation she was in. Blood tests can find the date rape drug in a person’s system and a little investigating can lead to some felony charges.
Some kids, unaware of just how dangerous “roofies” are, claim they just did it as a joke. However, spiking someone’s punch or slipping them a pill they have never taken is not only irresponsible and illegal, it is dangerous as well. How many pranks have turned deadly over the decades because teens or college students were just “playing around”?
This drug can lead to sexual offenses as well as drug charges against someone when a person has taken the date rape drug. A person could end up being labeled as a sex offender for the rest of his life even if he had no intention of having intercourse with the victim. A person can end up doing jail, even prison time for passing on a date rape drug, as well as pay fines and be put on probation.
This type of prank, however innocent, just really is not worth it. What sta
rts out as just a joke to see if a friend passes out could end up being the last time that friend ever breathes again.
Some people have even confessed to using “roofies” on themselves to fall asleep. This is also quite irresponsible and again, illegal in the U.S. (This drug is legal in Mexico.) If you find yourself at a gathering where it is rumored “roofies” are floating around? Do yourself a huge favor and get out of there as fast as you can, taking your friends with you. Texas has zero-tolerance for date rape drugs just as they do other illicit drugs.
Tags: date rape drugs, rohypnol, roofies | Posted under Texas Rehab | No Comments
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