Okay, this is not an article against politics but let’s face it, the first paragraph got your attention, right? The truth is, yes, there are more arrests. With the economy today, people are turning more to drugs and alcohol to forget, to feed their depression and to just get through the day, the night, the week.

But think about this: every dime spent on cocaine, heroin, marijuana, alcohol, every dime is taking away from helping yourself in other areas. You could put that money towards a class or trade school. You could put it in savings. You could buy a family board game and spend time with your children, memories that will last a lifetime in a much sweeter way than them witnessing an arrest and visiting you in jail.

Drugs and alcohol can make you forget the outside world for a little while but it will not go away. Sooner or later, we all have to face our actions and deal with the consequences.

Think about what is really important in your life the next time you make a drug deal or buy a case of beer that will be gone by morning with you being the only drinker. Buried within those walls you have put up is a person who once had dreams, a person who has loved ones, perhaps a spouse or children, a person who MATTERS. Yes, you matter.

I don’t apologize for using “the man” tactic as an excuse to get you to notice this article. I simply wanted to get your attention so that you get the true message of this article: with this economy, many of us are bound to feel sorry for ourselves, and yes, even with good reason. But sinking into the forgetful addiction of drugs or alcohol is not the answer. It puts us further in debt, sets a bad example for our children, and costs us everything dear to us.

This economy makes us feel out of control but guess what? There IS something you can control. You can a) stay away from the pitfalls of addiction or b) reach for the phone and call that number there at the side and get into rehab. The feeling of taking control of a seemingly hopeless situation will increase as you learn the tools to stay clean.

In this case, “the man” is really the addiction to drugs or alcohol. Stick it to him and show him you can overcome his power.  Oh, and if you do not have insurance and you are broke?  See what programs the government offers to help addicts get clean.  A little-known positive in these rough times.

Dana Plato was a talented actress. However, the producers of Different Strokes did not go the route that so many do and fired her for being pregnant. It was then that this writer, who was the same age as Dana Plate, stopped watching the show.

When Dana Plato died, I grieved in the way of a normal fan. I felt sadness and as a mother, my heart went out to her own child. When her death was ruled a suicide by overdose, I felt somewhat aggravated at her for leaving that legacy for her son. Still, I had been taught to not judge others and instead hugged each of my own three children a little tighter that day.

I have never believed in suicide but I have learned that addiction destroys our common sense and our thinking, leading us to do things we never would have considered before being taken over by drugs or alcohol. The fact that she was addicted to prescription drugs is not in question following a forgery for Valium.

We all have things we have to deal with in our lives. If we have an addiction, it can make those situations multiply into catastrophic events whether they are or not. To this day, I can not fathom leaving a legacy of suicide behind for my children to cope with but I have never walked in the shoes of someone such as Dana Plato.

If you have heard of the suicide of Dana Plato’s son this week and you have an addiction, then I urge you to seek rehab. Think about this: what you do affects other people. Suicide affects your loved ones. If you don’t believe me, think about Tyler Lambert. Don’t let his death be just another story. If you have children or loved ones, even if you are a teenager or college student just starting out,, then do yourself and your loved ones a favor. Get help. Spend the summer in rehab and begin a new life for yourself free of addiction.  Suicide is not the answer to the questions you are surely asking yourself if you are addicted to drugs or alcohol. 

Help really and truly is just a phone call away. Don’t leave a legacy of tragedy for your family. Do it for yourself, for them and for the future. For every person who gets help after reading this article, know this: you are stating that you want to break free and if your choice was affected by a certain young man’s suicide, you are showing that young Tyler Lambert did not die in vain.  You could be keeping your own loved ones from a depression-caused suicide by seeking help for your addiction now.

If you have a problem, get help. Seek treatment in a Texas rehab program. Imagine this, going to your mother and admitting you have a problem and that you want to get help now. It would be the ultimate Mother’s Day gift. She has likely prayed and begged you time and again to get help. She isn’t doing it to nag. She does it because she loves you.

Now, on the other hand, are you a mother with a drug or alcohol problem? Make a promise to be there for years to come for your children by seeking help now. Give your children one of the greatest lessons you can: that it is not shameful to seek help and that you and they are worth getting that help for.

Whether you are a young man who saw combat in a war zone, a college student or high school student, you have a mother who loves you and wants nothing in life except your happiness. Whether you are a parent yourself, or a free and easy going single young person, or even someone older and supposedly more mature in your 30s, 40s or 50s, if you have a drug or alcohol problem, get help.

A card is lovely, a gift is nice, a trip to the casino is fun but honestly? No mother would take any of those over the possibility that her child, no matter his or her age, is getting help for a substance abuse problem.

This sounds like a good idea but you are not sure just where to start? Call the toll free number you see on this site. We can help you help yourself. Or email us and we will quickly respond. Texas has some wonderful rehab programs and we are here to help you find one and get your treatment started.

This Mother’s Day, show her how much you love her. Acknowledge you need help and get it. Your mother will always love you, and by getting help, you are showing her that you want to make many more wonderful memories together. I promise you, it is the ultimate Mother’s Day gift. Just ask your mom.

Perhaps part of the reason for the rise in drug use is the fact that medications are sent constantly through the U.S. mail? It takes forever for a soldier to get seen, some are still waiting for their VA cards, but the medications come left and right, with the soldier even being confused as to what each one is for. Not surprising if one of those injuries affected the brain and if there is a diagnosis of PTSD.

Prescription pain medications are meant to help people but yes, they can be addictive. The intended patient and others can get hooked on them. That is why it is best to be under a doctor’s care so the patient can be monitored. But with a system where a soldier is constantly having to start over, where he or she consistently hears the dismissal attitude that questions the integrity and experience of the soldier or veteran, is it any wonder that it appears prescription pain medication use is on the rise? Not to mention alcohol and marijuana use?

When a soldier comes home, he lives with survivors’ guilt because the same blast that killed his comrade “only” gave him a headache or “only” took an arm or a leg. But realistically, that soldier with an amputated limb or head injury comes home to a new battle, one with the VA where his service is questioned and when someone does believe the DD214 is legitimate, doesn’t want to hear about his experiences because it will give that person PTSD. If a person can claim such a diagnosis second hand, how much more real is it then for the youth who actually lived it?

“Not in the system” is a term many veterans are hearing over and over and over again. Is it any wonder they turn to marijuana and alcohol use? In drug rehab, we are taught about enabling. How enabling is it for a system to turn its back on the very soldiers it was set up for? It’s hard for them to fight for their rights when they are remembering the buddy who lost a life. It’s hard for them to question the fairness of a system that doles out millions in bonus checks to employees while wounded veterans are kicked to the curb.

So they quietly go to their corner, drink a few more shots and smoke a little more weed. They take the pills delivered by mail when what they also need is counseling, medical monitoring and a call center set up that does not belittle their contribution to their country. If a call center representative spoke to a customer the way some of the ones for the VA system speak to veterans, that representative would be out on the street looking for another job. Instead, he or she is just lining the pockets of the higher ups with fatter bonus checks. Whether the veteran is in Texas, Michigan, Florida or another state, he or she needs something besides mailed prescription bottles. Maybe that’s why drug use is on the rise among those who have been to Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is therefore important that parents realize that when they are speaking to their teens, when they are handing out instructions or discipline, that they have “practiced what they preach” to that teen. I will use a true example of what happens when a parent does this: myself.

 More and more teens are experiencing with alcohol every year. Peer pressure, wanting to appear “cool”, wanting to forget some unpleasant thing in their own lives, every day teenagers succumb to the temptation and many of them get hooked without intending to. What does a parent do? Does he or she yell at the teen while holding a beer in his own hand?

This is my experience with something involving my own teens. I wanted to teach them that drinking can be handled irresponsibly, leading to tragedy if one is not careful. Two were in high school, ages 14 and 15 and one was in the military. My youngest and only girl was at a sleepover at one of her close friend’s house and my son was at his buddy’s house playing video games. I was home, relaxing from a busy week at work and writing assignments on top of my regular schedule. I was having a second glass of wine.

The phone rings. It is my daughter. Her friend’s mother is not there, something I did not know would occur. The mother’s ex-boyfriend had dropped in and the two girls were uncomfortable. They wanted me to pick them up. I said I would be there immediately.

Of course, remember now, I had been drinking. I called my son who was down the street at his own friend’s house and explained the situation. His friend’s brother was 17 and immediately came over to the house picked me up and we were over picking the girls up within just a few minutes. By the way, further sleepovers with this friend were allowed only at our house after that night.

Two glasses of wine might not affect some people, they THINK. This mother practiced what she preached because open and honest communication between parents and teens is a successful tool when it comes to parenting and as Texas is very strict on drinking and driving (something I steadfastly approve of), my own teens and their friends saw an example of what a responsible parent should do under unforeseen circumstances which is ALWAYS have a back up plan and NEVER drink and drive for any reason.

The other important lesson?   Enforcing rules are easier when teens see that parents not only state the rules, they follow them, too.

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.

Quincy Carter, the former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, was released after just three years due to unknown reasons, although rumor had it that he failed a drug test. His problems with marijuana did come out after he was signed by the New York Jets and in February, 2009, he was arrested in south Texas for a DWI and for having marijuana, which seems to give the drug problem rumors merit.

Another former Dallas Cowboys’ player, receiver Terry Glenn, was arrested in Irving in January, 2009, for public intoxication and possession of marijuana. Another promising career cut short by drug addiction?

The Dallas Cowboys is not the only team to have drug addiction problems, as Roderick Green proved with his arrest in his hometown of Brentham, Texas. The former Baltimore Raven/SF 49er was arrested in February last year after a routine traffic stop for speeding led to charges of possession of marijuana as well as four other charges.

Former Jaguars wide receiver Reggie Williams was arrested in Houston last February for DUI and possessing marijuana. Another night partying that ended with a traffic stop, a failed sobriety test and the finding of illicit drugs.  All four were talented football players, all four fell under the control of drug addiction and alcohol. 

In Texas, it does not matter if you are a celebrity, a regular working guy, a soccer mom,  a professional football player, or a political big wig.  In Texas, you do not drink and drive and you do not get caught with drugs, because even football players can get the jailhouse blues here.  An autograph and a great arm are not going to help you out with that.

Being me, I went over and checked out the cause. It was Teen Challenge of Texas. I found both young men to be polite and personable. I gave what little cash/change (approximately $3.00) that I had on hand and placed it in their bucket. However, the wonderful crafts and books got my attention. As I looked at the fine artwork, I struck up a conversation with one of the young men.

He told me that Teen Challenge of Texas is a ministry that helps young people to get back on track after falling victim to drugs, alcohol and other situations that make them go by the wayside. No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, but sometimes we can not correct them on our own. So Teen Challenge of Texas and its related organizations throughout the country take in the young people and help them to find themselves again. They help them get clean, they help them to recover from addiction and they teach them that they are worthy of saving.

I think this is a wonderful organization and not just because of the “spiel” that may have been spoken but because I saw the integrity of the two young men right before my eyes. I reached for a cookbook and offered over my debit card. The cookbook was only $5.00 and the young man said it was okay because he had seen me make a donation. However, I personally knew I had not made the donation equal to the book. He explained about how it does cost to use the credit machine, something I knew to be true. So I waited on my fiance to exit the store and he gave me the money to pay for the book.

As I waited for my fiance, I talked more to the young man who shared his own experience of getting a second chance in life with Teen Challenge of Texas. We spoke of the recent disaster in Haiti and he said he had dreamed of taking his honeymoon there. Tears came to his eyes as he said he had been praying for the earthquake victims and survivors. He yearned to go over. You could see it honestly reflected in his eyes.

To know that there is such an organization in Texas that helps our youth is something I am proud of. To know that honor and integrity is instilled in these wonderful young people who deserve a second chance as much if not more than people twice their age or higher class statuses makes me both humble and proud that our nation has a youth that can win a war against the enemy, whether it be drug addiction, standing up and going to combat or feeling the pain of another country. I was honored to meet two such young people two days ago.

Thank you, Teen Challenge of Texas (http://www.texasteenchallenge.org/) for being there for our youth and for allowing me to come in contact with two of your success stories.

Texas takes it serious as well. Texas cracks down on drug offenses. It does not decriminalize pot and alcohol. Drunk driving is more than a slap on the wrist and if it happens twice, it can lead to serious jail time and three times is a definite felony with hard time involved. The same holds true with pot.

Texas takes a hard look at juveniles caught with drugs and alcohol and in practically all instances, insists on drug or alcohol treatment. Texas wants its juveniles helped early and lets them know that drugs and alcohol are no laughing matter.

Why is Texas one of the hardest states legally on drugs and alcohol? Because Texas believes people are wroth saving and if someone refuses to learn a lesson, then innocent bystanders are still worth saving either way. Drug and alcohol offenses often have victims involved, whether through drunk driving accidents or armed robbery to get money for drugs or domestic violence disputes or any other number of instances.

Does Texas have a serious drug and alcohol problem? Yes, it does. Yet it also has the stamina and the willpower to address these problems. In order to battle a serious problem, one has to TAKE it seriously and Texas does just that. It does not molly-coddle or tiptoe around something that can literally destroy a person’s life. No, Texas meets the problem head on in a decisive way, both legally and morally. It calls a person on the carpet for the problem and expects responsibility to be taken.

Texas does not apologize for its hard core vigilance in trying to deal with drug and alcohol problems. Every person with an addiction needs outside help in one way or another. If it ends up going too far, Texas will deal with it in a “tough stance” way. In the end, the person with the addiction can often find him or herself able to have a second chance with a life free of addiction. In turn, people who do that generally also end up paying it forward to help someone else. 

Texas takes a stand when it comes to drugs and alcohol.  Texas takes pride in that.

With that being said, how many of you are starting not only a new year but a new life free of drug and/or alcohol addiction? Congratulations! How many are perhaps just realizing that there is something missing or wrong and you want that new life without drugs controlling you? This is the perfect time to begin that new life.

It is not easy and any person who has ever had a drug or alcohol addiction and overcame it will tell you that. Your best bet is to get professional help in an environment that teaches you the tools you need to have a continually successful recovery. You will also learn what a support group is and that there are people out there who will help you even when you leave a treatment program.

Today is the first day of a new year and a new decade. Let it be the start of a new life, a second chance and do not come in third behind misery and depression. You can do it. Whether you are a Texan born and bred or any other fine young man or woman or teen from any state or country, look into your own eyes and the eyes of those who love you and you will see a person worth going the distance and fighting the fight for. Yes, you may have noticed there are a lot of cliches in this article, but it is a new year and why not go with the best cliches and an attitude filled with hope and optimism when it comes to a drug or alcohol addiction just as you would any other battle or resolution?

So while you have heard many times in many ways over the past few days the phrase Happy New Year, let it be added one more time in a setting that speaks truthfully, openly and honestly about drug addiction. Today is the first day of the rest o f your life. Make it the best year of your life as well. Happy New Year.