This week marks a special anniversary in my family. A year ago today my oldest son took a first step on a long road to addiction treatment.
Like many addicted people, Bob's descent into the hell that is crack cocaine began many years before by dabbling with other illicit drugs. Like many other addicted people, he thought he had a handle on his drug usage.
And for a while it seemed he did.
Happily married in 2003, the father of a marvellous little boy in 2004, Bob appeared to have his life on track. Whatever demons and devils he'd battled in the past seemed to be buried there.
That illusion came grinding to a halt with a desperate call from his wife last October. Bob had disappeared. He'd taken the day off work to travel to Kelowna for some specialist dental work and no one had heard from him since he got back home.
A day and a half later he turned up. Looking like death warmed over, he showed up on his uncle's doorstep, ill and ashamed of his action. A thousand tears were shed and apologies tendered and life seemed back to normal.
But it wasn't. The drug had taken over. According to all literature on various forms of illegal dope, addiction to crack cocaine is one of the hardest to overcome. The drug enters the body through smoking. Within seconds the user is on an unbelievable high, a short-lived high that requires the addict to step onto a vicious treadmill to keep the feeling alive. There aren't many ways to stop smoking crack cocaine - the two most popular are jail and death. Fortunately for my son and many others, there are also treatment centres. When Bob entered Inner Visions in Port Coquitlam last fall, the counsellors there told him what the grim odds are for addicts. Of all those entering treatment, two people can expect to be clean after a year, one will likely be dead and the others will be back in the vicious circle of addiction. The choice would be his.
After 60 days of intensive meetings, both Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, as well as medical support from treatment specialists, group therapy and other medical and lay help, Bob returned to his family. Like many people, I hesitate to talk about my son's illness. Addiction is something we prefer to think happens only to down and out destitute people living on the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver. While many people will end up there, most do not start there. To those people here working in the addictions field, the home detox nurses, the mental health workers and people such as Rev. Terri Scallon who offer their expertise with no judgment, my family and I offer our deepest thanks. With the Creator's help, this anniversary is but the first of many.
