Forum: Close to Home
Topic: An Alternative To Our Failing System- Teen Challenge
Topic Posted by: Paka Maka (pakamaka@hotmail.com )Organization: Teen Challenge - Free For Those Who Want Help!
Date Posted: Sun Apr 5 20:40:44 1998
Topic Description: The definition of "Rehabilitation" as defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary is: to restore to a former capacity. I believe the idea of rehabilitating a person is just a "BANDAID SOLUTION" for a much deeper issue. If we are to take a person who has at some point in their life turned to drug use to find an escape from the things of this world, the daily grind and stresses, and simply return them to the state they were in before the drug use...what has that person gained? Are we not setting them up for another trip down the road of despair and drug use...without dealing with the real issues behinds the drug use itself. Drugs and Alcohol are nothing more than a surface result or manifestation of a much deeper rooted issue that the person is trying to deal with or find freedom and peace of mind from. I believe in there is a void in every human being and that is the reason man has gone in search of so many things to fill the void- dugs and alcohol being one way to fill the void and try to deal with the confusion and stress of life. Once the person has learned to overcome the drugs, removing them from the space where the void originally was...what do they now put in place of the void? As I look at the basics, I believe every person is in need of something much greater to fill the void in their lives...thus sealing the void and setting the person free from the cycle of despair or uncertainty in this world in which we live. Looking at the current ways the Government has been trying to 'help' those who are entangled in drugs or alcohol, I only see a system that is largely FAILING. By putting people in jail you are essentially putting a BANDAID on the surface problem and still releasing them with the severe internal issues they had before their incarceration. I personally have found, and gone through, one place that has claimed a 70% cure rate for the drug addicts that complete their program as compared to the governments cure rate of 1-15%. This place is called Teen Challenge. If you need more information on this program you can find it at: www.teenchallenge.com I hope you found something here helpful or insightful. Paka Maka- pakamaka@hotmail.com
| Flawed reasoning | Steve | Tue Apr 7 12:46:16 1998 |
| continuing discussion | MC | Mon Apr 6 7:43:38 1998 |