Judge Amero says he makes those under the treatment become taxpayers instead of becoming tax burdens and liabilities of the community. He was inspired to undertake such mission when he was faced again and again with drug users who say no one was addressing their problems so they continue with their habits.

It is the third accountability court of the country from among the 3,000 which have been set up in various areas nationwide. They help offenders not by sending them to jail, but through intensive rehabilitation programs that focus on the underlying problems that fuels their addictions. It is also equipped with a DUI court and a mental health court.

John Foller, the Atlanta-based coordinator of the state’s accountability court system says the drug court is considered an investment where more people are treated at the least expense.

An amount of $10,220 is allotted for the duration of a two-month program which includes counseling, screenings, and courtroom costs. Compared to the $85,440 that the state spends to incarcerate a person for five years, the drug court’s budget is significantly lower.

But before other offenders get the wrong idea and think that it’s an easy way out, the program is organized to effectively ensure an individual’s total recovery. Jail time can be suspended but offenders are required to attend counseling sessions of at least nine hours a week, 20 hours of community service weekly, and other activities such as random drug testing and police searches.

Most of the participants say they are learning a lot from the program and that they are kept busy which is a good way of taking their minds off from their addictions. If a person under the program fails to complete and follow all the guidelines set, he will have to serve his initial jail sentence.

“It’s a remarkable savings,” Amero said. “It’s not just a tax saving. You’re also allowing people to reconnect to the community in a positive way.”

There are three basic types of intervention: simple, classical, and family system.

Simple intervention happens when a person asks the drug or alcohol addict to simply stop his or her addictions. This type of intervention needs to be done repeatedly, though, to be effective in most cases. You’ll be surprised on what a simple request can do. This type of intervention should be the first to be considered before going into more advanced methods.

Classical intervention has been used for the longest time to help addicts. It happens when the element of a drug and alcohol treatment facility is involved. The goal for this type of intervention is to persuade a troubled individual to seek the help of professionals to control his addictions.

The family system of intervention is usually focused on the family and not only on the addict. The whole family gets involved in helping their troubled family member fight off his addictions. This will require changes in the whole family’s behavior to have a positive influence on the addicted member. These changes will help an addict consider getting help from drug rehabilitation centers to be sober again.

Yet the family’s involvement in the healing process is vital, whether their addicted family member goes into a rehab center or not. This is why proper education and the correct information or knowledge should be shared to the whole family so that each member will know how to deal with the troubled individual.

There are some who prefer to go into alternative types of treatment for drug addiction. Among the methods, the psychedelic substance treatment is one of the promising ways to treat drug addiction, although many will be doubtful of their efficacy at first glance. Psychedelic which means soul-manifesting was first introduced in 1957 by Humphry Osmond, a psychiatrist.

One psychedelic treatment that comes all the way from the Amazon is the Ayahuasca. It is a brew made from a vine and a leaf which has been known to treat problems of the body, mind and spirit. It has unique healing properties, which has been proven by a large congregation in Brazil. The Santo Daime claimed that members of the church who struggled with substance abuse were able to turn their backs on their addictions just by having regular consumption of ayahuasca brew.

The Iboga is another psychedelic plant drug from West Africa which contains the alkaloid ibogaine, known to take away an individual’s addiction to certain substances by fixing the brain chemicals that will control his mental and biological inclinations.

Lastly, the cactus peyote is also a psychedelic drug which can fight drug addiction. In fact, the Native American Church’s religious ceremonies of legally dispensing peyote have been a sought-after rite by those who want to be free of their drug dependency. There has been a number of testimonies made by troubled addicts that this plant has helped them get back on the right track again.

Recently a study on drug abuse had been conducted at Kalindini and Mombasa districts. The study, sponsored by National AIDS Control Council and carried out by DARAT, an organization based in Mombasa, indicated that a sample of 120 narcotic users including injecting drug users showed an exceptionally high rate of Hepatitis C and HIV positive cases. The drug users were all residents of Mombasa and Kalindini.

Dr. Timothy Mugusia, who was involved in the study said, “Over 70 per cent of them were found to be infected with hepatitis C while half of them were HIV positive.” He also said, “An abnormally high rate of HIV and hepatitis among injecting drug users at the Kenyan coast points to ‘flashing blood’ among local users.”

The practice was first reported in Dar es Salaam two years ago. Sheryl McUrdy of the University of Texas and Paul Kilonzo of the University of Dar es Salaam first reported the incidents of flash blood in a study published in the African Journal of Drug and Alcohol studies in 2006.

Dr. Mugusia estimated that there are around 6,000 drug injectors in Mombasa and Kalindini and most of the users are in their early 20s. The women in Mombasa have threatened to strip publicly if the government fails to take any immediate steps to check drug use in this part of the city since it is eroding the productivity of the youth.

The methods utilized in treating drug addiction vary, and this can range from behavioral therapy to medication prescription. Behavioral therapy, for instance, aims to target the patient’s reasons for drug use, which are usually grounded on social context. Methods such as counseling, contingency management, and social analyses are often used in this kind of therapy, and the intensity of each session can also vary in proportion to the severity of the patient’s case.

On the other hand, medication prescription is a method utilized in order to find substitutes for the drug. For instance, those addicted to nicotine are offered medications such as gums, patches, and lozenges, which contain chemicals that mimic the nicotine’s effect of the body minus its adverse effects.

Of course, the effectiveness of these treatments also depends on factors such as proper monitoring and intervention measures. After all, it would be pointless to undergo treatment if the patient is going to revert to using drugs afterwards.

But what you need to understand when you find out about it is that it is often an involuntary act, especially if it has been going on for quite a while. The longer the user has been taking drugs, the harder it is to escape because of the strengthening craving and growing dependence on the substance.

With this in mind, it becomes a difficult task to pry him away from using drugs. In fact, it is quite inadvisable to do so forcefully, since this may lead to possible violent encounters. Encouraging them to get treatment can be one of the things that you can do for them without great risk of damage to your relationship.

The hardest part of any recovery is the withdrawal stage. This can sometimes be fatal if left alone. The feelings associated with withdrawal also depend on the length of drug use –the longer the drug use, the more intense the sensations become, which can be extremely unpleasant for the individual. In this case, realize that he cannot make it through without guidance and support, which can be given by both medical professionals and friends.

Of course, drug treatment is not a one-shot deal. It is a long, painful, and ongoing process, and hoping that the individual can get over it miraculously may be a bit much to expect. Feelings of pain can surface long after contact with drugs, and these must be anticipated and dealt with carefully. Emotional support is critical even after treatment. Only then can true, lasting recovery take place.

Perhaps it may not be noticeable during the first few times, but as it goes on, the habit may become as frequent as eating and breathing. As the dependence grows, so does the shame of admitting it. After all, it would make one feel foolish to admit that they have become a slave to a substance that they thought they would never even think of using in their lifetime.

The feeling of isolation may prevent the user from acknowledging the problem, thinking that they are the only ones who are going through with that kind of experience. The only surefire way to evade this problem is for the user to realize that he is not alone. Drug abuse has become an underground culture around the world, and it spares no one, regardless of race, nationality, and financial status.

The people around the drug abuser also play a significant role in recovery. Confronting the user directly and prematurely can lead to his denial of drug use, which can make things a lot more complicated later on. And even if you get an admission, you cannot be assured that the user would want to undergo rehabilitation, especially if he or she feels threatened. The feeling of being supported through the whole ordeal can give the user some degree of assurance, and this can also give him a sense of comfort knowing that there would be someone to help him get through the rough patches in the road to full recovery.

The risk of relapse remains for most drug abusers throughout their life. Several factors might trigger relapse, crisis being one of them. Crisis is a painful event or situation that can disturb the normal functioning and emotional state of the individual. A crisis in an abstinent person’s life can push him back into the nasty cycle of drug addiction. But, every problem is not a crisis. The individual, in his course of recovery, learns to solve several problems on his own. But there are situations that cannot be solved with just his usual problem solving resources. It is during such situations that a professional help is required to deal with the situation and help the person continue with his recovery.

For a recovering drug user crisis may emerge from any of the following situations –

Family situations like lack of family support, separation, physical illness in the family, death of a close family member can give rise to crises for the abstinent user.

Interpersonal problems arising from difficulties in relationships within and outside the family can lead to crises. Positive emotions like a promotion, marriage, birth of a child could also act as crisis situations.

Personal and social situations involving problems resulting from the person’s previous drug use like legal action for some criminal action done before, ostracism from the community due to previous behavior are also potential causes of crisis.

Economic situations like losing a job, failure to repay debt, failure to find a job could also spark off a crisis.

Following a crisis, the person feels anxious, hurt, upset or angry. He might try to deal with the problem on his own or with the family members. But if he fails then the emotional problems might worsen and he might run the risk of relapse. This possibility usually lasts for 4 to 6 weeks and it is a critical period when he needs help to stay on his path of recovery.

The underlying vulnerability is masked by the toughness and the burden of responsibilities and constant stress make them internally vulnerable and a physical or emotional disturbance might cause a turmoil triggering drug abuse leading to drug dependency.

Women drug abusers face serious challenges to their well-being during their lives. Researches show that a large number of them present a history of physical and sexual abuse. The condition worsens when such women get into flesh trade just to earn the money to sustain their drug taking habit. The result is obvious – sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS.

Often it is found the initiation of the habit is through her male counterpart – spouse or boyfriend- who is also an addict. In such cases it becomes very difficult for the women to abstain from drugs since the lifestyle of the partner supports it.

Research indicates that women become more easily dependent on certain drugs like cocaine even after experimental or casual use. Thus by the time she seeks treatment she may be severely addicted.

A problem with female addicts is that most of the time they do not seek treatment due to fear of rejection from their family members, community. But treatment is an absolute necessity for them. A comprehensive treatment approach that takes care of the special needs of women together with support and encouragement from the family and community is essential to help them in refraining from addiction.

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano said, “It is time to take our heads out of the sand and start to regulate this $1.4 billion industry. By doing so, we can enact smart public money that will bring much needed revenue into the state and improve public safety by utilizing our limited law enforcement resources more wisely. The move toward regulation is simply common sense.” The $1.4 billion is Ammiano’s estimated value of both illegal and medical marijuana. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger does not support the matter but said that he is open to a “robust debate” since the legalization could save money and generate state funds.

The law enforcement agencies stand against the issue. According to them, legalization of pot will increase the use of the drug and crimes associated with it. But Ammiano felt that regulation would decrease the accessibility of the drug to young people, “specially those recruited to sell it.”

Opponents like John Redman of Californians For Drug Free Youth said, “This is bad to tax something that is going to be harmful to our youth, harmful to our communities, harmful to our churches.”

Problems related to alcohol and prescription drug use has been growing by leaps and bounds in the state and the nation as a whole. Don’t you think legalization of pot will add to the problem?