Entrepreneur.com: Calling for families to act
By
Enos, Gary A.
Addiction Professional
Letter
From the Editor
March-April, 2007
If the government's anti-drug efforts have
constituted a "War on Drugs," then the authors
of a compelling new book would contend that authorities have
conducted bombing raids when they should have been engaged
in hand-to-hand combat on the ground.
Andrew T. Wainwright, executive director of the national
intervention network Addiction Intervention Resources, Inc.,
says the government's bureaucratic and distant approach to
eliminating drug problems from communities has ignored the
area where genuine accomplishments can take place--in each
household affected by addiction. He and AIR president and
CEO Robert Poznanovich argue in It's Not Okay to Be a Cannibal
(Hazelden Publishing) that families hold the true power to
effect change and win back their addicted loved ones.
Wainwright, who was raised amid the power culture of Washington,
D.C., knows a little about how families can assert their
leverage at the most opportune time. When his life began
to come apart because of a heroin addiction, his mother stepped
in and refused to give any ground in helping her son.
"She would go to any length she had to in order to
get me the help I needed, and damn the consequences," Wainwright
recalls. And Wainwright's opportunity to travel halfway across
the country to enter treatment wasn't presented as an option
in some hazy "either/or" proposition. "If
I had had an open door to walk through and $5 in my pocket,
I may have made a different choice," he says.
Wainwright describes the new book as a frank and direct
call to action for families, and he credits Hazelden for
its willingness to publish a book that uses what he calls
the "urban vernacular" to empower families. This
is in contrast to books that have urged families to take
a more cautious approach in working with the addicted loved
one.
His first message to family members is not to wait when
they detect a problem. "If you know something's going
on, it's your responsibility to do something about it," he
says. The book lists a Family's Bill of Rights (and Responsibilities),
with statements such as, "You have the right to peace
in your own home. If there is a disrupting force, you have
the right to remove it."
Wainwright sees the book as a potentially useful tool for
family programs in that it explains the mechanics of intervention
and how families can overcome hesitancy over using this aggressive
approach. It is refreshing to see family dynamics receiving
much attention among professionals these days; the healthy
response we have received to coverage of family issues spurred
us to launch "The Family Factor" as a regular column
feature in the magazine this year. The new book from Wainwright
and Poznanovich offers important guidance for families, with
the added credibility of coming from two authors who have
firsthand knowledge of families' pivotal role in fighting
the war at home.
On another note, look for expanded coverage in upcoming
issues that will help commemorate the 35th anniversary of
NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals. Culminating
with dedicated anniversary coverage in our July/August issue
this year, we will use NAADAC's milestone as the backdrop
for an exploration of both the rich history of this field
and a glimpse at the challenges ahead.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Gary A. Enos, Editor
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