My Spiritual Journey In Recovery
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost influenced my personal interpretation that I wrote for my ENG 190, Arizona Western College 1996. I hope you enjoy and feel the depth of my passion in recovery.
“The Road Not Taken revealed the message to me, that if I wanted to live a Spiritual Life; I must take the way of The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck. Life is difficult and complex”.
“I followed the crowd to money, power and prestige. Along the way, I started drowning in alcohol. (Line1) I arrived at the two roads diverged in the yellow wood feeling like a coward. Afraid to give up my lover and best friend, alcohol. Many times before I arrived at these two roads but I struggled along the same rocky road with my pain only to be consumed by alcohol again. Alcohol is so cunning, baffling and powerful”.
Now, sorry I could not travel both I was feeling self pity oozing from every pore. The beaten path was always an easier softer way for me. (Line 3,4,5) As I stood at this turning point alone, I felt guilt and remorse. The marriage was over, no friends in my life and three children wanting to be anywhere else than with me. Nothing had changed and I could not see an end to it. I lived in a spiritual wasteland. At this point I asked myself, “Do I continue this beaten path or do I surrender to God?”
(Line 6) I went within and asked guidance from what I know as a power greater than myself. “God Help Me?” I said out loud. There were no sign posts telling me that this would be the better way. All I knew at this point in my life was if I kept doing what I was doing, I would keep getting what I was getting.
(Line 7,8,9,10) With my new mustard seed of faith, I placed my foot upon the Road Less Traveled and I prayed, “God Help Me.” I left the alcohol behind on the worn down road to claim a better life. There seemed to be less fear on this road and I felt hope for a new beginning. I was sick and I was going to get well! Other people I met on this road told me, “We will love you until you can love yourself.”
“I had no preconceived idea about where I was going. Where ever this road would take me had to be better than where I had been. I surrendered!
(Line 11,12,13) Faith grew more and more each day as I stepped where I had never been before. Each step clearing away the wreckage of my past and changing my inner being. I knew then I would not, nor could not return to that life. There really was a better way to live.”
(Line 14, 15) Each time a new road diverged, I placed my foot upon the Road Less Traveled. As I trudged this new road of happy destiny it was not without strife. It was FAITH alone that kept me on my journey. It was best I could not see past the undergrowth on the road. The choices I had to face and make along this road were more than my wildest imagination could have conspired. Every time a choice had to be made the gift of courage came over me. I owed a great amends to God, my children (those alive and those dead), and most of all to myself for my willfulness.”
(Line 16,17) “And I have been telling my story with a Heavy Sigh for eight years. I know no other way to live now. I know no other way to live now. I know no other way to live now. I can not keep what I have unless I give what I FOUND a way. So I will be telling my story henceforth. My dignity as a human being has been restored.”
(Line 18, 19 20) “Today as I come upon two roads diverged in the woods; the gift of willingness takes me the way of The Road Less Traveled. And that has made all the difference.”
So I say to you today April 2011; “Come join me on the road less traveled!”
I heard this so many times when I came in the program over 20 years ago. “Only 1 out of 10 of us are going to make it!” I thought to my self; where do they get this information? Drove me crazy reading and trying to find this out. Well I have a revelation for you! The question really is: Where are the other nine? Father John Doe (author 12 step books) wrote a few paragraphs about: “Where are the other nine?” It was then that I made the connection to the origin of this statistic.
The following is from; Spiritual Infusion: Twelve Step Recovery and Revival Inside and Outside The Church; authored by Patt Manna
This is where the sponsor should come into your recovery process. Stick to the process provided in the Twelve Steps. Look for the old timer in the program. The story of the ten lepers is a unique picture of what you should be seeking in a sponsor and that should be gratitude! The story of the ten lepers goes like this: “Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well” (Luke17:11-19 NKJV).
Ingratitude did not deny Christ’s mercy to the other nine, but ingratitude did deprive them of fellowship with Him. Around the rooms of recovery I always heard sayings like, “Only one out of ten of us are going to make it.” I used to say, “Where do they get their statistics for this?” Little did I know that the story of the ten lepers has driven those statistics since the beginning of the Twelve Step Program. Get grateful and choose Life!
The old timers keep coming back because they know the rewards of giving and being grateful. They know they have been called to be a sponsor. “These twelve disciples Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:5, 8 NKJV). You will be able to see the fruit of the old timer. Find that grateful person and you will find a humble person with experience, strength, and hope freely given.
Gratitude is a frequent topic in meetings around Thanksgiving. But if you have to wait for the arrival of a turkey to get you to talk about gratitude, you might see why so many members are in trouble. Here is an idea to start you on the road to gratitude. Go through the alphabet and make a gratitude list periodically for the small stuff as well as the unexplainable favor (act of kindness, preference, increase) given to you. At my original home-group meeting, Friday was always the topic of gratitude. In my early recovery I frequently found that after listening to others and their struggles I would feel really grateful to leave the meeting with my own relatively small problems. Later my gratitude grew in every area of my life.
This is the abstract, introduction and conclusion to my paper that I wrote for Criminal Justice 345 Human and Cultural Relations in Criminal Justice class. This paper was written 4-24-1998 for Northern Arizona University in Yuma, AZ. by Patt who is the Author of Spiritual Infusion:Twelve Step Recovery and Revival Inside and Outside The Church
Abstract:
One consistent variable within the onset of criminality analyzed in Yuma, Arizona was the existing antecedent of alcohol/drug use, abuse, and addiction. Society at large can only build so many prisons and jails to house a symptom of the real problem.
It is important to make a clear distiction between use and abuse. The term addict should only be used if the individual is abusing and dependent on alcohol or drugs. Scientifically it should be noted that it is impossible to become an addict unless one is first a user. Therefore, use is the first step toward addiction. Addiction is a separate and even more self-defeating force that abuses a person’s freedom and makes them do things they really do not want to do.
Introduction: Crime is a Symptom: Alcohol/Drug Use is the Antecedent of Crime
Several major shifts have occurred in the way Americans have perceived and responded to alcohol and drug problems. This complex set of problems has been defined in the past as a moral weakness problem and was directed to the churches, defined as an economic problem and was directed to the market and price control authorities, defined as a youth learning problem and was turned over to the educators to fix this problem. Today, it has been defined as a crime problem and has been turned over to law enforcement and the corection’s agencies. Alcohol/Drug users, abusers and addicts push the extreme majority of the official crime statistics regardless of race, ethnicity or gender.
The legal definition of crime is an intentional act or omission in violation of criminal law, committed without defense or justification, and sanctioned by the law as a felony or misdemeanor. The social definition of crime is an act which the group regards as sufficiently menacing to its fundamental interests to justify reaction to restrain the violator. “Included among criminals are as wide a variety of inviduals as is found in the total population of a society” (Johnson,1964, p. 10).
Johnson (1964) gives insight into this subject concerning alcohol as a drug. Alcohol beverages have been used by most people through out the history of mankind. Alcohol has been employed as a drink at meals, as a symbol of friendship and sociability, as a method of inducing a feeling of being emersed in a haze, as a means of reducing anxieties, as a pharmaceutical application, and as a part of a religious ceremony. Drunkenness tends to be conspicuous when many members of a society have inner tensions or needs for adjustments. Rates of alcoholism may be influenced by the degree to which a culture provides suitable substitute resources of satisfaction. Examples are the use of narcotics by some groups and prayer and hymn singing serve a similar function by another group. Differences in drinking norms help explain variation in the frequency of drinking by age, sex, religion and occupation within and among cultures. The locale and style of drinking is related to the function of alcoholic beverages within a particular sociocultural context. The public drinking house may serve as a meeting place for enjoyment of fellowship with people of like interests, for experiencing sympathy of others in facing personal problems, for using food and dancing as the pivotal point for recreation, and for the transaction of business in a pleasant environmnet. The locale of the drinking and the drinkers behavior are criteria upon which drinking styles are ranked to the status of the community. When the associated activity is within bounds of approved conduct, social pressures may be exerted to promote consumption of alcoholic beverages. Social acceptance, sophistication, and manhood frequently are associated with drinking. “In a world of competition and individualism, the use of alcohol to relieve anxities is encouraged. Furthermore, the indivudaual inclined to use alcohol is more likely to find groups approving of his behavior” (Johnson, 1964,p. 286).
Johnson (1964) precisely describes the drug nightmare that may have started out to be the American Dream or the offer of a blessed relief from pain. The prolonged administration of narcotics brings the misfortune of addiction and its heavy social and human cost. The user experiences relief from pain and feelings of euphoria or relief of emotional tensions, but development of body tolerance to drugs requires larger doses to gain intial effects. Psychologists have emphasized the strong dependency needs and feelings of inadequacy of the addict. Most writers describe the majority of addicts as emotionally immature, aggressive, and demanding of immediate gratification. Another addicted group is composed of neurotics who are trying to relieve anxieties produced by their neurotic conflicts. Another addicted group is composed of addicts who have become victims of drugs initially administered in the course of protected or overeager treatment. It is not clear whether the personal disorganization exhibted by addicts is the cause, or the effect unrelated to the problem of addiction. Although addicts usually have personality disturbances, it does not necessarily follow that the disturbances existed before addiction. Because the addict is socially stigmatized, it is difficult in distinguishing the effects of the addict status on his personality from the psychological predisposition which preceded his addiction. Ultimately his behavior is affected by his urgent need for drugs in a world dedicated to denying them to him. That addiction is invariably associated with the individual’s perception of the true significance of withdrawal symptoms. Thereafter, drugs are used for the distinct purpose of avoiding these symptoms. The addict may have received drugs initially during medical treatment or he may have deliberately experimented with drugs expecting to experience certain pleasures. “The drug user is unprepared for the symptoms brought on by abstinance. Consequently, the drug user’s search for drugs to regain a feeling of normalcy becomes obvious” (Johnson, 1964, p. 295).
I will show through my research and findings that these descriptive concerns and patterns about society’s Alcohol/Drug use, abuse, and addiction by Johnson (1964) still have a direct correlation with the onset of criminality in society today (34 yers later). It is not the crime rates that have increased, but the Alcohol/Drug use, abuse, and addiction that has increased and precedes the criminal acts.
Conclusion:
Alcohol/Drug users, abusers, and addicts are pusing the Department of Correction’s commitment into a billin dollar warehouse industry whose inventory consists of “human beings”. The official statistics on crime have been notoriously difficult to interpret. The Uniform Crime Report (UCR), which the Department of Justice has published since 1930, is based on voluntary supplied samples. The UCR counts only the most serious crime per offender sentenced. The public’s tolerance of crime affects the readiness to report crime or even recognize that it is a crime. In order to overcome the problems of relying only on official figures of the UCR, criminologist have conducted victim surveys; these invole interviewing large samples of citizens about their experience of crime that they had never reported. A central point here is that crime statistics are moral statistics, they record both human conduct and the shifting professional and public perceptions of that conduct. In identifying the problems confronting criminal justice, the difficulty seems to be in finding solutions which do not create greater problems in themselves. Sagarin (1979) described the dilemmas of the Criminal Justice System’s search for instant answers to complex problems. The solutions have often been oversold, with the consequent disillusionment over the value of new strategies. “The use of secure custody for some individuals is appropriate; the task is to pick the right people to confine and the right mode of confinement” (Sagarin, 1979, p. 122-123).
As a consequence, this nation’s reliance in dealing with the 1997 public offender is still weighted on the side of jails and prisons. In 1997, calling a prison an “adjustment center” does not alter the way it functions, unless society is willing to change both the way the service is delivered to the recipient and the way the recipient is viewed as a human being. All of this must lead society to a consideration of the question of what corrections is all about, where should we be going and how can we attain those goals.
With the evidence of the one consistently common variable of Alcohol/Drugs as the antecedent of crime, there is a question about the medical and psychiatric rehabilitation received by these people who have been incarcerated. Wood (1996) reveals some of the polical problems of how ironic, that just when illegal drugs had become a Presidential campaing issue, the House and the Senate conferees have agreed on legislation that will expand health insurance coverage for mental illness but will exclude treatment for alcoholism and other drug addictions. No rational basis for the exemption exists. Sadly the exemption is explained only by the hostile return of stigma. In the past several years, the federal government has cut back many programs meant to help addicted people resume productive lives only to replace these programs with the Department of Corrections warehousing industry.
The “haves” and the “have nots” both contribute to the crime statistics. “Not all alcohol and drug users, abusers and addicts reside in lower-class slums; the problem of middle-class substance abuse is very real. And as the addiction levels increase, so too does the frequency seriouness of criminality” (Seigel, 1995, P. 421).
The “symptom of crime” that has caused the overcrowded juvenile and adult jails and prison facilities will not just go away by incarceration. The problem of Alcohol/Drug use, abuse, and addiction has to come to the forefront and society accept that additional information about the nature and causes of this complex problem is urgently needed. Public Law 91-616 is the comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act of 1970. “This act revealed alcohol abuse and alcoholism not as problems experienced by a few but as a national problem” (Hewitt,1995).
It has been since 1970-, that the drug escalation in this country has ran side by side of the publicly known alcohol problem of use, abuse, and adddiction. It is scientifically known that alcohol is also considered a drug. The criminals charged and sentenced may not have been responsible at the time of the crime because of the influence of alcohol/drugs; but society must hold them accountable for what they do under the influence of alcohol/drugs. The fact that society is responsible for demanding the incarceration of these people means that society must be held accountable for the medical and psyciatric treatment of these people as well.
End
If I were to rewrite this same paper today the only change would be “I will show through my research and findings that these descriptive concerns and patterns about society’s Alcohol/Drug use, abuse and addiction by Johnson (1964) still have a direct correlation with the onset of criminality in society today (46 yers later). Yes, another decade later we are falling backwards in our treatment of alcohol, drugs, pornography, and gambling addictions.
Chapter 6, Into Action, page 83, of The Big Book:
“If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.”
Painstaking – synonyms are thorough, careful, and meticulous.
“And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26) (NLT)
“God purchased you at a high price. Don’t be enslaved by the world.” (1 Corinthians 7:23)NLT
“Don’t copy the customs and the behaviors of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.” (Romans 12:2)NLT
Development – synonyms are growth, training, and change.
“Be diligent to present yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15)NKJV
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever.” (II Peter 3:18)NKJV
“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” (I Timothy 4:15)KJV
Amazed – synonyms are astonished, shocked, and surprised.
“God will surely do this for you, for he always does just what he says, and he is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9) (NLT)
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:22) (NLT)
“When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them.” (Psalm 91:15) (NLT)
Freedom -synonyms are liberty, independence, and choice.
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32-36)KJV.
“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)NLT
“Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty.” (II Corinthians 3:17)NLT
Happiness – synonyms are
Why WE WERE CHOSEN
God in His wisdom selected this group of men and women to be purveyors of His goodness. In selecting them through whom to bring about this phenomenom He went not to the proud, the mighty, the famous or the brilliant. He went instead to the humble, to the sick, to the unfortunate. He went right to the drunkard; the so called weakling of the world. Well might He have said to us:–
“Unto your weak and feeble hands I have entrusted a power beyond estimate. To you has been given that which has been denied the most learned of your fellows. Not to scientists or statesmen, not to wives or mothers, not even to my priests or ministers have I given this gift of healing other alcoholics which I entrust to you.”
“It must be used unselfishly: it carries with it grave responsibility. No day can be too long; no demands upon your time can be too urgent; no case be too pitiful; no task too hard; no effort too great. It must be used with tolerance for I have restricted its application to no race, no creed, and no denomination. Personal criticism you must expect; ridicule will be your lot; your motives will be misjudged. You must be prepared for adversity, for what men call adversity is the ladder you must use to ascend the rungs toward spiritual perfection, and remember, in the exercise of this power I shall not expect from you beyond your capabilities.”
“You are not selected because of exceptional talents, and be careful always, if success attends your efforts not to ascribe to personal superiority that which you can lay claim only by virtue of my gift. If I had wanted learned men to accomplish this mission, the power would have been entrusted to the physician and scientist. If I had wanted eloquent men, there would have been many anxious for the assignment, for talk is the easiest used of all talents with which I have endowed mankind. If I had wanted scholarly men, the world is filled with better qualified men than you who would be available. You were selected because you have been the outcasts of the world and your long experience as drunkards has made or should make you humbly alert to the cries of distress that come from the lonely hearts of alcoholics everywhere.”
“Keep ever in mind the admission you made on the day of your profession in A.A. namely that you are powerless and that it was only with your willingness to turn your life and will unto my keeping that relief came to you.” — Anonymous
Our actions, good or bad, will give consequences after we are long gone. This is a reminder no one is immune to foolish actions fueled by PRIDE.
Step 1 Pride denies there is a problem.
Step 2 Pride thinks it is free enough.
Step 3 Pride covers our heart.
Step 4 Pride refuses to look back.
PRIDE WILL NOT ADMIT TO WEAKNESS! But in our weakness we are strong!
Check out the New 12 step recovery book. Spiritual Infusion www.spiritualinfusion.com comment to the author, print a free guide to use with the book. Book can be found on most online bookstores. Google spiritual infusion or patt manna.. This book is being used in prisons and small groups.
Look on the web site www.spiritualinfusion.com to see the updates on where and who is using the book. Prisons, churches, etc. Also, print off your Free work book to use along with your spirtual infusion book. You can find Spiritualoinfusion on most online bookstores or ask your local bookstore to order it. Also you can find Patt Manna the author on myspace. If you have questions or comments please feel free to email Patt Manna from the website www.spiritualinfusion.com. Have a great day.
Wisdom: Synonyms are “good judgment”, “insight” and “good sense.” Wisdom is the ability to discern the true from the false. Wisdom does not necessarily refer to book smarts or intelligence. Many of God’s people have intelligence, but they can’t make a good decision because they can’t see what is right or wrong, what is good or evil. Wisdom may not come with age alone. You may have to pray for it. “How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver” (Proverbs 16:16, NKJV). “let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom” (Proverbs 4:4-7, NKJV). (p81 Spiritual Infusion)
This is a paper I wrote in 1998 for my Criminal Justice 345 class on Human and Cultural Relations in Criminal Justice. Northern Arizona University, Yuma AZ.
Abstract
One consistent variable within the onset of criminality analyzed in Yuma, Arizona was the existing antecedent of alcohol/drug use, abuse, and addiction. Society at large can only build so many prisons and jails to house a symptom of the real problem.
It is important to make a clear distinction between use and abuse. The term addict should only be used if the individual is abusing and dependent on alcohol or drugs. Scientifically it should be noted that it is impossible to become an addict unless one is first a user. Therefore, use is the first step toward addiction. Addiction is a separate and even more self-defeating force that abuses a person’s freedom and makes them do things they really do not want to do.
Introduction
Several major shifts have occurred in the way Americans have perceived and responded to alcohol and drug problems. This complex set of problems has been defined in the past as a moral weakness problem and was directed to the churches, defined as an economic prblem and was directed to the market and price control authorities, defined as a youth learning problem and was turned over to the educators to fix this problem. Today, it has been defined as a crime problem and has been turned over to law enforcement and the correction’s agencies. Alcohol/Drug users, abusers and addicts push the extreme majority of the official crime statistics regardless of race, ethnicity or gender.
The legal definition of crime is an intentional act or omission in violation of criminal law, committed without defense or justification, and sanctioned by the law as a felony or misdemeanor. The social definition of crime is an act which the group regards as sufficiently menacing to its fundamental interests to justify reaction to restrain the violator. “Included among criminals are as wide a variety of individuals as is found in the total population of a society” (Johnson, 1964,p. 10).
Johnson (1964) gives insight into this subject concerning alcohol as a drug. Alcohol beverages have been used by most people throughout the history of mankind. Alcohol has been employed as a drink at meals, as a symbol of friendship and socialbility, as a method of inducing a feeling of being emersed in a haze, as a means of reducing anxieties, as a pharmaceutical application, and as a part of a religious ceremony. Drunkenness tends to be conspicuous when many members of a society have inner tensions or needs for adjustment. Rates of alcoholism may be influenced by the degree to which a culture provides suitable substitute resources of satisfaction. Examples are the use of narcotics by some groups and prayer and hymn singing serve a similar function by another group. Differences in drinking norms help explain variations in the frquency of drinking by age, sex, religion and occupation within and among cultures. The locale and style of drinking is related to the function of alcoholic beverages within a particular sociocultural context. The public drinking house may serve as a meeting place for enjoyment of fellowship with people of like interests, for experiencing sympathy of others in facing personal problems, for using food and dancing as the pivotal point for recreation, and for the transaction of business in a pleasant envirnment. The locale of the drinking and the drinkers behavior are criteria upon which drinking styles are ranked to the status of the community. When the associated activity is within bounds of approved conduct, social pressures may be exerted to promote consuption of alcoholic beverages. Social acceptance, snophistication, and manhood frequently are associated with drinking. “In a world of competition and individualism, the use of alcohol to relieve anxieties is encouraged. Furthermore, the individual inclined to use alcohol is more likely to find groups approving of his behavior” (Johnson, 1964,p. 286).
Johnson (1964) precisely describes the drug nightmare that may have started out to be the American Dream or the offer of a blessed relief from pain. The prolonged administration of narcotics brings the misfortune of addiction and its heavy social and human cost. The user experiences relief from pain and feelings of euphoria or relief of emotional tensions, but development of body tolerance to drugs requires larger doses to gain initial effects. Psycologists have emphasized the strong dependency needs and feelings of inadequacy of the addict. Most writers describe the majority of addicts as emotionally immature, aggressive, and demanding of immediate gratification. Another addicted group is composed of neurotics who are trying to relieve anxieties produced by their nerotic conflicts. Another addicted group is composed of addicts who have become victims of drugs initially administered in the course of protected or overeager treatment. It is not clear whether the personal disorganizationtion exhibited by addicts is the cause, or the effect unrelated to the problem of addiction. Although addicts usually have personality disturbances, it does not necessarily follow that the disturbances existed before addiction. Because the addict is socially stigmatized, it is difficult in distinguishing the effects of the addict status on his personality from the psychological predisposition which preceded his addiction. Ultimately his behavior is affected by his urgent need for drugs in a world dedicated to denying them to him. That addiction is invariably associated with the individual’s perception of the true significance of withdrawal symptoms. Thereafter, drugs are used for the distinct purpose of avoiding these symptoms. The addict may have received drugs initially during medical treatment or he may have deliberately experimented with drugs expecting to experience certain pleasures. “The drug user is unprepared for the symptoms brought on by abstinence. Consequently, the drug user’s search for drugs to regain a feeling of normalcy becomes obvious” (Johnson, 1964,p. 295).
I will show through my research and findings that these descriptive concerns and patterns about society’s Alcohol/Drug use, abuse and addiction by Johnson (1964) still have a direct correlation with the onset of criminality in society today (34 yers later). It is not the crime rates that have increased, but the Alcohol/Drug use, abuse and addiction that has increased and precedes the criminal acts.
Conclusion
Alcohol/Drug users, abusers, and addicts are pushing the Department of Correction’s commitment into a billion dollar warhouse industry whose inventory consists of “human beings”. The official statistics on crime have been notoriously difficult to interpret. The Uniform Crime Report (UCR), which the Department of Justice has published since 1930, is based on voluntary supplied samples. The UCR counts only the most serious crime per offender sentenced. The public’s tolerance of crime affects the readiness to report crime or even recognize that it is a crime. In order to overcome the problems of relying only on official figures of the UCR, criminologist have conducted victim surveys; these involve interviewing large smaples of citizens about their experience of cime that they had never reported. A central point here is that crime statistics are moral statistics, they record both human conduct and the shifting professional and public perceptions of that conduct. In identifying the problems confronting criminal justice, the difficulty seems to be in finding solutions which do not create greater problems in themselves. Sagarin (1979) described the dilemmas of the Criminal Justice System’s search for instant answers to complex problems. The solutions have often been oversold, with the consequent disillusionment over the value of new strategies. “The use of secure custody for some individuals is appropriate; the task is to pick the right people to confine and the right mode of confinement” (Sagarin, 1979,p. 122-123).
As a consequence, this nation’s reliance in dealing with the 1997 public offender is still weighted on the side of jails and prisons. In 1997, calling a prison an “adjustment center” does not alter the way it functions, unless society is willing to change both the way the service is delivered to the recipient and the way the recipient is viewed as a human being. All of this must lead society to a consideration of the question of what Corrections is all about, where should we be going and how can we attain those goals?
With the evidence of the one consistently common variable of Alcohol/Drugs as the antecedent of crime, there is a question about the medical and psychiatric rehabilitation received by these people who have been incarcerated. Wood (1996) reveals some of the political problems of how ironic, that just when illegal drugs had become a Presidential campaign issue, the House and the Senate conferees have agreed on legislation that will expand helath insurance coverage for metal illness but will exclude treatment for alcoholism and other drug addictions. No rational basis for this exemption exists. Sadly, the exemption is explained only by the hostile return of stigma. In the past several years, the federal government has cut back many programs meant to help addicted people resume productive lives only to replace these programs with the Department of Corrections warehousing industry.
The “haves” and the “have nots” both contribute to the crime statistics. “Not all alcohol and drug users, abusers, and addicts reside in lower-class slums; the problem of middle-class substance abuse is very real. And as the addiction levels increase, so too does the frequency seriousness of criminality” (Seigel, 1995,p. 421).
The “symptom of crime” that has caused the overcrowded juvenile or adult jails and prison facilities will not just go away by incarceration. The problem of Alcohol/Drug use, abuse and addiction has to come to the forefront and society accept the additional information about the nature and causes of this complex problem is urgently needed. Public Law 01-616 is the comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act of 1970. “This act revealed alcohol abuse and alcoholism not as prblems experienced by a few but as a national problem” (Hewitt, 1995).
It has been since 1970, that the drug escalation in this country has ran side by side of the publicly known alcohol problem of use, abuse, and addiction. It is scientifically known that alcohol is also considered a drug. The criminals charged and sentenced may not have been responsible at the time of the crime because of the influence of alcohol/drugs; but society must hold them accountable for what they do under the influence of alchol/drugs. The fact that society is responsible for demanding the incarceration of these people means that society must be held accountable for the medical and psychiatric treatment of these people as well.
