February 27, 2019
Page 13
O PINION
MCS Still in
Business
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG.
$50.00
A small distance/travel
charge may be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or more
$30.00 each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$50.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
and Hallway
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
Other Services) : $30.00
Heavily Soiled Area:
$10.00 each area
Addiction Doesn’t Start at the Border
Treat the root
causes instead
J ill r ichardson
As the sis-
ter of a brother
lost to an opi-
oid overdose,
Trump’s claim
that we need a
border wall in
order to keep
drugs out is offensive to me on
multiple levels. Fact checkers also
report that his claims are not true
— a border wall would not keep
drugs out of our country.
After the death of my brother
a decade ago, I went looking for
answers about drugs and addic-
tion. Gabor Mate, a medical doc-
tor who treats addics in Vancou-
ver, B.C., found that his patients
had all suffered severe trauma
before succumbing to addiction.
He wrote a book, In the Realm of
Hungry Ghosts, explaining how
trauma makes the brain more sus-
ceptible to addiction.
That was also the finding of the
Adverse Childhood Experiences
study. The study surveyed patients
about whether they experienced
10 different types of stressful or
by
traumatic experiences in child-
hood: various types of abuse, par-
ents divorcing, a parent going to
prison, or a parent suffering addic-
tion or mental illness. Then it cor-
related their scores with a number
of illnesses.
The higher your adverse expe-
riences score, the more likely you
are to suffer alcoholism, drug ad-
diction, or a host of other health
problems.
My brother and I both experi-
enced childhood trauma. I ended
up suffering anxiety, depression
and chronic migraines. He devel-
oped panic attacks and coped with
pain took a form that was less
deadly and more conducive to
getting help. His death was my
catalyst to get therapy. It’s taken
a decade, but I finally feel like my
life has turned around.
When just getting through ev-
eryday life hurts so very much,
drugs present a welcome relief.
I don’t think I’m a better person
than he was; I was just luckier.
Trauma left him susceptible to
addiction, and for some reason it
just landed me with 20 years of
migraines.
The U.S. has tried to solve its
drug problem by cutting off the
The U.S. has tried to solve its
drug problem by cutting off the
supply of drugs coming through its
borders since at least the 1980s. It
hasn’t worked.
his pain by binge eating and using
drugs. I’m told the day he over-
dosed was only the third time he’d
ever used heroin. He was alone in
his apartment, age 23.
Through random chance, I was
luckier than he was. Life dealt us
both severe pain, but for me the
supply of drugs coming through
its borders since at least the 1980s.
It hasn’t worked. Neither has pris-
on sentences for nonviolent drug
offenses. In fact, these approach-
es have only made the problem
worse, and created many others
besides.
If we want to cut down on our
drug problem, we need to cut
down on the factors that cause ad-
diction in the first place. We must
work on reducing the amount
of trauma, poverty, and despair
Americans experience and offer
help to those who’ve suffered so
they can overcome it.
We should also reduce demand
for illegal drugs by offering safe, le-
gal, and regulated drugs when they
can provide health benefits, as med-
ical marijuana has done for me.
Even if a border wall were a
cost effective and feasible way to
keep drugs from coming over the
border (which according to virtu-
ally every expert, it isn’t), it would
do nothing to address the root
causes of addiction in America.
When people are in pain, they’ll
find a way to get drugs. So long as
there’s a market for illegal drugs,
traffickers will find ways to pro-
duce them here or bring them in.
The real answer to the illegal drug
trade is addressing the root causes
of addiction.
OtherWords columnist Jill
Richardson is pursuing a PhD
in sociology at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in
San Diego. Distributed by Other-
Words.org.
(Requiring Pre-Spray)
Area/Oriental Rug Cleaning
Regular Area Rugs
$25.00 Minimum
Wool Oriental Rugs
$40.00 Minimum
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $70.00
Loveseat: $50.00
Sectional: $110 - $140
Chair or Recliner:
$25.00 - $50.00
Throw Pillows (With
Other Services) : $5.00
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949