Pubdate: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 Source: Mobile Register (AL) Copyright: 2004 Mobile Register. Contact: http://www.al.com/mobileregister/today/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/269 Author: Barbara Drummond Note: Barbara Drummond is the public affairs director for Mobile County and a former Mobile Register reporter. This column contains her personal viewpoints and does not reflect the opinion of county officials. A FAMILY FIGHTS WAR ON DRUGS The son she bore had erred once again, tossing the family into a judicial arena that is known best by legal professionals and law enforcement. His crime involved drugs. Drugs not only affect the addict, they also wreak havoc on the family. That message resounded with me earlier this week as a reader reached out for help from a person she knew only from a newspaper column. Throughout the years, she has written me and on some occasions called. She can be described as a godly woman who cares about people and what is happening in her community. Often, she agrees with me, but there are times she feels my stances on issues are totally off base. At any rate, we respect each other's opinions. But on this day, her message seemed different, somewhat urgent in nature and passed along in a manner that only a mother could understand. The son she bore had erred once again, tossing the family into a judicial arena that is known best by legal professionals and law enforcement. His crime involved drugs. One of the first things she said was, "I know he has done wrong and must pay for it." But it was obvious that she had not closed the door on this offspring. She had helped him in the past, and judging from the sound of her motherly voice, help would be extended once again. After discussing the location of court hearings, she proceeded to tell me about the chaos of drugs in her family. As she talked, I thought about other families and communities who are held at bay because of the ugliness of drugs. Stolen dollars, earmarked for something useful, are taken by an addict who cares more about the short-lived feeling of drugs than about family finances. Families lose the trusting freedom of their households. They must guard everything of value, for fear the addict will sell it for pen nies. Not to mention mothers and fathers who painfully watch their offspring turn into something that is so distanced from his or her upbringing. Nothing is sadder than seeing a family or a community contend with a drug-crazed relative or member of that community. While in Chicago a few years ago, I saw the elderly people of a community confined to their apartments, communicating via telephone or yelling out windows because they were fearful about coming outside. The area was wracked by crime, due in part to drugs and the activities as sociated with drugs. Very few of the elderly ventured outside because they were fearful of the drug element. It was during that time that I realized that this was not only a war on drugs in our community, but also in our families. Families are on the front line of this war. Though they have not done anything wrong, the sins of their drug-addicted family members force them into a war that sometimes seems doomed. The reader who called me said, "He was not raised that way." She's right. No one forces an addiction upon any one. It is an illness for which there are not enough dolllars and facilities to treat those who want to stop the madness. The plague of drugs crosses all races and socio-economic levels. Families are on the front line of this war, and as painful as it might be, they must fight to restore sanity back into the family. As is the case with my caller, it has to start with being honest and recognizing the signs. Barbara Drummond is the public affairs director for Mobile County and a former Mobile Register reporter. This column contains her personal viewpoints and does not reflect the opinion of county officials. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek