Pubdate: Sat, 11 Nov 2006 Source: Bradenton Herald (FL) Copyright: 2006 Bradenton Herald Contact: http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/58 Author: Pritesh Parbhoo FIGHTING ADDICTION: HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE When thinking about the various problems that affect our communities, a multitude of issues come to mind. We often ask ourselves what difference we as individuals can make. An individual who embraced this idea of making a difference was U.S. Drug Enforcement agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. In 1985, while serving as an undercover agent in Mexico in the fight against illegal drugs, he was brutally tortured and murdered. Every year in October we honor him during Red Ribbon Week and recommit ourselves to living drug-free lives. This drug prevention event is recognized all over our country and involves an estimated 80 million people. Addiction involving alcohol and drugs has been and continues to be a significant problem affecting our community in various ways. Addictions do not discriminate among people and can affect all of us in one way or another. People often have mixed reactions when they hear about this problem - with some having had first-hand experience while others have only heard of it. Often, individuals with addictions and their families are confronted with living double lives as they tackle the demands of daily life. In addition, they are faced with feelings of anger, guilt, shame and other emotional troubles as their family, social and work lives are disrupted. While these problems sound challenging enough, it is often the case that others stop seeing the person behind the addiction, and the addiction takes its place on center stage. This is likely to have negative consequences as the limited social supports these people have also start to fall away. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream." As such, we can certainly be strong as we offer hope and support this week to those in need. By better educating ourselves, our youth and our communities about addictions, we can strengthen our fight to promote drug-free lives. Our community is currently served by a variety of medical and psychological services related to addictions, along with very valuable community resources such as private organizations and volunteer programs. Utilizing these resources for ourselves, a family member, or even a friend can help improve the lives of us all. We can all make a difference. Pritesh Parbhoo is on the staff at Manatee Glens, a not-for-profit health care provider that delivers services from seven Manatee County locations. - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine