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A Review of Lonny Shavelson's "Hooked"
Published by The New Press $24.95
As an acupuncturist who has worked in the field of substance abuse over the last 13 years, one of the frustrations I have is not knowing what happens to the people I treat once they've moved on. I have worked in a variety of settings, including the San Francisco County Jail and the SF Drug Court Program, a methadone clinic, a homeless shelter, treatment programs and pre–treatment programs. Sometimes the clients are in active detox from any number of drugs: heroin, crack, speed, alcohol and more. Some are in early recovery; some have been clean and sober for months or years. Therein lies the beauty of acupuncture: it treats the whole person, body, mind and spirit—grounding and detoxifying the client no matter what stage of recovery they happen to be in. And while acupuncture alone isn't usually enough to get a person off drugs, it is a powerful tool when combined with other therapies, including counseling, group meetings and 12–step programs.
I first met Lonny Shavelson when he came to the Target Cities "pre–treatment" program where I was one of the acupuncturists on staff. He showed up with his camera and in a very unassuming way became part of the group of the dozen or more people who would report Monday through Friday on the first step of San Francisco's much touted Treatment on Demand program. Lonnie was introduced as a photojournalist working on an article about people in recovery. That article evolved into Hooked, in which he follows five people addicted to a variety of drugs as they struggle to navigate the maze that is the drug treatment system. With compassion and dignity he allows their stories to unfold and in the process diagnoses many of the problems of the dysfunctional system that is designed to help them.
Among the recommendations he makes based on this research include:
- Redirecting money away from the militaristic (supply–side) War on Drugs and putting it into drug treatment (demand-side) programs that work. For example, in 2001, the U.S. government budget for the War on Drugs is $17.7 billion—of which less than 20 percent goes to treatment.
- Establishing a comprehensive case management system that monitors each client throughout their treatment, making sure they get the services they need when they need them to maximize their chances for recovery and that prevents people from falling through the cracks.
- Better training for rehab counselors to recognize and treat clients with mental health issues (known as dual diagnosis). Approximately half of all hard–core drug abusers are self-medicating, and for addicts who come from abusive backgrounds, the Synanon style of "break 'em down and build 'em back up" doesn't work.
- Recognition that relapse is part of the process, and instead of rejecting clients who relapse, directing them to programs that are more appropriate and intensive. Consider a medical model in which patients who get sicker are not punished or abandoned by their health care providers; they are given more treatment, not less.
- Closer monitoring by funding sources to reward programs that work. Of all the programs reviewed in this book, the Drug Court Program is highlighted as the most comprehensive for its ability to monitor clients closely and intervene appropriately.
Hooked could have easily been presented as a tabloid expose of five down–and–out losers, worthy of our contempt and scorn. Instead it is a hopeful look at how real human beings in the system—and the system itself—can change for the better. It deserves to be read not only by policy makers and professionals working in the field of substance abuse but also by everyone who wants a better understanding of the drug abuse epidemic. Hooked will hopefully be part of an ongoing discussion of how to bring healing where it is sorely needed. Thanks, Lonny, for (as newscaster Paul Harvey would say) "the rest of the story."
© 2001 Larry Forsberg. All rights reserved.
Articles posted on this Web site are for personal use only and remain the property of Larry Forsberg, L.Ac.
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