| Drug addicts & alcoholics can commit crimes, even | | | | They quietly smile when they relapse. Your success |
| against their own family. How to know the difference | | | | in helping drug addicts or alcoholics will be in |
| between social and anti-social addiction and help your | | | | distinguishing between these two types of people. |
| loved ones who truly deserve your help is vital. How | | | | Turn the second group over to the police. |
| do you monitor or test to see how to best help | | | | Sometimes one can mistake those in group one with |
| them? | | | | those in group two. This can cause considerable |
| Most addicts were and are good people. A drug | | | | upsets in someone who is addicted. Ex. The addicted |
| addict or alcoholic can make some pretty major | | | | person now feels rejected by family, worthless, like |
| mistakes that cause great harm and upset to those | | | | garbage, etc. simply because they are addicted. |
| who love them. Sometimes a drug addict will damage | | | | These people need help, not further rejection. |
| others property and commit crimes. Regardless of | | | | Mistaking a person in group 2 with someone in group |
| the motive, these acts are wrong. | | | | one will hurt you. They will steal from you again and |
| When working with an addict who has been harming | | | | again, put you through hell and make you feel like it is |
| others, dealing drugs or being destructive of ones | | | | your entire fault. |
| best laid plans, you have to consider several things. | | | | People in group one hurt themselves and may make |
| A. Does this person want to get better? | | | | mistakes. |
| B. Is this person a criminal, hiding behind addiction? | | | | People in group two hurt everyone and will continue |
| In Vancouver, BC where I live, drug addicts who | | | | to hurt others. The people in group two are the |
| commit crimes are treated like mentally challenged | | | | career criminals, violent offenders and family |
| individuals who don't know right from wrong. Repeat | | | | destroyers. Help the police to get them out of |
| criminal offenders are given parole they don't follow, | | | | society so they can't harm society any further. |
| time and time again by the judiciary who let them off | | | | How can a family member see the difference |
| from crimes against property. | | | | between the two? Let's focus on group one and |
| In one case, a repeat criminal offender, had seen a | | | | leave group two to the police, shall we. |
| court room over 50 times. He had been arrested | | | | People caught up in addiction can commit criminal acts |
| over 50 times for criminal offenses and been paroled | | | | to pay for their addiction. The will feel considerable |
| every time. He never even visited his parole officer | | | | regret and usually cave in on themselves when they |
| (PO). As Vancouver hadn't any monitoring system for | | | | have to face you or their counter-survival actions. |
| parolees, no one knew. | | | | These small or large crimes may result in their |
| Vancouver Police claim the majority of property | | | | developing a self-worthless attitude (despised). |
| crime committed in Vancouver is committed by a | | | | If the people in this group are given an honest |
| rather small group of repeat offenders or career | | | | opportunity to recover from this hell they are |
| criminals. I've had my windows in my truck smashed | | | | trapped in, they will take that opportunity. Often |
| in many times, so a drug addict could scrounge | | | | they will need a professional interventionist to assist |
| through for the $2 in change hidden in the cab. The | | | | them to get to rehab. The addict can mistake |
| repair bills cost me $300 / window. I estimate | | | | themselves to be in that second group as well and |
| $1,000s of dollars of income has been lost to these | | | | therefore not want to place more burden on the |
| criminal acts. It makes one bitter toward criminals. But | | | | family. |
| should I lump all addicts within these career criminal | | | | Their main objection to rehab will be because they |
| type of actions? | | | | feel worthless for the wrongs they have done. |
| Addicts come in basically two varieties, when it | | | | These people need your help to get them moving |
| comes to criminal actions. | | | | toward recovery.while they are clear headed enough |
| One: those caught up in addiction and wanting to get | | | | to understand. Simply, if they truly feel bad about |
| out of their self imposed trap. | | | | their actions, there is some hope. |
| Two: people seeing their destructive actions on | | | | If their actions are cold and calculated, designed to |
| others and themselves, desire to numb themselves | | | | hurt and harm, you're looking at anti-social |
| with drugs or alcohol so as to continue to destroy. | | | | motivations. |
| The majority of anti-social acts are committed by | | | | Differentiating these two types of individual |
| the second group. | | | | motivations, social and anti-social, will greatly assist |
| I'll be dealing with the first group only. The second | | | | you in avoiding a big mistake and gaining a very |
| group actually wants your efforts to help them fail. | | | | satisfactory friend for life. |