The problem of addiction is one of the most perplexing issues that we face as a nation and in cities big and small. It seems that no amount of resources and new strategies can make the rates of drug use and overdose deaths decrease. 

We have watched billions of dollars over the past several decades be poured into the “War on Drugs” and we seem to have more drugs than ever. In recent years, more and more money has been poured into recovery resources, and yet according to the CDC, “Nearly 841,000 people have died since 1999 from a drug overdose.¹ In 2019, 70,630 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States.” That is an increase of 4% over 2018. We do not have data for 2020 or 2021 yet, but those numbers are almost certainly significantly higher again. 

Where do we go from here? How do we solve this problem? Our small town has been hit by the ravages of addiction worse than most. We definitely have not figured out how to solve the problem, but we are willing to try new solutions. We believe that we must start by looking at addiction from a different perspective. 

Addicts Are Humans

The drug epidemic affects so many areas of our community. It affects the crime rates, the job market, and depletes our local government resources. It affects our residential neighborhoods and tears apart families. But more important than any of those issues, it affects the individual. Our city leaders, law enforcement officers, legal system, and community at large must never lose sight that behind every addict is a human. Someone with a family. Someone with a unique story that led them to where they are today. Someone with an eternal soul that is more valuable than any of us can imagine. 

If we as a community cannot agree on this simple premise to start, then we can never truly heal the problem of addiction in our cities. Lasting change can only come from a heart of empathy and compassion. Will there be difficult decisions and tough love ahead? Of course. But our own hearts must be right before we can ever help others to heal. 

The Problem of Pain

Nobody wakes up in the morning hoping to become an addict. There are various roads that can lead to drug or alcohol addiction, but the data suggests that nearly all of them stem from serious trauma of some form. Physical trauma from an accident or injury can lead to an opioid prescription that becomes an addiction. Emotional trauma from childhood or relationships can be just as destructive. Sometimes it’s a combination of many different factors. Regardless of how it starts, we have to begin to look beyond the behavior and see the person. There is real legitimate pain that leads to addiction. It must be heard and understood if we want to be able to offer real solutions instead of empty platitudes. 

Solving the Supply Problem

When we talk about defeating addiction in our town, this is where most of our minds go first. Increase police presence, make more arrests, and increase prison sentences. These things can be done at such a scale that it can create the illusion of solving the problem. However, what we’ve accomplished through more aggressive law enforcement over the past several decades has undoubtedly been a failure. A simple look at the data will tell you that. This is because we’ve approached the problem with the wrong heart and we’ve sought a solution that keeps the community as far away as possible. Both of these things are wrong and must be corrected for us to get on a better path forward. 

Let’s look at one example. There is a place in your town where residents begin to find needles. There is an uproar. A picture is shared on social media, tensions rise, and an angry mob shows up at the next city council meeting demanding answers. The city council tells the police to do more and so they begin to patrol the area more aggressively. 

A few things might happen as a result. 

1. The solution ‘works’. Police patrols reduce the activity in the area. The problem is that they haven’t stopped people from using, they just moved it to a new place. This will work until a needle shows up somewhere else. If policing becomes aggressive enough that there is nowhere to hide in town, then you will push the problem to the next town over. This comes at incredible cost to your community and if policing ever becomes more lax, the needles will return just the same. It’s a never ending game of ‘whack-a-mole’ that depletes city and police resources and does not solve the long-term problem. 

2. The solution doesn’t work. The police can’t do it. They drive by the area several times a day, but ultimately it does not solve the issue. They can’t be there all the time because there are too many things to do. The city officials forget about it until the next complaint and the people feel like they are not being heard. Every election becomes a call to ‘throw the bums out’ and the local government is in perpetual stat of disarray. Sound farfetched? It’s not. I know from experience. 

Instead of looking to our local government to be the sole solution to our problems, let me suggest something different. If we believe that those caught up in addiction are human and have value. If we recognize that they are our brother and sisters, our children and parents, then shouldn’t the community take part in the solution? When that needle is found, why wouldn’t we go to our local police and see how we can help rather than demand that they do it. As churches, community groups, and individuals, we need to step up to the plate and take ownership of the situation. This isn’t our cities problem, it’s ours. 

Here our some potential solutions that approach the problem with the right heart:

1. A Neighborhood Watch. Sometimes a neighborhood watch is a glorified militia; walking the streets with guns hoping to catch bad guys (Wrong heart again). What we have in mind is a bit different. What if we went and cleaned up that area of the neighborhood? Take out the trash, cut the grass, put in some landscaping and make it an awesome hang out place. What if churches and community groups met there each night for a summer and invited others to join in on their conversation and mission. We would solve the problem of people being able to hide there and we just might be able to invite someone into a new community who desperately needs it. This is the core mission of the church, so it should be very natural for them to participate, but it should also be the core mission of who we are as community organizations and individuals. 

2. Police Transparency. People need some assurance that when they report something that they are heard and that something is being done about it. Local police need to get creative with how they share updates and how they can invite the public to be a part of the solution. Normal people don’t understand what it takes to investigate, arrest, and convict a drug dealer. We see it happen in 30 minutes on our favorite TV show, but the reality is that the entire process can take years. If more people understood the process, and could get updates on the progress, they would be more patient and understanding instead of angry and disenfranchised. Towns need police, but just as much police need their towns as well. An online database (not showing personal information of course), a weekly police update in the paper, a social media page or Youtube channel giving current statistics are all helpful. Consistent invitations to help be part of the solution are even better. 

These are just a couple of ideas on how to move forward. Maybe you have some too! If you have an idea or you know of something that is working in your town to solve the addiction epidemic, we’d love to hear them. Send us a quick note and we’ll add it to our list or feature your story on this site. 

Solving the Demand Problem

Historically, we have believed that if we can solve the supply problem, we can win the war on drugs. That has not worked. In just the past few years, we’ve seen governments at all levels work to reduce the supply of opiates. What has happened as a result? Methamphetamines are on the rise. So we begin to divert resources to reduce Meth supply. The opiates begin to creep back in. What if we could solve both? Rest assured something new will be there to fill the gap. Why does this happen? Because we don’t really have a supply problem, we have a demand problem. 

We’ve all heard stories of the great lengths that someone caught in the throws of addiction will go to get their next fix. We think to ourselves, “How could someone steal from their own mother?” and at the same time think “If we reduce the supply of drugs, that will reduce the demand!”. How incredibly naïve and illogical. As long as there is demand, there will be supply. Addicts and dealers will find a way. The freedom we have in America can be great and terrible, and the free market works for things legal and illegal equally. The only way to really heal addiction in our communities is to reduce demand, and the only way to reduce demand is to bring healing to the addict. 

In Johan Hari’s book “Lost Connections”, he argues that the main driver of addiction is the lost connections for those things that make us human. (Fantastic book, link here) Disconnection from meaningful work, values, relationship, and a host of other things creates a void in our lives. That void causes pain which must be  worked through somehow. If those connections cannot be made through genuine community, that pain can quickly spiral into addiction as a very unfulfilling and tragic solution. Since 1990, nearly 1 million individuals have lost their lives through overdose deaths. Those individual stories reverberate will beyond the lives lost and create more lost connections through generations to come. We must seek out different solutions before we lose another generation. We must seek to build community again. We must build bridges rather than walls. Lives depend on it. 

My suggestion to each community looking to solve this problem is to look at the current resources available. What does it take for an individual to rebuild all of the lost connections, and what is missing from your current resources? You might find many resources that are missing entirely and you can begin to plan on how to fill the gaps. You might find resources that are available, but nobody knows about. You can then begin to plan how to market those resources to get them into the places they are needed most. These are the steps, in my opinion, that are needed for someone to find true healing from addiction: 

1. Identification of the problem. This can happen through several different means.

• • Police identify individuals through arrests. 
  • First responders identify individuals through overdose or other medical emergency
  • Hospitals identify through emergency or traditional medical care.
  • Judicial system identifies good candidates for recovery programs pre-trial.
  • Individuals seek help on their own or by family intervention

2. A Program for Recovery

• • Hospital Treatment – Short Term Intensive Care
  • Medium Term Treatment Options
  • Long Term Treatment Options 
  • Programs Addressing Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Healing

3. Ongoing Recovery Support

• • Several Options For Weekly Meetings
  • Community Space to Meet 
  • Non-Bar Activities Around Town
  • Accepting local Churches That Are Committed To Pray and Help

4. Starting a New Life

• • Local Employers Willing to Hire
  • Programs To Connect Workers To Available Jobs
  • Training Programs For New Skills Needed
  • Adequate Housing Options for Those Just Starting Out
  • Short Term Financial Support Where Appropriate
  • Opportunities to Volunteer and Give Back

5. Early Intervention and Prevention Programs

6. Connections Between Each Phase

Whether you are an individual, part of an organization, or a city leader, you can begin to go through this list and have conversations about the gaps in your local resources. These conversation can lead to big new programs or subtle changes that can make a real difference in the lives of people struggling with addiction. Here are a couple of ways things are changing in our small town:

These are just a couple of ideas on how to move forward. The most important thing is to commit to continuing to engage the problem until real solutions are found. The stakes are far too high to do nothing. 

Maybe you have some thoughts to add to the conversation. If you have an idea to try, a resource to share, or you know of something that is working in your town to solve the addiction epidemic, we’d love to hear it. Send us a quick note and we’ll add it to our list here or feature your story on this site. 

Recent Updates on Healing Addiction