But they fall far short of the kind of commitment this nation would make if we recognized that we are dealing with the country's number one disease and stopped stigmatizing addicts as modern-day lepers. To appreciate the difficulty of shaking an addiction, just think how hard it is to lose weight and keep it off for any extended period of time. Multiply that by a million to get a sense of what it is like to give up a drug forever after your brain has flipped on the addiction switch. A few weeks in a treatment program followed by prompt return to the stress of a weekly TV sitcom or major league pennant contender is an express ticket to relapse. Lesson Three is that both these guys are victims of the pressure to get back on the stage and playing field, expensive lawyers who got them out of coerced treatment well before they were able to lay a solid foundation for recovery, and the easy availability of drugs.
Availability is a key factor in drug use.
Downey and Strawberry easily got the stuff for a high once they were released or escaped from custody. Law enforcement that curbs availability can play a vital role in demand reduction. Neither legalizing drugs nor locking up addicts without providing treatment makes any sense. We have 4 million to 6 million regular illegal drug users, a number that would soar like Jack's beanstalk if marijuana, cocaine and heroin were as available as Budweiser, Marlboros and Jack Daniels. Such a step would be especially destructive to our children, since in our free society we have shown little ability to keep legal drugs such as beer and tobacco out of their hands.