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Chasing the Scream

the First and Last Days of the War on Drugs
Sep 01, 2017chenry1104 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Chasing the Scream is a wonderful take on the history and current state of affairs on addiction. It gives a completely different take on the method of recovery our society holds as the tried and true method. It emphasizes community and support groups. It also shows how neglectful our nation and other nations have been regarding the recovery of addicts. While it makes many great points, it reminded me of how helpless addicts are when it comes to genuine care and recognition of the disease aspect of addiction. Our government, our established organizations and facilities for recovery (AA, Rehab Clinics, etc..), and our social institutions like churches and support groups have a long way to go to create the idealistic way of life Chasing the Scream shows as a possibility for change. There are so many hurdles an addict must go through just to be accepted in everyday society. If someone is willing to take the gauntlet and run with it through passing legislation and encouraging treatment centers to implement new systems, we may see some progress this book promotes. But the pessimist in me doubts that we will see any improvement in the way addicts in our country are treated. There are too many entities who benefit from the shaming and punishment of addicts to anticipate any meaningful change.