It was a love affair that lasted over 25 years. Robert’s first love was heroin. The only problem was, typical of a destructive relationships, she didn’t love him back. The deceptive nature of her seduction could lure, entice and ensnare. Under her skillful spell she could work her magic with her crafty hands. She could deliver anyone that followed her down a road to euphoria. Then, without notice, she could plummet them into the pit of despair. She was filled with empty promises.
Since 1972, Robert did anything and everything he could to please his “love”, leading him into a life not unfamiliar to an addict. The cycle of theft, drug dealing and jail became a common practice. He became a skillful business man in his world. Running his “boosting” practice earned him the reputation in the neighborhoods as the guy who could deliver the highest quality shoplifted retail goods. Clothing, shoes, household items, personal hygiene products merited him the infamous name “Boscov’s Bob”.
As the years went on, Robert’s path became littered with broken relationships and a criminal record over 6 pages long. Behind him he left two broken marriages and shattered relationships with his children. Heroin was in control of everything.
As darkness settled in on a night in the mid 1990’s, so did Robert and heroin’s relationship. Heroin was a temperamental, unpredictable and infuriating lover. She pulsated through his veins and his heart beat through his chest that night. As he awoke from the overdose his eyes followed a pin-stripe up the pant leg to a burly police officer standing over him. From the captivating clutches of heroin’s fuzzy haze, he could hear the words from the officer’s booming voice, “Just another junkie, let him die.”
Between the years 1977-2000, Robert had spent time in over 7 Pennsylvania County jails and with each conviction, discharge and parole he learned to network and became a more skillful criminal. The cycle of crime continued so that he could feed his lover’s unquenchable thirst. Like most addicts, Robert thought this was normal.
In 1998, after being caught at his last shoplifting incident and facing a state sentence, he had enough. Robert finally broke up with heroin. Predictably, she didn’t take it lightly. Within the confining chambers of a concrete jail cell, the wretched nature of drug withdrawal ran its course- vomiting, diarrhea, sweats and shakes. Robert freed himself from the grasp of this evil temptress.
After serving out his 1 ½ year state sentence, Robert turned to the Lebanon Rescue Mission for a program for convicted criminals. As a disabled veteran, he qualified for a full scholarship to work on a degree program at Alvernia College. He majored in addiction and now works as an addiction counselor and community drug and alcohol educator. Each day he helps others break free from the cycle of addiction.
Robert’s story is not an unusual one. Drug addiction takes hold and destroys the lives of millions of people and their families. However, the question we are left with is this: what do we do as a society to combat this issue that is ruining lives, families and filling our prison system? Before we build more prisons in order to deal with common criminals like Robert, we need to step back and look at the facts. According to a study done by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, it costs $25,900 a year to incarcerate one person, whereas, it costs $1,800 a year for outpatient drug treatment and $6,800 for long-term residential care. Similar studies have shown that for every $1 dollar in drug treatment yields a $7 reduction in crime-related costs. Furthermore, this ratio raises 1:12 when healthcare costs are included. One year of drug treatment has been conclusive with a reduction in drug selling, illegal activity, sex trading, homelessness and an increase in employment.
When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed in March 2010, part of the essential benefits included a provision for mental health and substance abuse treatment. It is now part of the law that insurance companies include and pay for drug rehabilitation services similar to the ones that Robert now provides.
1 for Substance Center Abuse Treatment, 1997 National Treatment Improvement Evaluation Study (NTIES) (Rockville, MD: CSAT, 1997); Federal Bureau of Prisons.
2 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Teaching Packet No. 3: “Understanding Substance Abuse and Addiction: What Science Says” http://www.nida.nih.gov/pubs/teaching/Teaching3/Teaching5.html
3 Office on National Drug Control Policy, “ONDCP Drug Facts February 2002” Presentation.
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