KIDS AND COMMLUNITY by Judy Shepps Battle:Most people would be surprised by the many faces of addiction.
By: Judy Shepps Battle
Eric Douglas had it all. The youngest son of Hollywood actor Kirk Douglas and half-brother of equally famous Michael Douglas, he was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth but spent a significant portion of his 46 years in and out of drug rehabs. At one point he was in a coma for eight days because of a drug overdose.
On July 7 of this year, Eric Douglas died. I understand he had a small part in "Delta Force III: The Killing Game." I never saw the movie, but I have seen many people like Eric Douglas in my lifetime. Addicts who go in and out of recovery, maintaining sobriety for months and then back on the bottle or on the drugs or on the food or whatever substance temporarily numbs their emotional, physical and/or spiritual pain. I have seen people coexist with their addiction well into the senior years and others who die while still in their prime. Eric Douglas was most definitely still in his prime.
I’m glad that the story of Eric Douglas reached the front pages, if only for a day or two. Many of us have a stereotypical picture of an addict as a hopeless skid row bum, someone who has lost everything, is living on the streets and will die there. In reality, the face of addiction is often quite ordinary. A lot like yours and mine. And Eric’s.
I understand that he had a nice apartment on East 29th Street in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan and worked as a stand-up comic at places like the Comedy Club. Not everyone knew about his long and unsuccessful battle with alcohol and drug addiction and how he was losing that fight.
The insidious thing about addiction is that a person in the early stages of alcoholism or other drug addiction can often appear functional to those around him. It is only when feeding the habit consuming alcohol, drugs, or food; gambling, or engaging in harmful relationships becomes all-encompassing that a diminished quality of life becomes noticeable.
Unfortunately, many addicts and families continue to suffer in silence. The addict promises tomorrow will be different, and loved ones cling to that hope. Shame, guilt and hopelessness combine to create unhealthy secrecy. That’s the bad news. The good news is that recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is possible, but finding and staying the course of getting healthier means learning about this disease and asking for help.
Addiction is a chronic, progressive, and sometimes fatal disorder. It is a compulsion that drives an individual to continue to behave in a way that is harmful to oneself and loved ones, despite an intense desire to halt that behavior. It is a disease of more an active addict needs an increasing amount of substance to get high and is unable to stop using without painful withdrawal symptoms.
This is true whether the addictive substance is a drug (such as alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, or heroin), food, or behavior (such as gambling or sexual promiscuity).
Unfortunately, there is no known cure for addiction. For many addicts, periods of abstinence are coupled with times of relapse, yet with appropriate identification, treatment, and self-care, an individual can live a productive, substance-free life. The first and perhaps most important step is finding a way to stop using the addictive substance. Usually, professional and lay support both are needed during this time.
Many people begin by consulting their family physician, who may recommend an addictions counselor. Others choose to join a peer recovery group to get free support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Nearly every addiction has a 12-Step program and has meetings both in real life and on the Internet. Examples include:
AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) for alcoholism
NA (Narcotics Anonymous) for drug addiction
OA/FAA (Overeaters Anonymous/Food Addicts Anonymous) for eating disorders
GA (Gamblers Anonymous) for gambling addiction
Al-Anon/CODA (Co-Dependents Anonymous) for addictive relationship issues
Debtors Anon (Debtors Anonymous) for debt problems
SLAA (Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous) for sex and love addictions
Many non-12-Step programs, such as SMART, Rational Recovery, and Women for Sobriety, also provide support for a clean and sober lifestyle. Further information on 12-Step and other addiction-recovery programs can be found in the Yellow Pages and on the Web.
It is reported that Eric Douglas yearned to leave a screen legacy like other members of his family. Hopefully, the story of his life as an addict struggling for chemical sobriety will leave a different but equally powerful message regarding the critical need to finance research on the brain chemistry of chronic alcohol and drug relapse and to create and support innovative treatment strategies for this group.
Most of all, I hope that his story can inspire each of us to contact our legislators and insist that monies earmarked for prevention programs be tripled and quadrupled so that our youngest citizens can bypass the nightmare that became Eric Douglas’ life and death.
Judy Shepps Battle is a New Jersey resident, addictions specialist, consultant and freelance writer. She can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]. Additional information on this and other topics can be found at her Web site at www.writeaction.com.