Stephanie Parker, a resident of Haughton in Louisiana, has been working steadily to change Louisiana drug rehab laws. Specifically, she wants Louisiana courts to change the way they handle involuntary commitment to drug rehabs. Parker’s daughter has nearly died from methamphetamine addiction on many occasions, but because she is 26 years old, Stephanie can’t legally do anything to get her help.
A Type I diabetic, Parker’s daughter became addicted to meth a year ago after leaving her husband. Meth addiction has taken its toll on her. In 2010 and 2011, Parker’s daughter has taken ten trips to the emergency room because of infections and high blood pressure.
Parker’s daughter won’t listen to her reasoning to go to a reputable
Louisiana drug rehab. Moreover, even though it is painfully obvious that the 26 year old woman is addicted to methamphetamine, her doctors’ hands are tied. They can’t do anything to intervene because of medical laws. In the state of Louisiana, adult drug addicts can only be forced into treatment when they have been arrested for a violation of drug laws, or if they have been involuntarily committed by a psychiatrist.
According to the Narconon website Drug Abuse Solutions, Parker stated that meth addiction wasn’t only killing her daughter. "It’s killing my mama and me. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep."
One drug counselor commented for the story, "This is the problem with addiction. This is really the crux of it. The nature of addiction makes the addict not want treatment. He doesn’t want treatment. He just wants drugs. So if you totally leave it up to his own choice, he'll choose the drugs. That's why he needs help. That doesn’t mean forcing him into rehab, necessarily. One thing that often works is an intervention."
An intervention is where a trained drug counselor provides an on-site visit and attempts to reason with the addict in an effort to get him or her to a
drug abuse center. Sometimes an intervention can work and be a lifesaver when other efforts have failed.
Narconon Riverbend Retreat has been serving as a premier long term drug rehabilitation center for years. A non-profit organization with a success rate of over 75%, Riverbend Retreat has helped literally hundreds of graduates to lead drug free lives. Riverbend Retreat’s hotline is 1-877-340-3602.
