The Canyon

Whether you are facing big life changes or small stresses, excessive anxiety makes everything a big deal.  Sometimes people turn to alcohol or drugs to self-medicate their physical and emotional discomfort.  Everything just seems to pile on and be too much.  Unfortunately this causes an even bigger problem.

Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia Examples
photo credit: Rennett Stowe

Panic disorder is a very discomforting disorder.  The main symptoms feel much like a heart attack - heart palpitations, difficulty breathing, pains, tingling nerve endings, sweating, dizziness and unsteadiness.  A panic attack causes many people to say they feel like they are dying.

A disorder that often goes with panic disorder is agoraphobia.  This is the fear of open spaces, and a person with panic disorder can become fearful of having a panic attack in a public place.  A person with agoraphobia gradually removes themselves from social interaction, often restricting themselves to the confines of their home.  Can you imagine the stark loneliness, the gripping fear, the embarassment of knowing you’ve
let your life come down to this?

When you have tried what you think would work, when that’s failed to give you relief, when you’re afraid to take medicine or go see your therapist or even tell anyone your anxiety is choking the life out of you - what’s there left to do?  That’s precisely when people start using drugs or alcohol to find relief.  They can slip away into the fog of drunkenness or get carried away with the rush of a drug high.  They aren’t trying to start a problem, they’re trying to survive with their problem.

Drug Treatment Best Option For Addiction and Anxiety

A person with serious anxiety and a drug addiction problem needs drug treatment.  A small amount people have had success dealing with drug or alcohol addictions completely on their own, and that’s truly amazing.  A dual diagnosis drug treatment center has staff with specialized training to help addicts with mental health disorders.

Having both a mental health and addiction problem is nothing to fool around with.  They can get so entangled and serious, a great deal of damage could be done to a person’s life because they thought they were dealing with it just fine on their own.  Mental patterns become engrained, physical damage starts to become less reversible, and the consequences can really pile up.  So if you or someone you care about is self medicating for their anxiety, help them find a dual diagnosis drug treatment center.  You could be saving someone’s life - is it yours?

The Recovery Project, sponsored by A&E television networks, just might be the largest initiative ever to reach out to addicts and families in need of this kind of specialized guidance and support. 

The press release on the show highlights findings from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to drive home the importance of the project: “More than 22 million Americans struggle with addiction to alcohol and other drugs, yet fewer than ten percent receive the treatment they need because of stigma, lack of awareness or cost.” 

So how does one lead an addict from the depths of despair to the shores of hope and recovery? 

Build a Bridge toward Recovery

On September 27 last year, thousands of individuals, families, friends, treatment partners, advocates, celebrities, and community leaders linked arms and crossed the Brooklyn Bridge showing solidarity in the fight against the stigma of drug addiction.  As a symbolic vow to support those on their quest through recovery, the human bridge progressed towards Lower Manhattan and rallied on the grounds of City Hall Park.

“Inspired by the incredible response from viewers, individuals and families in recovery to the Emmy-nominated documentary series Intervention… The Recovery Project strives to shed light on the scope of the addiction crisis, and its impact on society,” the release said.

Partner With Organizations Committed to Successful Recovery

A&E is joining forces with nation-wide non-profit groups and federal agencies to spread the word about this multi-year campaign through education, personal stories, recovery and treatment options, plus resources to help parents connect with their kids in an effort to prevent drug abuse:

• NCADD – National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
• SAMHSA – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• PDFA – Partnership for a Drug Free America

Participate in Awareness Rallies or Organize One in Your Hometown

They are doing the rally again this year on September 12, 2009. To become a part of this historic nationwide event, just visit www.therecoveryproject.com to sign up.  If you can’t make it to New York, you can rally your own town to join forces against the stigma of addiction by hosting your own march for solidarity.  Spread the word through your town’s newspaper and local radio station, then visit Recovery Month to add your event to the history books.

Tell Us: Do you think this is an effective way to raise awareness about the issues that drug and alcohol addicts face?

Yes. It’s not just a salacious headline. There has actually been an incident recently that has managed to combine the phrases ‘heroin addiction’ and ‘cat killing’ in the same story. And even blame the latter on the former.

The ‘Heroin Addictions Kills Cats’ Story

Okay, it wasn’t that the cat was addicted to heroin but that a guy named Luigi Epifania who was a junky got it into his head that he would not only stomp a neighborhood cat to death (incidentally, a cat named Nunu) but also his burn his body and through the remains into an apartment window. The guy’s defense, according to his lawyer, was that he was strung out at the time.

Sentencing for Heroin Induced Cat Killing

He was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison. With credit for time served, a mind boggling 437 days that he spent locked up awaiting trial. But the thing is, there was something of a media frenzy surrounding the fate of the 25-year-old Epifania. Apparently, five cat fans wrote letters to the presiding judge, Superior Court Judge Charles T. Spurlock, asking that Epifania be sentenced with the maximum for such an offense: five years.

Their argument? Clearly, he’s disturbed and it won’t be long before he turns his malice on a human victim. One person suggests that he’s a burgeoning serial killer. Now, I’ve heard stories about serial killers who, during their childhoods, tortured animals but my understanding is that by the time they hit 25, they were pretty much already in the big leagues. 

Says Epifania’s lawyer: “The media is here looking for a monster. He is not a monster.” He also said that he had fed the cat in the past and that the only evidence the cops had on him was a coerced, taped confession.

The fact that he set a fire that caused property damage seemed to be an addendum to the issue of the cat.

The judge said, “Drugs are his problem. He’s got a problem and he’s got to address it. He’s got to stay clean.”

The Really Crazy Thing About This

It seems that cat killing isn’t the only thing that Epifania got busted for. A few days after the cat (it looks like the doom predictors were right), he attacked a man with a knife and a hot frying pan. For this, guess what he got! Probation and mandatory attendance at NA or AA meetings and drug testing. So to recap for those of you still with me: he kills a cat and gets 2 ½ years in prison. He attacks a man with not one but two deadly weapons and gets probation and 12-steps. Yes.

I think that this is just insane. What do you think? Was the sentencing fair? Do you think Epifania is a serial killer in training? Would you want him to move in next door to you when he gets out of prison? Tell me what you think!