Response to "The Fight for the Soul of Seattle" by Eric Johnson

I watched the recent documentary by Eric Johnson of KOMO titled "The Fight for the Soul of Seattle" and wanted to give my response after viewing. My views come from my work in the field of substance use disorders as a previous counselor in the field, as a current advocate in the field helping people in my community find paths to recovery from substance use disorders, and as a doctoral level educator who has done research on paths to recovery and evidence based practices. I give trainings in this arena on lowering stigma to help effect change and treat this issue as the health condition it is and the criminal justice issue it isn't. My undergraduate and graduate work was all in family studies. I am also a nationally certified family life educator. Personally, I am a person in recovery from a substance use disorder. Because of access to resources....treatment, education, employment, housing, mental and physical care, and other recovery supports, I haven't used any substance since March 25th, 2007. I AM a product of the "system" in many ways. Prior to 2010, when I was able to petition the courts to have my record vacated, I carried the moniker "convicted felon". My previous criminal record was all directly related active use of drugs and alcohol. I was running on the streets of Tacoma during the crack and meth epidemics of the late 80's and early 90's. Previous to heavy drug usage I drank and smoked pot since I was 13 years old. You can read more about my life trajectory in this blog. March of 2018 I wrote near my entire life story for the world to read. It is my life's mission to educate in this arena about this highly complex issue in our society.

Let me start with saying what is happening in Seattle is sad in so many ways. To see the images of people walking the streets in pure crisis with mental health & substance use disorders, to see the levels of homelessness, and to hear the stories of how all citizens are effected in so many ways by what is happening is troubling. To know that many no longer have businesses in Seattle, and many are no longer visiting Seattle is simply sad in many ways. I have lived in Washington near my entire life, was raised in the Tacoma area for the most part, and now living in Ellensburg, it is sad to see our most famed city in the state of crisis it is in. None of it is good and without effective positive change it will only worsen.

I fully agree that how the City of Seattle has taken the hands off approach to this major issue is not the answer, it just isn't. There needs to be action taken to make this monumental crisis better. We have all witnessed how it has only progressively became worse and worse over time and something has to change or it will only worsen. We need all resources thrown at this issue to see true change. When I say all resources, I mean all resources. We need mental and substance use disorder professionals, housing and employment agencies, law enforcement and judicial professionals, and, any other entities that are involved. All of them need to have a say at the table.

My focus, being primarily in the substance use and mental health disorder arena, and this response, will focus primarily there.

One, the years long failed Drug War must die. Some will cringe at this because they may be limited in their knowledge of the years long and massive failure known as the Drug War. Our government has spent trillions of dollars, and that number is not an exaggeration, it is in the trillions to this point, on the Drug War with nothing to show for it.....nothing. The ideology behind the Drug War, which has been to get drugs off the streets.......has been a massive failure.

The Drug War has never really been a war on drugs, it has always been a war on humans. When I watched the film I couldn't help but think that the idea in some ways is to continue the Drug War. Lock people up, repeatedly, and be surprised when we get the same results of no access to help for people who have substance use disorders. Because of the effects of the Drug War people who need help for a substance use disorder have been given jail instead of treatment. People have been stigmatized again and again for having a health condition that has been moralized and judged through they eyes of those that have had no business being involved. From a dollars and cents stand point we spend billions upon billions on incarceration for people who need treatment and recovery supports not incarceration.

If you just look at the treatment system for substance use disorders it is problematic at best in many scenarios. Access to quality and effective treatment is near non-existent for many. Our state has made this problem worse through bureaucracy and the convoluted systems in place that makes it difficult for someone to get into treatment when they need it. Even for those who do have money and/or insurance, the treatment they do receive is given in an antiquated 50's model of treatment that is outdated and continues to be used in the vast majority of treatment centers. Many treatments centers are unwilling to change and adapt and happily keep taking money knowing their methods of treatment are only self-serving. If someone does get treatment the idea that a 21-28 day stay and than calling it good is crazy to think for someone who needs much more support once done with a short stint in treatment.

The documentaries idea of long term treatment and recovery support is a good idea for sure and needs to be moved forward. While I don't wholly agree with the piece of it being required, I do see where it could be helpful in the in onset for some who need help but aren't able to recognize it. I support using evidence based and innovative practices to help people find a path to recovery. We must look at the whole person when giving treatment and not just put every person in the same box. When we say we are going to give individualized treatment it needs to actually happen.

Recovery supports are critical to a persons success when they leave treatment and this is an area that is lacking greatly in communities everywhere. Due to the effects of the Drug War and the stigma attached to substance use disorders many are fearful to even say they are in recovery. With the need for recovery support we need to educate communities on the value of helping people in early recovery to become successful. They need housing, employment, education, and many areas of family support. It is proven when a person in recovery is supported in the communities they live in they become integral parts of those communities in massively positive ways. People in recovery become part of their families again, they open businesses, they pay taxes, they help others, and, when this is multiplied with others who need help in those communities the results are amazing.

We are worth the effort. We are your neighbors. We are members of families. We never once, when we were young, said "one day when I grow up I want to have an addiction to drugs or alcohol". Many of us come from family systems where we never stood a chance. For many of us, as crazy as this sounds, drugs and alcohol saved our lives. We are survivors of childhood trauma, domestic violence, abandonment, and other crazy scenarios you wouldn't hope on anyone.

I know, based on the research I have done, the interviews I have had with people in recovery, and my own personal walk, we want to get better. We do. We are worth the effort.