Drugs for free - is this a solution for drug abuse?

Living in Victoria for quite a while I couldn’t avoid to perceive the approach towards drug addicts in downtown. Just to give some context, downtown Victoria is the most “dangerous” place in the city because of the presence of the street-engaged youth, the homeless and alike. They don’t mess with people around, they usually are asking for money on the corners or just trading drug calmly in front of everybody. As a consequence, the government of British Columbia started to apply a new tactic, the harm reduction approach.

Different from the classic approach that consists in the abstinence-based model (in which the individual is exposed to a dichotomy, what means that he/she is either “clean” or “dirty”, without an “in between” process that may help the person to acknowledge in a more profound manner his/her problem and ways to avoid the abuse), the harm reduction proposes a more friendly style, in which the individual is fully respect in his/her drug use. And then we have the needle exchange program, in which the government provides addicts with sterilized syringes and in some cases with crack pipes. This strategy helps to reduce the number of spread diseases by blood, such HIV, HCV and Hepatitis B, as a consequence it helps the government reduce millions in medical treatment for those contaminated. This needle exchange can happens in fixed sites, or in random places, like the streets.

Here in Victoria they have one of those save injection sites, which are places addressed to addicted individuals to have their drug dose administrated. The objective is to provide a safe and clean space for the addicted person. It causes also lots of talking about whether or not the government is helping people to keep their addiction, providing them even with the prescribed drug (like cocaine or heroin) by a doctor that is paid by public funds. A structure that requires many workers like nurses, doctors, social workers… Besides, it requires a building, equipments, and more people to maintain everything working well.

Well, I myself confess that I talked badly about the project, and, of course, I was very surprised in knowing that the Canadian government subsided the drug addiction. But after seeing a documentary with some drug addicts of the project and reading a little bit more about it, I am inclined to agree that this is a better approach than the traditional one, and I may list some reasons:

- First of all, in the prescribed drug program are not allowed young people are not allowed; the focus are those that deals with the addiction for ages and tried many treatments, but they were not successful. So, they try to stop little by little, with a smaller dose time by time.

- Secondly, the needle trade definitely helps to avoid the spread of diseases, and also make the marginalized think that they are part of the system too. It is not because they do not have means that they not have dignity.

- Finally, human beings do not work in an entire dychotomical model. God/bad, black/white, cold/hot, bitter/sweet… Humanity is in between, and so is the possible cure for our flaws.


I am a chocolate addict, and I know that simply avoiding it (as I did before) is not going me to stop eating and enjoying it in larger doses. So, why not try it differently?

CHANGE

Will Barack Obama be the next president of United States of America?

While the Republican conference suffered the consequences of Gustav in New Orleans, and the main topic of attention has been the pregnancy of the 17-years-old daughter of the vice-president candidate Palin, I wonder if is there chance for McCain to win this election.

The Democratic week was simply fabulous, Obama acceptance speech inspiring and the Clinton support determinant to win the vote of those supporters of Hillary who are totally into no-voting or voting for the Republicans. I believe that we (as Latin American) must have Hope that this time the rich cousin’s house will have a cohesive and prudent administration, focused on PEOPLE.

Meanwhile I have faith…

I quote...

"I feel monotony and death to be almost the same."
Charlotte Bronte
(1816-1855)

Blame on Art

I know a nice man who has the body covered with tattoos. He works as a home care support, which means that he will be dealing with old people. In his opinion his tattoos are not a problem at all, since he is very communicative and captivates people easily.

When I asked him why he did so many tattoos the answer was simple: I like art, tattoos are body art. When he said it I immediately looked one of his tattoos that, in my opinion, does not look good. I couldn’t stop thinking: is that art?

Someone may say, if something is vulgar can not be called art. Or, if something is ugly could not be called art. But who determines the parameters of what is vulgar or what is ugly? What I may infer is that certainly my tattooed friend with his bunch of valuable images of Celtic mythology is not a display of art at all.

In between: eric clapton and me

After reading my first autobiography for pure pleasure, I found myself totally absorbed in the life of Eric Clapton. Since I was child my father was a huge fan of Eric Clapton. Sometimes he told me about his life, his problem with drugs and his son death. However, reading the book I could experiment a sensation of understanding about what his music really is. Is it pop, rock or blues, or something in between?

While I was reading Eric Clapton being so sincere about his relationships with women, drugs and alcohol I wondered about hundreds of thing in between that will no be said, that are not important, maybe, about all things we will not put in our autobiography. I guess there are a list of mistakes I won’t be an example for the future.

The diary issue

Some weeks ago I decided to create a diary. I prepared a notebook, not fancy, simple like me, with a dark blue paper covering it. Inside, a big word in Chinese that means “fall”. But, the problem started when I finally decided to write something. What am I suppose to write?

I started the diary trying to define what is this diary for (what is not written is forgotten) and to establish a pattern. However, I couldn’t find the real nature of a diary: is it to describe our everyday-grey life, or to focus on main happenings? Moreover, should we talk about our thoughts and impressions about the past and future (and forget the present)?

It was suppose to be easy. But it is not an easy job to write about what our inner self think or do. So, the diary is alone, waiting for me to stop pretending difficulties and to start working on my every-day-thoughts-and-lilac-life diary.

Meanwhile, I BLOG!

A blog to be - project

My objective here is to write. It is to express what I think about art, life and experiences in general. Besides, my English is to bad, and it’s a good excuse to practise doing something I like: write. Different from my first blog, this one doesn’t have to do with people away from me, or my constant need to define de meaning of life. This blog is entirely concentrated on creating, commenting, small taking, experimenting and being more ‘me’, or more free to talk about subjects that puzzle me a lot.

Let’s see!