Drug addiction often drives people to commit crimes; the criminal behavior of drug addicts is often associated with the manufacture, storage, and use of chemicals. As a result, a person with drug addiction goes to prison. Incarceration in places of deprivation of liberty certainly leaves its mark on the fate of a drug addict. However, considering a person a criminal because of his clouded mind is unfair since drug addiction is a mental illness, and diseases need to be treated.
Rehabilitation is a more effective way to combat drug addiction and the degradation of drug addicts than prison. Drug addicts, in most cases, are not criminals but people with mental health issues who need social support and medical care. Isolating the addict from society for a certain period does not solve the problem, and more often, even worsens it. A tiny percentage of drug addicts becomes law-abiding citizen after being released from prison. People who have used substances should return to society as conscious individuals who can think adequately, set goals, achieve them, and take responsibility. A prison sentence will not form such qualities in a drug addict.
A full-fledged path to recovery should combine physical healing, psychological assistance, social adaptation, and spiritual growth activities. Treatment in a drug rehabilitation center helps patients understand the cause of addiction and improve their condition on psychological, spiritual, physical, and social levels. In addition, rehabilitation teaches people with addiction to interact with people in society and independently cope with difficulties without resorting to drugs.
Despite the persistent stereotype that prison will help correct a person’s behavior, restricting freedom will not help get rid of addiction. After leaving prison, drug addicts return to a familiar environment, use prohibited substances, and often cross the law again. The severity of the problem of drug addiction is compounded by low awareness of alternative treatment methods. Drug-dependent patients need rehabilitation assistance, as the offenses result from drug use, undermining their mental health.
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