Change One

That Which Is Hardest To Confront Is Usually For The Better

Easily observed in rural populations, many people in America are suspicious of new ideas or methods, no matter how good or how effective they might be.  Take for example the microwave oven, which needed nearly 30 years to finally become commonplace in homes across the country, or e-mail, now used by the majority of the population 12 and older, was first developed in 1972 yet took more than twenty years to catch on. 

It often takes many years for new things to gain recognition and acceptance in areas where tradition is valued and even considered a virtue.  When it comes to drug and alcohol rehabilitation and education, there are unique programs that fit in this same category of being new, which sometimes causes hesitancy to accept.  The ones that continue to rapidly grow, do so simply because they work. 

Support and demand for such programs has gone beyond mere acceptance, with community leaders and government officials recognizing that in order to reverse the downward spiral our society continues to drown in we must utilize the most effective methods available.  This has to be in conjunction with efforts from all sectors of a community to help carry the message that change for the better must occur. 

As individuals we can remain in the frame of mind that the problem is 'over there,' or we can step up to the plate and take responsibility for today and for our future, our children.  The methods that have been used to date have yet to reverse the statistics of our society.  The difficult task of confronting the problem fully and demanding results rests on the shoulders of us all; nobody else is going to do it for us.  Having overcome substance abuse myself, and witnessing many hundreds of people do the same I know we can help.

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