Facing a taboo topic: drugs

ANI AMIRKHANIAN

Perhaps nothing is more painful than knowing someone with a drug

problem.

Drug abuse destroys lives and families, and can even change the

dynamics of a community helping to educate its citizens to better

understand the effects of this disease.

Such is the case with the Armenian community in Glendale. In a

culture where certain issues simply are not discussed by many

families, let alone confronted, drug abuse largely is a taboo

subject.

It’s a bit discouraging, especially coming from a culture that

prides itself on strong family ties. Some tend to avoid the subject,

with family members fearing they will bring shame to the family name.

Perhaps it’s also an issue of pride and dignity.

Then again, selected groups try to take a proactive role, not only

with their families, but also with the community at large.

It is Armenian-based nonprofit groups, such as the Armenian Relief

Center, that attempt to create a voice for the Armenian community.

Not long ago, I did some volunteer work for the ARC. I decided to

dedicate the little time I could find at the end of the day to help

the organization meet its goals. I was asked to help create a

newsletter.

At that time, ARC was new to the community, and not many people

knew about the services.

I went in having previously met some of the people through

relatives who had dealt with drug abuse. Some of the people I met

were either in the process of being rehabilitated or already had some

years of sobriety under their belt, and were referred to as

“veterans.”

A stigma usually is attached to drug users. I had an image of

hardened ex-cons who did time for drug trafficking or other crimes,

and had been angry at the world, but now were coming to their senses

and accepting rationality.

But as soon as I met some of the people, that image disappeared.

When I walked in the center, I was greeted by a soft-spoken

middle-aged man with a mustache and glasses. He was carrying papers

and folders under his arm, so I assumed he was a file clerk or an

assistant of some kind. We went into an office and sat down, and I

quickly learned he was actually a volunteer and an architect by

profession.

This man also was a recovering alcoholic, and had been clean for

15 years. He was one of the “veterans,” and was highly respected by

his peers because of the amount of time he invested helping others

battling addiction.

Another man, a dentist by profession, had led a life of addiction,

and as a result lost his license to practice dentistry, but his

friends still called him Doc. Doc was the chairman, and had a story

to tell that could fill the pages of a novel.

I also had a chance to meet several younger volunteers who had

battled drug addiction and were taking their lives back one step at a

time.

It was encouraging to see how open and honest people were about

their past. The past had made them stronger and given them the

willpower to help others overcome their addiction.

My encounter with the volunteers at the ARC also dismissed the

notion that drug abuse and socioeconomic status go hand in hand.

There is no doubt in my mind that addiction afflicts people at all

levels of the socioeconomic ladder. But there still is a

misconception among people that drug abuse can only affect the poor

and uneducated, not the reputable or affluent.

These people were and still are the ones who have an active voice

about drug abuse and the issues surrounding addiction and its

consequences.

Three years after the center opened its doors, more people from

the Armenian community broke down the barriers to talk about drug

abuse. Through collaborative efforts, the forbidden subject now is

better understood by many Armenian families.

But it’s still not enough. Although there has been a breakthrough,

it has only had an impact on a small segment of the community.

Perhaps it is the job of this particular segment to create a bigger

voice for the rest of the community.

What will it take to change the mind-set of the rest of the

Armenian community? Is there really a solution? Only one thing is

certain: the tireless dedication of the issue’s leaders, who never

stop trying.

* ANI AMIRKHANIAN is a resident of Glendale, a graduate of USC and

a freelance writer. Reach her at anisaccount@yahoo.com.