True or not, the papers and TV have been filled with experts talking about the consequences of addiction and how to get help. Second, I was on a 9½ hour Greyhound Bus with 27 newly released inmates (I'll explain why and what happened later). Well, I often hear it said that lack of education, poverty, family background, you name it, are the greatest predictors of crime. I'm no social scientist, but on that bus ride I spoke to every one of those guys, and with the exception of the two who had served time for molestation (those conversations ended in under 30 seconds), every story had one thing in common - the crime, ranging from murder to petty robbery to traffic infractions, involved drug or alcohol use. One smart, charismatic guy with a college and grad degree had been to prison 10 times and assured me he would be back again within the year "because I am a crack head."

Third, I found myself last night in the situation I have been in many times. I was out with friends for dinner and a friend of a friend stopped in, she had just gotten out of her Alcohol class she was completing due to a DUI, I had had run-ins with her drinking before, and it became clear that each time it kept getting worse - it tripped off what I heard experts saying was "progressive disease", this time she was stopped with Cocaine and drunk at 1:30 in the afternoon the day after a night out!

The final reason is that there are a group of Americans whom I love just a little more than others, soldiers, folks who sacrifice for this country. This group is a big part of Citizen Hunter and a big part of my heart and many of my buddies or fellow Citizen Hunters I have never even met, but care about, who are coming back from tours or who are vets from previous conflicts write to me often about their struggle with substance abuse or their concerns for others they think may have a problem.

As you guys know when I get a bee in my bonnet I really move - so I have spent the whole day today on the phone to experts, former users, and at the bookstore reading every book they have on the matter, and what follows is what I came up with. The main point is, you know yourself and those you love far better than I do so I mostly just want to help you decide for yourself if you have a problem and what you should do about it. As always though, I am an e-mail away. I did read a ton, so I can point you to others sources should you need them.

Addiction is progressive, it speeds up. It starts with experimentation, and then eventually the consequences of drinking and using begin to happen - hangovers, DUIs, strained relationships with people you care about, and issues at work, among others. You know the expression, Are you better off today than you were yesterday? I have cited it on a few occasions to Citizen Hunters. Well, do you drink or use more today than you did - are the consequences of your use getting worse? In a book called I found a definition of addiction that I thought was helpful - "addiction is behavior that may have begun as fun but continues long after the fun is gone. It adversely affects your health, your marriage and family, your finances and social life." It's a progressive disease so folks get a lot of chances to decide whether they have hit their bottom or they want to go even further. Only you can answer that, but for enablers out there, concerned friends who are afraid to get involved, or folks like me who have sat on the sidelines, think about whether you really want to let someone go even lower or if you owe it to them to at least try.

Like I said, my main point here is to help you identify for yourself or encourage someone else to, if you have a problem and then what to do so here are a bunch of questions.

The author of one of the books I read, who was a facilitator at Scripps McDonald, cites a four pt. questionare they had developed:

1. In the last four months, have you felt that you should cut down or stop drinking/and or using drugs? Yes or No?

2. In the last three months, has anyone annoyed you by telling you to cit down or stop drinking? Yes or no?

3. In the last three months have you felt guilty or bad about how much you drink?

4. In the last three months have you been waking up wanting to have an alcoholic beverage or use drugs?

Each answer in the yes is worth one point and one indicates a possible problem, two a probable problem, and so on.

If you want to know what your answers mean you can call your local AA chapter and ask them about a 20 question one that they have called "Are you an alcoholic"? You don't have to be a member and it's free. You can also go to www.niaaaa.nih.gov for an online test that you can do alone. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence 1-800 622-2255 has a good 22 question self-diagnostic quiz, but for fear that you might put it off like say, even St. Augustine who use to pray, Dear God make me better "but not yet", here is another quick quiz from Betty Ford:

1. Do you consistently break promises to yourself about drinking?
2. Do others have a different version of your drinking/drug use than you do?
3. Are you paying an emotional price for your use?
4. Do you do things under the influence that violate your own values?
5. And here is the kicker, did you lie to your self when you answered the first four questions?

Where to go? www.asam.org is a website that discusses various approaches to ending addiction.

To find Doctors, including psychiatrists who specialize in addictive disorders you can call the American Society on Addiction Medicine at 301 656-3920. . To go to an AA meeting check www.alcoholics-annonymous.org