Red Ribbon Week

            I admit to ignorance. Until I received notification from the school system, I did not know it was Red Ribbon Week. I did not know there was such a thing, or why. I am thinking that I am not alone.

            Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the country. It generally takes place the last full week in October. This year, Red Ribbon Week is now, October 20 - 28.
            Red Ribbon Week symbolizes a stand for the hopes and dreams of our children through a commitment, both public and personal, to drug prevention and education, with the goal being a drug free America. It also commemorates the ultimate sacrifice made by DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, who died at the hands of drug traffickers in Mexico while fighting the battle against illegal drugs.

            Special Agent Camarena grew up in a dirt-floored house with hopes and dreams of making a difference. He worked his way through college, served in the United States Marine Corps and became a police officer. When he joined the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out it. "I can't not do this," he told her. "I'm only one person, but I want to make a difference."
            Camarena's eventual assignment took him undercover in Mexico investigating a drug cartel believed to include officers in the Mexican army, police, and government. On Feb. 7, 1985, the 37-year-old Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch. Five men appeared at the agent's side and shoved him in a car. One month later, Camarena's body was found in a shallow grave.  
            Within weeks of his death, Camarena's Congressman, Duncan Hunter, and high school friend Henry Lozano, launched Camarena Clubs in Imperial Valley, California, Camarena's home. Hundreds of club members pledged to lead drug-free lives to honor the sacrifices made by Camarena and others. These coalitions began to wear red satin ribbons. Red Ribbon Week emerged from these efforts.
            Today, Red Ribbon Week is nationally recognized, helping to preserve Special Agent Camarena's memory and further the cause for which he gave his life. The Red Ribbon Campaign also became a symbol of support for the DEA's efforts to reduce demand for drugs through prevention and education programs. By wearing a red ribbon during the last week in October, Americans demonstrate their opposition to drugs. They pay homage not only to Special Agent Camarena, but to all men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in support of the struggle against drug trafficking and abuse.

            This is a worthy cause, but how many of us do not observe it because we think drug usage is a problem that happens to other people? It got me to thinking, what constitutes drug abuse? Is this program only to fight illegal drug trafficking? What about legal drugs that are abused? We know of the horrors of alcohol, but what of others?

            I was in the library and heard two conversations among patrons. Both involved drug use. The first was between elderly women discussing the use of non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs. One lady smugly said to the others, "I take four ibuprofen tablets, four times a day," then in a secretive tone, "sometimes I cheat, and take four an hour."

            I wanted to say something about the damage she was doing to her kidneys, but before I could, my attention was drawn to a group of men where I heard one say, "I have to have about twelve cups of coffee to get me through 'til afternoon." I thought to tell him of the damage caffeine does to his liver as it hammers the organ demanding the release of more sugar to provide that surge of energy, but they walked away before I heard anymore. The incidents got me to thinking about how much addiction is among us from everyday substances we consider harmless.

            I have admitted in this column my addiction to chocolate doughnuts, and I confess that I drink too many diet Dr. Peppers, but what is the harm in that? None, other than the fat and sugar in the doughnuts and the chemicals in the diet drinks. What a hypocrite I am, and perhaps many of us are.

            We celebrate Red Ribbon Week for the prevention of drug abuse and trafficking, but isn't that just one phase of the problem? There is alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs that are abused not to mention the examples above. I suggest that we should campaign against addiction of all sorts whether it be working out too much, eating, drinking to excess, or taking over the counter drugs. 

           All of us want to feel better. We can be stimulated, or numbed with little effort, and none of it illegal. After awhile, the buzz, or dulling isn't there and we increase our stimulation to the point that nothing works, then move on to something that does, which may lead to illegal means.  Addictions of all sorts are available to us.

           I suggest that these few days, as we focus our attention on drug abuse and trafficking, that we remember that there are abuses of all sorts of substances, and that addiction is a problem that I believe we all face at one time or another. Point; Red Ribbon week IS about all of us. We may not be trafficking, or abusing illegal drugs, but we are all affected by addiction. Wear your Red Ribbon, but let it remind you to look inward as well as outward.