Few situations are more distressing for parents and loving family members than watching someone struggle with an addiction. A previously promising young adult may suddenly drop out of school or lose their job because they start abusing controlled substances. The mistakes of a teenager or someone in their 20s can leave them fighting an uphill battle for years.
Families often watching despair is someone struggles with addiction and makes increasingly self-destructive choices. They may have to make hard choices about providing that person with financial support or a place to live. Much of what families try to do to help those with addictions may actually enable them to continue abusing drugs.
There is an old adage saying that people cannot help an addict until they want support. Often, an individual needs to have a negative experience related to their substance abuse before they recognize that they need to make a change. For some people, an arrest for a drug offense could be the wake-up call that they need. Can drug charges in New Hampshire help someone struggling with addiction if they want to turn their life around?
New Hampshire has programs that can help
The criminal courts have not been able to stem the tide of substance abuse across the United States. Treating addicts as criminals often only worsens their situations. Many states have begun to try alternative approaches to addressing drug offenses and crimes specifically connected to addiction.
Drug treatment courts are an alternative available in many jurisdictions. Those arrested in the Nassau area in New Hampshire could potentially qualify for drug court instead of traditional criminal court in Hillsborough County. Those accused of qualifying offenses can sometimes ask for adjudication in the treatment courts instead of the criminal courts.
Drug court proceedings require court oversight and drug testing. Defendants agree to undergo randomized testing and to participate in drug rehabilitation services. Drug court does take an extended period of time to complete. However, those who are able to fulfill all court requirements can avoid the criminal penalties and standard criminal records that come from traditional drug charges.
Families that want to encourage someone to rise above a substance abuse issue might benefit from discussing the drug courts as an alternative option when responding to pending New Hampshire drug charges. Helping a loved one overcome a substance abuse disorder could change or possibly even save their life.
