EDITORIAL - A small victory, but a victory, nonetheless

According to a report in this newspaper, another 50 inmates detained at the Cebu City Jail have completed a six-month drug rehabilitation program conducted by the Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention.

Since this is the third batch, this brings the total number of inmates facing drug cases who have successfully completed the program to 150.

The latest batch is still set to undergo another six-month program, this time to be conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Services.

It might be a small victory, but it is a victory nonetheless. Now we should make sure we hold on to it by making sure those former users stay clean.

We don’t know how the previous batches of former users are doing, but we are hoping they are being monitored to make sure they don’t go down that slippery slope again.

All of us know about the allure of drugs, how they can appeal to the curiosity of those who have not tried them and how “indispensable” they can seem for the ones who have gotten addicted to them. We also know how destructive a drug habit can be, how it can lead to an obsession that can turn even the most responsible person into a dreg, and how it can tear even the closest families apart.

And when families fall apart, you can expect the effects to ripple up the societal ladder in more ways than one.

This all the more reason why we should be vigilant. And it should be “we” because in the end it’s not just the job of the government to keep an eye on rehabilitated former drug users, but also that former user’s family, friends, and even the community.

While it is true that staying off drugs is mostly the responsibility of the person himself or herself, that person’s family, friends, and community can play a huge part in making sure that it happens.

We should never underestimate what something as simple as talking can do to alleviate fears, enforce beliefs, or change attitudes.

So, yes, while this is indeed a small victory we should make sure it stays that way a victory nonetheless.