At age 50, Kendra looks like someone much older. She has been in and out of any number of treatment facilities and counseling centers, and none have succeeded in helping her kick her drug habit. Now, she lives in a small, two room house and spends her time shooting up while wondering where the next dollar will come from for food and more heroin. She permanently lost parental rights to her son when he was just 6 years old, and she really doesn't know where he is. Underneath all of her drug use is this incredible pain that she has lived with all these years.
Kendra shares the house with a man who shares her habit. He does little except help her to get more drugs, and the two spend most of their days high in front of the TV. On occasion, she has even taken to prostituting herself in order to get money to buy more drugs. Her life is one big spiral of despair.
1) Assuming that Kendra has been identified as having a disability, how much assistance (in dollars per month) is she likely to receive in the way of SSI? How about food stamps?
2) What is the prognosis for Kendra given that she is addicted to heroin? How likely is it that she will be able to "get clean?"
3) In thinking about Kendra, consider her life up to this point. Whose "fault" is it that she is in the state she is in? Is there an individual to "blame," or are the causal factors more complex?
1. It does not seem that Kendra has recently held a reliable, steady job. If she is considered disabled, federal SSI for individuals with a disability and have not worked is $698 per month; some state may supplement the SSI (Social Security Administration, 2012). If Kendra were to receive food stamps, there are many qualifying components involved. The amount of income taken in by all members in the household is taken in account. However, if all members of the household are receiving SSI, then they qualify for Food Stamps, which are $200/month for one person and $367 for two people (United States Department of Agriculture, 2012).
ReplyDelete2. Heroin addiction is a very hard addiction to overcome. It can be overcome with proper treatment and an appropriate support system and environment. There are forms of rehabilitation addicts can receive treatment to overcome their addiction. Many forms include drug therapy in which a pharmaceutical drug is administered to the individual. This drug works to combat the withdrawal symptoms individuals experience when heroin is no longer in their system. Methadone is a very popular drug administered to individuals for this reason. Methadone reduces the craving dose of heroin after the methadone treatment is administered (Cloe, 2012). For those receiving any form of treatment for heroin addiction, relapse is extremely possible for them. Those trying to recover from a heroin addiction most likely will relapse. Kendra’s prognosis for her addiction is that even if she does receive correct treatment, she will most likely relapse back into her addiction. Kendra also does not seem to have the appropriate support or environment to help her succeed in her recovery. With that said, we do not believe there is a likelihood that she will be able to “become clean” and overcome her addiction.
ReplyDelete3. There is not one person to blame for how Kendra’s life turned out except her own self. I have always believed that any one person can always turn their life around if they truly want to. In Kendra’s situation she let the drugs get the best of her, and she sat there and watched as they ruined her life. Although she did reach out and get help from a rehab center, she never really tried to get clean because she kept falling back into her same ways once she was released. I do agree that Kendra was raised in an environment that was not conducive to her development. Her father’s addiction to alcohol brought about problems in his marriage with Esther. With the drinking came the rage and anger that started once his business wasn’t doing too well. Esther and Art fought a lot and at some points the fighting got abusive, which provided an unstable environment for their daughter. Kendra’s disability also has added extra stress in her life on top of the problems she faced at home. She had a hard time in school, where her behavior made it difficult for her to meet new friends. Feeling alone and depressed, Kendra was at a weak point in her life and tried to commit suicide. This act was a cry for help! However, a group of students at school befriended Kendra and introduced her to drugs. Kendra at this point in her life was so emotionally unstable that she conformed to their ways. However, she always had the option to say NO to drugs and walk away from her so-called “friends.” All of these factors have affected Kendra and her development through adulthood, but only she could have turned it around when she had the opportunities to do so!
ReplyDeleteReferences:
ReplyDeleteCloe, A. (2012). About heroin detox clinics. eHow: Health. Retrieved June 26, 2012 from http://www.ehow.com/about_4597629_heroin-detox-clinics.html
United States Department of Agriculture. (2012). Supplemental nutrition assistance program. United States Department of Agriculture: Food and Nutrition Service. Retrieved June 26, 2012 from http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/applicant_recipients/eligibility.htm
Social Security Administration. (2012). A guide to supplemental security income (ssi) for groups and organizations. Social Security: The Official Website of the U.S Social Security Administration. Retrieved June 26, 2012 from http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/11015.html#a0=2