Hey, read this one:
The 'Old England Journal of Medicine' on its April issue had
an interesting article on a study done on various types of addictions
and the violent behaviors attributed to them. According to this
esteemed journal of Medicine, the study took place in a well funded
and well staffed drug rehabilitation center. The center was both georaphically
and in fuction connected to a teaching hospital.
Most of the money needed to run the study came from various govt.
agencies including the congress and several county and mayoral administrations.
The addictive substances under study were Crack-Cocaine, Dehai, Marijuana,
and Chat (qat). To make a long story short, the study was done in two phases.
Phase 1..to make notes of the severity or degree of violent behavior in
each of the addictive substances under study. Phase 2...to see if subjects
can be helped to rehabilitate, and if so how hard or how easy....
Phase 1..all groups under the study were made to live in the same premises
within the center but each group had its own separate ward. i.e. Crack-cocaine
was in Ward A and Dehai in Ward B and so and so forth. In phase 1..all were
made to live in their natural habitat..e.i. the group in Ward A were being
supplied with crack-cocaine on demand without delay, the froup in Ward B
the Dehai Addicts had all the computers and wirings they need, and the same
thing with Ward C the Marijuanas and Ward D the Chats (qat).
The research group was made of behavioral psychologists, psychiatrists,
sociologists and there were even some paranormalists to see if there were
some paranormal angles to some of the hard to ecxplain violence in drugs.
A truck loaded with hand guns, harmeless plastic bullets, plastic knives
chromed with metal, daily papers including the TigrGna and Arabic versions
of Hadas Eritra, New York Times, Washington Post, pocket-size stones,
Play boy & similar magazines, milk in plactic gallon containers, tea leaves
and various tea-spices mostly middle eastern types such as qeshir,
cinamon etc. was pulled to the hall-way.
The plastic bulets make loud noises when fired just like real ones
but were intentionally made harmless. They can hardly make a dent into
the human skin. The chromed plastic knives look real but are also made harmless.
They don't cut beyond the upper most layer of the skin. They can cause
scratches and light bleedings but that is it. All hand guns were loaded.
All subjects in all Wards were told to go to the hall-way and get whatever
they like. People of Ward A (Crack-Cocaine) took all the guns and the knives,
Dehai addicts took all the neews papers, and all of the pocket size rocks,
Ward C (the Marijuanas) cleared all the play Boy and Hustler magazines, &
Ward D (Chat) transported all the milk. tea and spices.
hmmm..this explains some of it said one of the researchers..some
express themselves with guns and knives and some by throwing stones..
continued talking to himself saying interesting, interesting.....The research
group together made a vist to all wards. In Ward A every one had a loaded gun
and enough knives. In Ward B each one of them male or female had some stones
below his/her bed and at least one bye the computer. In Ward C each had a pile
of Play boy and magazines of similar nature by his bed side and many cut-off
pages throughout the walls.In Word C no hanky panky, just a serene & laid-back
environment.
On Observation after the prescribed period, the Crack-Cocaine
subjects were found to have used all their bullets and their knives.
almost every addict had a scratch or two. Secretly put and timed video
tapes showed violent behaviors reach their peak right after the substance
is dispensed and use.
In Ward B (Dehai) the visdeo tapes showed that the subjects were heavy
news consumers, they read all the papers from page 1 to the end. For the most
part they remain glued to their computers..almost all the time..before breakfast
after breakfast, after lunch, after dinner...Almost all seem to be well raised
i.e. they do their PBS every morning (prayer, brushing teeth, & Shower). Most
do say their prayers in silence but the video tape caught one who was vocal &
said 'our father though art in Dehai ooops I mean in heaven'..his friends
laughed. Further observations showed almost all the rocks were used. The
rock throwing behavior was very erratic. It never happened at the same hour
or time of the day. Very irregular & unpredictable both in directions,Sources
& gender. You see peace & tranquilty reigning in the Ward and suddenlly
like a meteor, a rock comes from a place far aprt and busts some one least
expected & least prepared. Then a barrage of rock throwing becomes the order
of the day and sometimes even spills over to the next day and the day after.
One of the researches said rock throwing is not American. He said there
must be something like ethno-historical root to this kind of violent behavior
and suggested they add some anthropologists to their group...& they did.
In Ward C (the Marijuanas)..the video tapes showed that degree of
vioence is not as alarming, wild and scary as it was observed in
WArd A. The Marijuana addicts love heavy metal music and they love their
play boy megazines. Restlessnes and desire to express romance seemed
to be higher. The study gave clues that driving under the influence of
Marijuana can be a killer.
The people in Ward D , the Chat or qat addicts..observation videos
showed that this is the least violent and most sedate and laid-back group
one could ever find. The ritual goes like this..they sit next to each other
and make a bow shaped half circle or so. The drug gets dispensed to all
and milk is made readily available. They don't talk loud..they chew the drug
and continue untill they get high. In between they do talk with a very
subdued low voice. Occassionally they do chant. They take their milk and
spiced tea almost intermitently. They like their peace and are not violent
unless seriosly provoked. One of the rsearchers who was raised in a farm
became very nostalgic when he visted the chat addicts in the middle of their
chat chewing sessions. Nostalgic because they reminded him of his father's
livestock in his childhood years..ruminating and chewing the cuds in absolute
silence and tranquility. There were times when he didn't want to leave Ward D.
There were even times when his other felow researchers had to literally drag
him out. He said I just love these human ....stockes.
Phase 2..was about how to help the subjects in question to get rehabili-
tated & lead a normal life. Some of the the techniques used was to methodically
cut them off from their addictive substsbces at different intervals & for
different lengths of time.When they cut them off, they gave them alternatives
and diversions such as good movies, sports and other programs. Like
all scientific or sociological researches, the program had failures here
and there but for most part the it was a succes.
After every subject is done with the program and is believed to be
good enough to be released, just to make sure his faculty of reasining
or general state of mind has not been tampered or affected during the
study time, they give a test. The test is to let the individual in
question start and drive a car through a ring-road of two miles inside
the rehabilitation ceter.
One of the Dehai addicts who was belived to be rehabilitated enough to go
home was given the test. The test is usually more of a routine and formality,
but once a while it catches some hard to detect behavioral residues.
The Dehai fellow was given the car key, the observrs were in the
back sit. He openned the hood and checked the oil and water levels. They were
both good. Clossed the hood and went arround the car and checked all four tires.
They were all good. He went into the car, adjusted all mirrors and started the
car. The researchers from the back seat were impressed. He started driving
& came to a stop sign. He stopped and started again. They were more impressed &
they even thought the car test was not necessary & was a waste of time.
After driving for almost half a mile in the ring-road, he saw a pocket
size stone by the side road, he pulled to the side, stopped the car and went
out, picked the rock and put in his pocket. He came back to the car and
started to drive. One of the researchers from the back said stop don't start.
I have a question or two. Why did you stop the car? He said I saw a pocket-
size stone and thought I might as well grab it because you never
know when that guy from Missouri hits back again. They said, sir,
don't proceed just make a U turn.
Tesfai Kflu
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