Letter to the Editor,
by Peter Provet, Ph.D.
The New York Times
To the Editor:
For thousands of New Yorkers not in the “social scene,” drug abuse and its inherent problems are far from invisible. A visit to any number of treatment programs across the city will clear up any misconception about the coolness of cocaine or the harmlessness of recreational drug abuse.
Just because drugs are no longer a front-page story doesn’t mean addiction is not hurting millions of Americans. How many more “parties” will it take before trendsetters and their followers realize the true cost of cocaine abuse: family devastation, health impairment and economic failure?
Peter Provet, Ph.D.
New York
The writer is president of Odyssey House, a private nonprofit substance abuse, mental health treatment and housing agency based in New York.