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Cynthia was 38 years old when her family realized that there was a serious problem. Outwardly things seemed fine. She had a flourishing law career, a good and loving husband, a beautiful home, nice car and all of the material trappings that come from "success". Cynthia skillfully hid her addiction to alcohol, prescription pain medication, and cocaine.
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An intervention was done on Thanksgiving day 2005. Cynthia entered treatment at the Betty Ford Clinic the next day. After successfully completing the 30 day program she entered their outpatient program. Here began a series of relapses and recoveries that alternated for the next few months. On August 9, 2006 Cynthia Martin, my sister-in-law, was found dead of an overdose at a friend's home in Los Angeles.
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Cynthia Claypool Martin was a beautiful, intelligent, kind and loving woman. She is truly missed. Her death serves as a tragic reminder of the deadliness of this disease.
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This personal tragedy brought home to me one more time why it is never a good idea to wait. The time to intervene is always -- now! When a loved one is in the grips of addiction every day could be their last. Waiting until they hit "rock bottom" is tempting, but too often the bottoms that are hit are permanent.
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Oftentimes recovery is a process that has starts and relapses. It is always a race against permanent tragedy. The best that we can do is to begin this process as soon as possible.
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