cannabisnews.com: Recovering Addicts Need a Place! 





 Recovering Addicts Need a Place! 
Posted by FoM on February 21, 1999 at 11:01:33 PT

 The Phoenix House drug treatment program has been trying to help Orange County residents for two decades. Its director says every day brings calls from addicts seeking admission, pleading for help. Just about each night finds all 135 beds in the Santa Ana building filled. 
   Addicts who need lengthy programs to help get them off drugs and who can't afford private treatment have few options in Orange County.   County officials have examined methods of providing more facilities, but money is tight, and neighborhoods are unreceptive. Drug treatment specialists say residents recognize the problem and want something to be done, but only somewhere else, not on their block.   On a recent Saturday, Phoenix House held a graduation ceremony for 38 men, women and teenagers, the largest class ever at the facility. Some came from jails; others sought help before tangling with the law.   The graduates had completed a two-year program. The first is spent at the facility. Program officials say two-thirds of those completing the first year's program stay clean and sober. In the second year, participants live in their own apartments, working and attending weekly classes.   Orange County spends $24 million a year on programs to treat abusers of alcohol and other drugs. That's not much in a county of nearly 3 million residents. And it's cheaper than waiting for addicts to commit crimes to get money for drugs and then putting them behind bars for years.   Orange County's judges have offered some arrested addicts a chance to stay out of jail if they undergo treatment. The drug court program has proved effective; last year the Board of Supervisors authorized spending an additional $200,000 to expand the program.   Those in the drug court regimen have been accused of minor, nonviolent crimes. They keep working and undergo a yearlong program of counseling and frequent meetings with law enforcement officials and judges who monitor their progress.   At the Santa Ana jail, even those likely to be behind bars only for a weekend can seek referrals to drug counseling outside of jail. It's clear that breaking an addiction is not easy and does not happen overnight.   Superior Court Judge David C. Velasquez, who presides over one of the drug courts in the county, says a program of detoxification that lasts even 10 days is "just a detour." But getting an addict to seek help is the essential part of the recovery process. When it happens, help must be available or the chance is missed.   The county plans to increase programs for jail inmates this year and for children addicted to alcohol or illegal drugs. It's a good start, but more is needed.   Officials still must find more facilities such as Phoenix House, where addicts can be treated for months or a year or more. 
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