Pubdate: Sun, 03 Feb 2002 Source: Daily Advertiser, The (LA) Copyright: South Louisiana Publishing 2002 Contact: http://www.theadvertiser.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1670 Author: Connie Schlabach Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n151/a05.html PEOPLE IN REHAB HOUSES WANT THEIR LIVES BACK After reading the article titled "Neighborhood rehab houses draw fire," in the Jan. 28 edition of The Advertiser, I felt compelled to write. As the mother of a young recovering alcoholic and drug addict, I have some insight into the rehab system. While I can understand the concerns of the neighborhood halfway houses, I find myself wondering if Ms. LeBlanc has any idea how prevalent drug and alcohol addictions are. Some of the honest people in Lafayette have gone through rehab programs and gone on to lead productive lives. They are doctors, lawyers, dentists, accountants, nurses, teachers, food service workers, secretaries, oil field works, salesmen, students, etc. There are young addicts, middle-aged addicts, and old addicts. They all have one thing in common and that is that they have a fight ahead of them for the rest of their lives in trying to stay clean and sober. Does that make them child molesters, murderers, or thieves? No, it makes them an alcoholic or an addict. Mr. Stevenson, did you research the subject before you stated that you "think they (recovering drug addicts and alcoholics) deserve a second chance, but in a supervised environment"? Most of the rehab programs I am familiar with start with a very supervised environment and go to a less structured halfway house. If these people are not given an opportunity to become active community members, we might as well keep all addicts and alcoholics locked up somewhere forever. Rather than try to run all the rehab group homes out of Lafayette, perhaps the councilman could set up some meetings with the neighborhoods and addiction councilors to educate the public on drug and alcohol addictions. Involve the neighborhood and the members of the rehab houses in the meetings. I think you may be surprised at what you find. The majority of the people going through rehab want to get their lives back and have worked diligently to get to that level of the program which allows them to once again hold a job and become an active member of society. There is an old saying that goes "You never want to speed too high in the wind because you never know when it may come back and hit you in the face." The very people who are at issue with these houses may someday find one of their own loved ones in need of those services. Let's do what we can to help those who are trying to better their lives, not shut them out because of our own fears and insecurities. Connie Schlabach Lafayette - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake