Pubdate: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 Source: Honolulu Advertiser (HI) Copyright: 2003 The Honolulu Advertiser, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. Contact: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/195 Author: Andy Anderson Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Note: To read about the "ice epidemic" in Hawaii, go to http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Hawaii . A NEW BEGINNING FOR OUR ADDICTED CITIZENS I would like to publicly congratulate and thank Gov. Lingle and especially Lt. Gov. Aiona for their leadership in convening the recent drug summit. What a great New Beginning for our state and people. I've been blessed with the opportunity to live in our beautiful land of aloha for some 43 years and am doubly blessed to have found my recovery from alcoholism here in 1961 when there may have been only 100 recovering alcoholics on all of O'ahu. In addition, I have been a substance-abuse professional for 37 years and have never seen this kind of activism by the community, coverage by the press and response by government on the issues of drugs, alcoholism and addiction. The leadership this administration has brought to the forefront of our state is awesome and compelling in that I see a coalescence and collaboration developing that will bring a solution-focused plan to fully address the issue of drug addiction (including the legal drug alcohol), and thereby bringing in all the elements so needed to help folks like me to get into recovery -- whether through treatment, faith-based efforts or the 12-step programs. It's an outstanding job of bringing a New Beginning of hope for our addicted citizens. Andy Anderson CEO Hina Mauka - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk