Pubdate: Mon, 26 Jan 2004
Source: Huntsville Times (AL)
Copyright: 2004 The Huntsville Times
Contact:  http://www.htimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/730
Author: Kenneth Kesner, Times Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

REHAB CENTER REACHES OUT TO FAMILIES

Pathfinder's New Booklet Helps 'Loved Ones' Learn How To Cope With
Addict

By the time someone calls Pathfinder, they already have a
problem.

Pathfinder Inc. is a Huntsville residential drug rehabilitation
program founded in 1976. Several times a week, the staff gets a call
for help from a distraught relative or close friend of an alcoholic or
drug addict, said Paul Bakke, executive director.

The callers are usually upset and not really able to retain
information they are given. So Pathfinder has created a booklet they
can turn to, "Coping with an Addicted Family Member or Friend."

"It's mainly for the loved ones," said Bakke, "so they can learn how
they can deal with it better."

The booklet has sections on recognizing the first signs of a
substance-abuse problem, the stages of recovery, community support
groups and calendars showing when they meet, and much more, including
the role of family.

"Alcoholism and drug addiction is a family problem," said Bakke. "Many
times the family tries to help, and by trying to help they actually
perpetuate the disease."

Parents need to see how they are manipulated or conned. Family members
need to set boundaries and realize what they can and can't do, said
Bakke. They can't make the addicts stop using drugs, and can't rescue
or bail them out of trouble all the time because that's just going to
make it worse.

"If we could break that cycle, then that would be a tremendous help,"
said Bakke. "And maybe some people wouldn't even get to the point
where they need to be here."

The goal is to educate people about the disease of addiction, said
Gail Holliday, lead counselor at Pathfinder.

"We're in the addiction business. We want people to know where to get
help," she said. "Because we're seeing lives turned around, we're
seeing people become responsible, productive members of society."

More than 1,200 people have been through Pathfinder over the years,
said Bakke, who recently resigned after four years as executive
director. He is opening a baseball and softball training facility in
Huntsville, and said he won't have time to give both the attention
they deserve. He's continuing at Pathfinder until a replacement can be
found, and he'll stay on after that as a volunteer.

Pathfinder's program always runs near capacity, said Bakke, with
between 25 and 30 clients at any given time. They've already been
through an intensive detoxification treatment program somewhere, to
get whatever they are abusing out of their systems. Then they come to
Pathfinder, hoping to learn how to live every day without drugs and
alcohol.

"They're having to create a new person," said Bakke. "That's why we're
so structured."

The average stay is 90 days, but that can be extended to a year.
Pathfinder emphasizes a traditional 12-step addiction recovery program
but customizes the rehabilitation plan for each client.

Pathfinder also requires clients to get jobs and pay a portion of the
cost of housing and services. The balance comes from the United Way,
the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation,
churches, individual donations and other sources.

"It's all about recovery. You have to be sober to be here," said
Bakke. "If you relapse, you're out. We want people who want to be here
and want to be in recovery."

Across the country there is a push to offer more drug rehabilitation
services, establish drug courts and ease prison crowding by placing
more addicts in programs such as Pathfinder. That has resulted in
pressure for Pathfinder to ease its strict rules.

"We're not about to do that," said Bakke, "because it will destroy our
mission. It will destroy the environment."

Recovery is tough enough without being tempted by people who can lead
you back to drugs. The first year is crucial, said Bakke. And the
longer an abuser is in a treatment program or setting, the better
their chances.

"We've got a really lofty goal of a 50 percent success rate here," he
said. "We actually did that in 2002. Last year it was right about 45
percent."

That's the experience that informs "Coping with an Addicted Family
Member or Friend." And the Pathfinder staff hopes it will help addicts
and families.

"It's such a joy, just knowing that you don't have to live that way.
You've got a choice," said Holliday.

White Tiger Graphics donated the printing for 10,000 copies, which are
available at Pathfinder, 3104 Ivy Ave. SW, the Madison County Mental
Health Center and other agencies. Pathfinder will mail a copy to
out-of-town addresses.

For more information, or to get copies for your agency or workplace,
call Pathfinder.
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MAP posted-by: Derek