Pubdate: Mon, 08 Sep 2003
Source: Daily News (KY)
Copyright: 2003 News Publishing LLC
Contact:  http://www.bgdailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1218
Author: Maureen Mahaney

Family Matters

SUBSTANCE ABUSE ISSUES HIGHLIGHTED

Substance abuse is prevalent in America, and it affects individuals as well 
as families, friends and businesses. The 2001 National Household Survey on 
Drug Abuse, estimates that 16 million Americans (7.1 percent of the 
population 12 and older) were current users of illicit drugs in 2001. 
Seventy-six percent of these drug users are employed either full-or 
part-time. Illicit drug use among youth was highest for those between the 
ages of 18 and 25. Illicit drugs include marijuana, cocaine/crack, 
hallucinogens (like LSD), heroin, methamphetamine, and club drugs (like 
Ecstasy). Other misused and potentially addictive legal substances include 
inhalants, steroids, prescription drugs, and alcohol and tobacco.

Fourteen years ago, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
Division of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services Administration began a national campaign to educate 
and inform Americans about the importance and effectiveness of substance 
abuse treatment. Since then, September has been annually heralded as 
"Recovery Month."

Recovery month often goes unobserved due to a factor (unique to the 
substance abuse field) that contributes greatly to the diminished awareness 
of treatment success - anonymity. The substance abuse field has a long 
tradition of protecting the identity of people in recovery. In no other 
field do millions of success stories go untold. The vast majority of men, 
women and youth in recovery are leading healthy, active and productive 
lives but few outside their families and close friends are aware of their 
extraordinary accomplishments.

Treatment is invaluable in Kentucky. Some of its worth simply cannot be 
measured and demonstrated, such as the exact number of lives saved, or the 
percentage of increased self esteem, or the number of happier and healthier 
families, But monetarily speaking, statewide data suggests that for every 
$1.00 we spend on treatment, there is a $5.34 cost savings from reduced 
crime and increased employment.

Karen Garrity, clinical director of Substance Abuse Services for 
LifeSkills, speaks very highly of recovery in our area.

"We have a strong and active recovery community," Garrity said. "Attendance 
at 12-step meetings such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and 
Al-Anon is excellent. Our local AA is very involved and dynamic. Each May 
the area AA groups host a three-day conference called the 'Sponsorship 
Rally,' which boasts speakers from all over the United States and is well 
attended by people from all over the state."

Perhaps one of the reasons why Bowling Green is so vested in recovery is a 
result of the wide array of professional substance abuse services available 
from prevention, to education, to outpatient treatment, to intensive 
outpatient treatment to residential treatment, right here in our community.

- - For local meeting information, contact Alcoholics Anonymous for AA and 
Al-Anon at 782-5267, and Narcotics Anonymous at 782-4029.

Maureen Mahaney coordinates public information for LifeSkills Inc., a 
non-profit, behavioral health care corporation that plans for and serves 
the people of southcentral Kentucky in three main areas: mental health, 
substance abuse, and developmental disabilities. Her column appears monthly.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart