Pubdate: Sun, 20 Nov 2005 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2005 Calgary Herald Contact: http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 Author: Jason van Rassel Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) ADDICTS FIND NEW HIGH ON A MOUNTAIN PEAK Climbing Club Helps Members Find Confidence For Frank Williams, getting high is something he now measures in feet - -- not ounces. Williams, 54, is sober after 35 years of abusing alcohol, meth, heroin and cocaine, thanks in part to a program at Spokane's Union Gospel Mission that teaches recovering addicts mountain climbing as a way of healing their bodies and spirits. "It's really helped me turn my life around," says Williams, wiping tears from his eyes. Drug treatment is in high demand as Spokane and other communities in the U.S. northwest grapple with growing methamphetamine use. Chaplain Steve Slover founded the Mountain Goat program in 1999 in the belief addicts needed something beyond relapse prevention and 12-step programs. A former YMCA director who had success keeping "parking lot kids" out of trouble with physical activities like hiking, Slover thought mountain climbing could instil confidence in the men and teach them to believe in themselves and others. "They've been to relapse prevention so many times, they could teach the course, but that's not getting at what's happening inside," Slover says. "They have to trust each other and they have to learn to relate and work together." Stretching, running and hiking with 20-kilogram packs isn't easy for men who have been abusing their bodies for so long, and Slover said of the 15 or so who sign up in February, about half finish in the summer. Indeed, Williams was a reluctant convert. "I knew it was hard work," he says. Williams ended up at the mission after being jailed in 2003, ending a long downward spiral that cost him his marriage and his occupation. "I knew I needed God in my life," he says of his decision to enter the mission's treatment program as part of his court-ordered probation. Williams was part of a group that climbed Mount. Shuksan, a 2,783-metre, technically demanding peak that took the Mountain Goats 24 hours to climb and descend. "For some of them, it's the very highest point in their lives," Slover says. Williams, who works at a local furniture store and enjoys teaching co-workers and friends how to climb, is proud of his turnaround, but refuses to take all the credit. "Look what the Lord's done for me -- that's a miracle," says Williams, who still attends the mission for aftercare. "Before, Frank was trying to do it by himself." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin