Posted on: Thursday, December 20, 2001

Island Voices
Planting seeds for drug treatment

By Bruce Berger

As I walked through the aisles at Borders reviewing the "how-to" books, I looked for a "Recovery from Drug Addiction for Idiots" book but couldn't find one. Ironically, the store had everything else but nothing on how to achieve sobriety from the disease of addiction.

Drug addiction has been described as baffling and insidious. Many researchers describe it as a life-threatening disease. Others challenge the notion that it is a disease in the classic definition, but most will agree it is life-threatening.

It has been defined as a relapsing or a chronic condition, which implies a long-term condition. Sometimes, there is little hope of full recovery from drug addiction even after ongoing treatments. The examples are far and wide, nationally and locally. Some of our brightest local stars have perished from the disease, including Macky Feary, Billy Kaui, Rap Reiplinger and others.

There are also success stories of people overcoming drug addiction and reaching long-term sobriety. Although there is a proven formula taught by the many talented substance-abuse professionals at quality drug-treatment programs in Hawai'i, there seems sometimes to be no rhyme or reason for those who make it or those who don't.

I recently attended a "Sobriety Celebration" for graduates of Salvation Army Family Treatment program (also known as Women's Way), where I worked from 1995 to 1998. I was thrilled to see some of the women I had worked with gloating in the sunshine of sobriety.

The compelling, poignant part was that many of those women who succeeded didn't practice or use their recovery tools while in treatment. They didn't show signs at the time, but the seeds of recovery were planted deep within their psyche. Not only had the seeds been planted and taken root, but they were thriving years later, as evidenced by their presence at the celebration.

There were also other women who were not in attendance who had embraced recovery but were reported to be "back in the life." This brings me to the conclusion that recovery from addiction is far from a black-and-white issue. This shows that drug treatment is far from scientific in predicting long-term outcomes. It takes some individuals multiple treatment episodes to achieve long-term sobriety. Others may choose to never stop using.

It is no wonder, then, that 80 percent of the individuals in prison have a substance-abuse problem. We must take another look at our decision-making system that treats failed treatment episodes as something that justifies punishment.

Incarceration has never cured addiction, although its consequences can be therapeutic at times. But, fundamentally, a three-year sentence in prison is a three-year sentence from receiving drug treatment, thus preventing the seeds of recovery from filtering into the consciousness of an addict. Such a sentence also allows an addict to be around other drug users, learning and honing other criminal skills.

There needs to be a last stop for drug users prior to incarceration. Something different, something unique, something spiritual that can repair the break in the emotional spinal cord that prevents an addict from feeling emotions. We need a program that creates an emotional umbilical cord to sobriety where drug-free living is a goal, a desire and a passion. That type of passion for life shown in the graduates at Women's Way is what it is all about.

Many of those brave survivors at Women's Way remind me that we must never give up hope. We must create alternatives and think "out of the box." A life in prison is "the box" we need to think out of.

Bruce Berger is a court-qualified addiction expert in private practice and a certified substance-abuse counselor.