CLEAN AND SOBER

There were days when Ed Neveau wouldn't leave the front porch of the Ken
Brown Recovery Home. That's because he knew his temptation to obtain drugs
would be too great for him to resist. During Neveau's three-and-a-half
month stay at the Herrick Street residence, the former carpenter was
determined to overcome his dependency on marijuana, hashish, cocaine and
whiskey.

Surrounding himself with fellow residents who were also dedicated to
conquering their addictions was a key strategy to ensure he would succeed.

Neveau would keep his eye on the attendance chart for residents who
regularly attended Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

In the morning, he'd watch to see who had cash to buy their own cigarettes
_ a sign that they were earning money and wouldn't have to borrow from others.

"You could tell who wanted to change and who didn't," he recalled.

He'd socialize with those residents who demonstrated they were serious
about shaking their addictions.

"I had made up my mind. It was time," he recalled, stressing how much he
wanted to end his drug use. "A person knows when they hit their bottom."

It was a time of strained relations between Neveau and family members who
didn't want to visit with him because of his addiction problem.

"The people that I would never do anything to hurt . . . I burned those
bridges," he recalled.

For Neveau went by the nickname Eskimo Ed while a student at Lakeway
Collegiate.

Now, life is much better.

He didn't let working at a Grade 6 academic level deter him from seeking a
post-secondary education.

Neveau took some upgrading courses and enrolled in the Native Child and
Family Community Worker program at Sault College. He graduated in 1996.

Neveau moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba that year. Currently, he's the
co-ordinator of a youth drop-in program in Pauingassi in northern Manitoba.

Neveau describes the problems facing teens in the Ojibway community _ gas
sniffing and suicide _ as similar to those in nearby Pikangikum.

That fly-in, northwestern Ontario community made headlines again in June
when Dr. Michael Monture became lost while on a spiritual quest. He said
the 2,100 residents of the First Nation have limited access to decent
housing, education, health care, clean drinking water and fresh food.

Neveau, who began his part-time studies towards a Sociology degree from the
University of Manitoba last spring, is still in regular contact with the
Ken Brown Recovery Home. He calls the home's staff once a month and drops
by for a coffee and a cigarette when he returns to the Sault.

"When I'm in town, I always come here," he said. "I like talking to the
fellas."

Relations with his loved ones have also improved. He now describes those
once fractured family ties as "very stable".

When the home added four more beds during a 1996 expansion project, Neveau
was there after his classes using his carpentry skills.

He spent about six hours a night assisting with framing and drywalling tasks.

Learning to help others helped Neveau forget his own problems.

That was quite a change from his first day at the home.

"It all started in this office," recalled Neveau, speaking in a small
office just to the left of the home's front entrance.

"Wow. It took me 14 days to get the courage to walk from the (Plummer
Hospital's) detoxification unit to Ken Brown."

Not everyone Neveau chummed around with in earlier years fared so well. He
estimated 60 per cent of his acquaintances are either dead or in jail.

Since opening its doors on Oct. 23, 1976, almost 1,100 men have sought help
from the downtown core facility.

Approximately 70 per cent of the 72 residents who lived at the home during
the last fiscal year ending March 31 were there for the treatment of dual
addictions such as alcohol and marijuana or morphine. Sixty-two per cent of
that total number completed the home's program.

The Ken Brown Recovery Home helps clients in a variety of ways, from
individual and group counselling and leisure programs to referrals to
social service agencies in the city.

It's that kind of assistance that made a lasting impression on Neveau.

"I didn't realize how much Sault Ste. Marie has to offer people who need
help," he said, crediting several community organizations including the
John Howard Society for helping him.

Bob Brady has served as executive director of the private charitable
corporation since 1994.

Alcohol devastates families and creates a wide swath of destruction _ from
health care to the justice system _ regardless of a man's occupation or
social status, he said.

"It's not a deviant behaviour," said the 61-year-old. "It's a disease of
the mind, body and spirit."

Funding for the home's $391,000 budget is provided by the United Way of
Sault Ste. Marie, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, user fees and
private and corporate donations.

Treatment cost, at about $69 per bed per day, compares to more than $600 a
day for similar care at a 200-bed hospital.

But, the need to raise funds continues.

In 2000, the Ken Brown Recovery Home Foundation was established to help
raise cash to enhance resident programs.

Brady wants to see a third facility added to the Herrick Street residence
and a transition home on March Street. It would offer skills development
training to clients.

Appeals to residents of outlying communities is one way the foundation will
try to raise money, said Brady.

There are also plans to make a number of improvements to the residence
including two wheelchair accessible rooms, and an expanded dining room and
food preparation area.

A hot dog cart situated on Queen Street East near the Ermatinger-Clergue
Historical Site is expected to be in a good position to benefit from
tourist traffic during the summer.

The home celebrates its 25th anniversary with an open house and barbecue on
July 25 from noon to 3 p.m. at 8 Herrick Street.

James, a truck driver in the Sault, credits the home for helping him put
his life together after more than 20 years of alcohol and drug use.

"My life was totally unmanageable. I was scared that I couldn't stop."

Estimating he spent $200 to $400 a day to support his habit in the last
days leading up to when he first sought help in 1997, James (not his real
name) discovered it was not too late to get help.

"It's possible to become a responsible and productive member of society no
matter how far down the scale you get," he said. "There's hope for anybody."

A chief editorial writer with The Sault Star, Ken Brown died in March 1975.
A Sault native, Brown joined the newspaper in 1929 and served in a number
of capacities including sports, city and news editor.

The Second World War veteran received the British Empire Medal in
recognition of his military service.

A charter member of Alcohol Recovery Home Inc., Brown helped with the
home's creation.

In April 1976, the 15-member board decided to name the home in his honour.