ATTITUDES TOWARD ADDICTION MUST CHANGE TO WIN WAR

Editor, the Tribune:

A small victory is won in the war against drugs each time a major media
entity such as Newsweek publishes - with accuracy and insight - a report on
addiction.

For those of us waging the war on local and statewide fronts, our struggles
resemble a two-headed demon: One head represents the reality for current
and potential addicts and alcoholics who face a certain hell from lack of
treatment options. The other demon head is our state and national political
arenas and a nation that has trouble accepting addiction for what it is - a
treatable disease much like diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

Addiction is not a moral failing. Addiction is a disease that touches us
all, some of us personally, all of us financially. Newsweek's statistics in
its Feb. 21 issue on the staggering consequences and costs of addiction are
right on target.

This war exists in all of our neighborhoods and where we work and go to school.

We believe our best hope of winning this war lies in changing perceptions
and attitudes toward addiction.

The Missouri Recovery Network is one of 19 community support programs
nationwide funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

We are also one of four statewide public-health projects housed at ACT
Missouri in Jefferson City. Other projects include Missouri's Youth/Adult
Alliance, a coalition to reduce underage drinking; Partnership for Drug
Free Communities; and Community 2000.

We hope Newsweek's article encourages individuals to raise their voices in
the war that we can win together.

Jerry Mathis, project director

Missouri Recovery Network