ADDICTION TREATMENT EXISTS, BUT LACKING

Cathy Streifel is board president of SURF Center, a Lafayette-based
group that helps people with deadly addictions.

She battled alcohol addiction for 20 years and knows the difficulties
involved in seeking help and overcoming reliance on a mind-altering
substance, be it alcohol or drugs.

"Once a person becomes addicted, willpower and rationality go out the
window," Streifel said.

Signs that a person needs help include sneakiness, lying and overall
changes in behavior and appearance.

High Costs

Julia Chester, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at
Purdue University who currently is conducting research on alcohol and
substance abuse, said the cost of addiction to society is about $360
billion each year in medical and other expenses.

As for human impact, a large percentage of traffic crashes, homicides
and other crimes often involve alcohol or substance abuse.

Streifel said she worries that there are inadequate treatment options
for hardcore users in Tippecanoe County, especially now that the
psychiatric unit at Home Hospital is closed. Addicts were taken there
because Lafayette does not have a detoxification center, she said.

"Someone coming down from heroin or alcohol could be in serious
danger to detox without medical help," she said. "We need more
in-patient treatment to help people stabilize and get on their feet."