RECOVERING ADDICTS GIVE BACK

ST. GEORGE - A group of recovering addicts put a new spin on charity
Saturday.

Offering secondhand goods and barbecue from a Rite Aid parking lot in
St. George, alumni of the Washington County drug court had raised
more than $180 midway through a holiday rummage sale. All proceeds
will go to local charities to buy food and gifts for needy families.

But rarely has service meant so much to the ones lending a hand.
"Doing things like this - giving back to the community - that's how
we stay clean and sober," said Paul Paget, who has been sober since
2004.

The group hopes to start a trend of community involvement among
successful graduates of an 18-month drug treatment program at
Southwest Mental Health.

Nonviolent offenders who end up before the Washington County drug
court are often given the choice between lengthy prison sentences and
treatment.

"You have to want a new life," said Paget, who has a 5-month-old
daughter. "You have to want to change."

His commitment to the program saved his life, he said, and it helped
him to keep a good job with the city of St. George.

"Part of the reason they gave me a chance was because they knew I was
in that program," he said.

Alumni of the drug court have formed a support group, 30 members
strong, to hold one another accountable to a drug-free life. And some
of them would like to see alumni do more for the community.

"We've taken so much," said Carolyn Osmanski. "The only thing we can
do is give back."

The alumni praised every aspect of the county's recovery program.

"They teach you everything, how to live life over," Paget said.

In four phases, counselors hold patients to a strict schedule of
sessions, check-ins and drug tests.

"It makes it structured so we get on a schedule, and our lives can go
back to normal," said Mikkee Chappele, who has also been sober since
2004.

Employers work with the drug court to give patients financial
stability, as long as they see the treatment through to the end. And
the Utah Division of Child and Family Services works closely with the
program to help recovering addicts reunite with their children, said
Osmanski.

The alumni said drug treatment gave them hope: something they may not
have had for years.

"That's what it's all about - that there is hope, that change is
possible," said Tessa Aston, who spent 35 years addicted to drugs.

More holiday rummage sales are on the way, the group promised. They
thanked Wal-Mart and Albertson's for donating food and drink for
sale, and Rite Aid for offering them the paved venue.