NEW CENTRE A HAVEN FOR RECOVERING ADDICTS

West Coast-Style Log Residences Offer Treatment, Counselling Programs

The abandoned Skeleem Recovery Centre for head injuries at Cobble Hill
is undergoing a multi-million-dollar transformation into a private,
residential addiction-treatment facility.

The $2.5-million Cedars at Cobble Hill is expected to open mid-month,
joining Nanaimo's Edgewood Treatment Centre as the only for-profit
residential addiction facilities on Vancouver Island.

The demand for addiction treatment surpasses what's now available from
the public, non-profit or private sectors, according to Alan Campbell,
director of mental health and addiction services for the Vancouver
Island Health Authority (VIHA).

"It's a seller's market," concedes Campbell. Clients are usually seen
within days for an initial addiction assessment, but, on average,
there is a a two-week waiting period for VIHA's treatment programs,
says Campbell. VIHA programs are non-residential, although group or
individual homes can be found for those without a support network in
the community.

Initially, Cedars at Cobble Hill will admit up to 12 clients, each
paying $250 a day. By its third year, the target is 52 clients, says
Cedars executive director Neal Berger.

Apart from addiction treatment, Cedars will offer a week-long
residential program for those affected by the addictions of others,
and eventually week-long individualized programs to assist those with
anxiety and other mood disorders.

At Cedars, 20 clients are to be housed in each of three West
Coast-style log residences. Much of the program is co-ed, but living
accommodations are separate, reducing the chance of interpersonal
relationships jeopardizing treatment.

Berger sees such romances as replacing one inappropriate relationship
- -- chemicals -- with another, just so those involved can feel good
about themselves. "People need to achieve autonomy as an individual
[first], capable of self-direction in order to feel better about
themselves," says Berger.

That autonomy is an essential step before individuals can reconnect
with who they were before the addiction. But it's easier for those who
became chemically dependent later in life than those who started using
as young teens, when they had little sense of self.

Reconnecting with the self may mean taking clients back to the period
when they first became aware of alcohol or a drug. "They have to come
to understand what they learned growing up determines who they are as
adults," says Berger.

In the past 30 years, Berger has been involved with seven residential
treatment centres in Canada and the U.S. He and then-wife Jane Berger
started Nanaimo's Edgewood in 1994 in response to forest-industry
concerns about employee addiction. More recently, he has served as a
consultant assisting corporations to recognize and deal with addiction
in the workplace.

In Canada, Berger says, addictions are estimated to account for $20
billion in lost productivity annually, which means individuals,
employers and insurance companies all have a stake in successful treatment.

While those in the recovery field estimate 10 to 20 per cent of the
population is in need of treatment, less than five per cent of those
actually receive help, says Berger.

At Cedars, Berger has set out to create a treatment program that he
says is not readily available in Canada, one that's tailored to the
client.

"One size doesn't fit all," says Berger, noting individualized
programs will be determined after an initial assessment by counsellors
and staff physicians certified in addiction medicine.

Many treatment programs operate on a 28-day model, a time frame
initially dictated by the length of time for which U.S. private
insurers were prepared to pay. Berger says some clients might be ready
for discharge in under 28 days, but others may require a considerably
longer stay.

"I don't care if someone is still here [at] 40 to 45 days, as long as
staff can tell me why they're here and what's their goal," says Berger.

At Cedars, according to Berger, success involves more than just doing
well in residential treatment, which means clients will be discharged
with referrals to local counsellors and community self-help programs.
Often the family is involved, as is the employer. "For us, the
treatment process is not a make-or-break deal; [it's] our ability to
provide continuing care," says Berger. "If the after-care for them is
good, the chances for success are relatively high."

Berger is one of three partners in the treatment-centre management
company leasing the upgraded and refurbished facility from three
entrepreneurs, all with an interest in addiction recovery. The goal is
for the Cedars to be self-sustaining and eventually profitable.

Negotiations began almost two years ago with the University of B.C.,
which owns the 60-acre property, and the sale was finalized in August.

The delay, says Berger, was to secure rezoning to subdivide 30 acres
into five-acre lots to finance the restoration and furnishing of the
multi-building centre. In September, restoration of the facility began
- -- the property had been vandalized and overgrown since the non-profit
Skeleem Centre shut down due to lack of funding in February 2003.

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ADDICTION RESOURCES A MIX OF PUBLIC, PRIVATE PROGRAMS

Help is available for those dealing with addictions on Vancouver
Island, but it's rarely available the moment it's needed.

One place to start is your family doctor, but even a doctor's
appointment can take a day or two. In the blue pages of the phone book
under "Health Authorities," you'll find a listing for addiction
inquiries. Call 370-8175 in Victoria, 709-3040 in Duncan, 755-3361 in
Nanaimo, 724-3554 in Port Alberni, 850-5800 in Campbell River and
338-9777 in the Comox Valley.

The numbers will put you in touch with the Vancouver Island Health
Authority's (VIHA) services for those battling addictions. An initial
assessment can usually be scheduled within a few days. However, the
demand is such that admission to detox, stabilization and treatment
programs can take several days to weeks.

VIHA has no residential programs, but such programs are available on
the Island.

Not-for-profit programs include:

- - Victoria's Foundation House (for adult men), established 1993,
contact 480-1342, www.foundationhouse.org

- - Nanaimo's Surfside Recovery House (for adult men), established 1979,
contact www.surfsiderecovery.com or 250-758-5611

- - Courtney's Comox Valley Recovery Centre (for adult men), established
1976, contact 250-338-7144 or www.recoverycentre.ca

For-profit residential programs include:

- - Nanaimo's Edgewood Treatment Centre (co-ed adults), established
1994, contact 250-751-0111 or www.edgewood.bc.ca

- - Cedars at Cobble Hill (co-ed adults), established 2006, contact
1-866-716-2006 or www.cedarsatcobblehill.com

For information on B.C. treatment programs for all ages, log onto
www.kaiserfoundation.ca