'THERE IS A WAY OUT'

JACOA director urges treatment for those suffering addictions

What brought Joe Pickens into the world of helping people to kick drug and
alcohol dependencies is what attracted most of JACOA's 57 employees. "Most
of them have some connection to substance abuse," said Pickens, executive
director of the Jackson Area Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency, also
known as JACOA. "So many of them see it as more than a job, but a way to
give back."

JACOA is a nonprofit agency funded in part by the city of Jackson, Madison
County, United Way and the Tennessee Department of Health. The main 41-bed
facility off East Chester Street allows those with drug and alcohol
addictions to learn a 12-step program that can help them not only "dry out,"
but also learn psychologically how to deal with their addiction and what
potentially causes it.

It's a 28-day program where patients check themselves in at all levels of
addiction. And though it may be an alternative to jail in some plea bargain
agreements, in all cases it's voluntary. They can leave anytime they want
to.

"There is hope. There is a way out, but it's their choice," Pickens said.
"And treatment is hard, because somebody is giving up a drug of choice, and
when you give up that drug, you have to face things that aren't going to be
easy. But you don't just quit; you change your outlook on society as a whole
in this program."

If patients go astray from the program even once, "they're out," Pickens
said. "That's just the way it works." And they're not allowed back for
another shot at it for at least six months.

They live in tidy, dorm-style rooms with men on one end and women on the
other. There are currently 26 men and 15 women in the program, as it is
typical to have more men enrolled, he said.

Out back there are picnic tables, and a place to play volleyball and
basketball. "An overwhelming majority of people with addictive problems
smoke, so they can do that, too (in the recreational area)." Cameras were
recently installed in that area to monitor behavior.

So what's a typical day like amid a grueling 28 days? Addicts get up at 6
a.m., eat breakfast at 7 a.m., hold a gratitude meeting where they can say
what they're grateful for that day, and then they're off to an education
group - a different one each day. The morning ends with group therapy, and
then lunch.

"Most people here will tell you, we have some of the best food in town,"
Pickens said. After lunch, there's recreation time, then back to more
educational programs. Community meetings are held three days a week to allow
patients to air any complaints, and they're often confrontational, Pickens
said.

Ben Miller, who now works in the Intensive Out Patient area, went into
treatment at Baptist Memorial in 1997. He had just come out of the military
as a Desert Storm veteran.

"Joe has helped me a lot," said Miller, who is a recovering substance
abuser. "When I came here as an intern, he opened the door for me, he took a
chance on me, even though I didn't have much experience."

Rosa Sanders, a recovering alcohol and drug addict, has worked since 1996 at
JACOA, where she is the treatment director.

"I never went to treatment," Sanders said. "I think I missed the educational
part of recovery that our clients are offered here."

For those who feel they need longer than 28 days, there's a 31-bed,
long-term facility, for men only, at the old Montgomery Hall facility off
East College Street. The May storms took part of the roof off, which allowed
for some overdue renovations, Pickens said.

Some come to the long-term facility out of prison. Some who have tried the
standard program end up here. Others just feel they need to start out with
more long-term help.

One of the main stipulations for the long-term program is to be employed.

"Those who get the best and longest treatments are indigent, because of the
way insurance works," Pickens said. "But one way or another, people die from
the whole process of being addictive substance abusers if they don't get
some kind of help."

- - Jamie Page, (731) 425-9643

Joe L. Pickens, 61, grew up near the Oakfield community in northern Madison
County. He earned a bachelor of science degree in economics from Union
University, and a master's in social work from Florida State University.

He came to be JACOA's head man about a year ago, after 21 years of
counseling and social work positions at the Jackson Counseling Center, which
is now Pathways; six years of psychiatric work in nursing homes; and three
years at Western Mental Health Institute in Bolivar.

Question: What made you want to help people with alcohol and drug
addictions?

Answer: "Most of the people who work here have some form of connection to
substance abuse. I am not recovering myself. Mine was through a family
member."

Q: What kind of effect did that experience have on your life?

A: "It was unpleasant seeing someone out of control, and I don't like
feeling like I'm out of control. I would much rather drive than ride."

Q: How comfortable are you now with drinking alcohol?

A: "I can, but I choose not to because of the detrimental role that it plays
in people's lives."

Q: In relation to the nation's deadliest diseases, where does drug and
alcoholism rank?

A: "Substance abuse is the number one public health problem in America. I
still believe alcohol is the most dangerous drug out there, because it's so
accessible. Statistics show that 34 of 36 people with an alcohol or drug
addiction will die from it if left unattended. For every $1 spent on
treatment; it saves society an average of $7 on police protection, car
wrecks, hospital bills and other costs commonly associated with it."