A BOOST IN THE BATTLE AGAINST DRUGS

At the age of 13, Omari found himself incarcerated for possession of
marijuana. While in jail, a fellow inmate suggested that he enter a
treatment program. Omari spoke to a representative of Treatment
Alternatives to Street Crime (TASC), who referred him to Camelot Counseling
Centers' residential program. He was resistant to treatment, but did not
want to stay locked up. He joined Camelot's program four months ago and is,
today, on his way to recovery from his addictions.

The Camelot Counseling Centers were founded in 1973 by a group of Staten
Island professionals, members of the North Shore Kiwanis Club, to provide
chemical dependency treatment to troubled youths. In 1992, they opened
Staten Island's first chemical dependency residential facility for young
male adults. Camelot's residential program houses 35 adolescents,
encompassing a variety of cultures and family backgrounds.

Erik was introduced to a drug called "Ecstasy" by his friends on the
street. According to Erik, "it was love at first try." After successfully
completing an outpatient rehabilitation program, or so he thought, he
realized he was actually living a double life, going to the rehabilitation
program during the day, and living his drug-abusing life at night.

His mother and stepfather, both of whom work in drug treatment programs,
put him into an upstate residential program where he dealt with his
emotional issues, not with his drug addiction, but he got himself kicked
out and went back home. He stayed clean for eight months, went to school
and worked.

After a while he became bored with school and stopped going. A stipulation
of his work agreement was that he had to stay in school, so when he dropped
out of school, he also lost his job and eventually went back to hanging out
on the streets and using drugs. Erik's parents gave him a choice: Join a
program or move out. One month ago, Erik entered Camelot's residential
program, resentful and not wanting to be there.

Although Omari and Erik have only been in Camelot's residential program a
short time, the funds received from the Staten Island Children's Campaign
have significantly affected their paths to recovery.

Every few months, the program director and recreational counseling staff
from the residential program take clients out of the city to the country
setting of Promethean Village in Milford, Pa., where clients engage in
activities such as archery, fishing, camping, basketball, baseball, bowling
and physical obstacle courses. Many of Camelot's clients have never been
out of the city and are able to connect to a real sense of peace and
spirituality in the country atmosphere.

Allowing them to interact with their peers outside of the rigid structure
of the residential facility creates a sense of teamwork, reduces their
feelings of inadequacy and indifference, and fosters independence that is
carried back to the city surroundings.

When asked what aspect of treatment offered by Camelot they have gained the
most from, Omari and Erik agree that the recreational services enable them
to get in touch with their real feelings. They interact with their peers on
a different level, gaining trust in themselves and each other, creating a
sense of belonging and encouraging them to stay in the program. Omari and
Erik are grateful for the opportunities Camelot has been able to provide
for them with funding received from the Staten Island Children's Campaign.
They feel these trips are an important and necessary part of their treatment.

Good behavioral therapy is always important, but not the sole ingredient of
a successful program. Actually, repairing yesterday's problems is only half
the battle. That's why Camelot stresses teaching down-to-earth life skills,
giving substance abusers a sense of self-mastery, reducing their feelings
of inadequacy and fostering independence from drugs and alcohol.

The recreational aspect of the group's residential program aids its clients
in conquering their addictions and allows them to lead healthy, productive
and successful adult lives drug- and alcohol-free.

This article was supplied by the Camelot of Staten Island. In the interest
of confidentiality, clients' names have been changed. Other articles,
profiling agencies that benefit from the Staten Island Children's Campaign,
will appear on the Second Front on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
throughout the holiday season.