WITHOUT TREATMENT FACILITY IN PAYSON, DRUG ADDICTS STRUGGLE TO RECOVER

"Double D" knew he had to sober up when he tried to jump in front of a
train.

And even though he'd realized his drug and alcohol problem was out of
control, he couldn't stop -- not until it drove him to pursue his own
death.

"I lived the better part of my life as an active addict," said Double
D, who asked that his real name not be used to protect his identity.
He has now been sober for more than two years. "I was not just
addicted to meth, but to other substances as well, all of which were
just as dangerous in their own way. Each one held a different grip on
my life."

But when it came time to look for help, there wasn't any available in
Payson. Since getting his life back together, Double D has joined an
increasing number of recovering addicts and alcoholics, mental health
professionals, law enforcement agencies and other members of the
community advocating for a detoxification facility in Payson.

"We are in desperate need up here," said Nanci Stone, a 25-year mental
health veteran and director of adult services for Rim Guidance. "The
big issue is finding a place and getting the funding."

Over the past few decades, substance abuse in the Southwest has
outpaced other parts of the country. According to the National Surveys
on Drug Use and Health, in 2004, Arizona was among the top nine states
for abuse of alcohol or illicit drugs, and in the top 10 for frequency
of mental illness.

The latest statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration reported that Arizonans rank among the top
four states for persons needing, but not receiving treatment for an
alcohol problem and an illicit drug problem.

Addicts in Payson are feeling the impact of the statewide substance
abuse. Double D said patients in Arizona's urban areas collect on
waiting lists, sometimes up to a week -- residents from Payson compete
for this space as well.

That's what happened to Double D.

"I knew I needed to quit," he said. "That, with mental illness, got me
into a psych unit. They don't have psych units in Payson."

Psychiatric units, located in some hospitals around the state, provide
a safety net. That's where Double D detoxified his body -- in a psych
unit in the Valley.

"It's a safety net so I couldn't abuse myself anymore or commit
suicide," he said. "It's somewhere to go when you're in crisis."

The detox phase of beating an addiction can cause emotional and
physical crisis. People die in prisons and on the streets from its
symptoms.

Detoxification or detox is the process of allowing the body to rid
itself of drugs or alcohol while managing the symptoms. Patients in
northern Gila County who need to detox -- whether they've landed in
jail or the emergency room, or voluntarily seek treatment -- must
travel to the Valley. Without sufficient care, detox can elicit
physical injury, seizures, delirium tremens (DTs) or death.

"A lot of (people) don't realize the dangerous nature of the
withdrawals," said Lee Sears, owner of the sober-living environment
Steps House in Payson.

Sears knows the situation all too well. He nearly died during
withdrawal when he sobered up 20 years ago.

But detox is a small part of the entire recovery process. After the
chemicals are gone, drug treatment or "rehab" begins.

In the past, the old treatment standard averaged 28 days, but now,
depending on the severity of the substance abuse, criminal activity
and financial situation of the patient, treatment can last as long as
a year.

"You don't just send someone to detox and put them back in the
community," Stone said.

Treatment focuses on therapy, skills and life choices -- it's where
community, therapeutic, family and spiritual support take over.

Real Life Detox

Stan (name changed to protect his identity) can't detox even if that's
what he wanted. He's a daily drinker, but could jeopardize his life if
he quit alone.

With no money or transportation, and a lack of local facilities, he
struggles to sober up.

"They should have a detox and rehab up here," Stan said. "I'd like to
see my kids on a regular basis, and if I'm down there, that's not
happening. It's my moral support."

Stan's story isn't unlike the experience of other alcoholics.

Stan started partying in his teens. He switched from beer to Jack
Daniels to vodka. Unable to work because of an injury, he drinks to
fill his time. As the years passed, the alcohol stopped working and
turned against him.

To soothe the morning shakes, he heads to the store at 6 a.m. To pay
for his alcohol, he borrows money or pawns his belongings.

His latest troubles began in the spring when Payson police arrested
him for disorderly conduct.

Judge Peter Cahill said in adult cases, the court doesn't get directly
involved in intervention. Treatment filters through the probation
department and Rim Guidance Center.

The court has ordered him into treatment, but without money or a local
facility, Stan said he's hanging on by a thread.

"I'm not a bad guy," he said. "This whole thing is turning into a
nightmare."

Community Support

Without a doubt, Stone said, the drug and alcohol problem in Payson
has increased with the population. When she started with Rim Guidance
in 2004, the center saw 740 clients. In two years, that number has
climbed to 1,100.

But without community and political support, the reality of a local
detox center is slim, and past attempts have failed. Sears was
involved in one of those efforts back in the late 1990s. A plan to
include a detox facility at Payson Regional Medical Center lost
momentum after the hospital changed ownership and municipal support
flagged.

Current legislation is under way to secure funding in rural
communities. If passed, the law will loosen up money to develop detox
facilities in areas with populations of fewer than 50,000 people and
adjacent to a Native American reservation.

Cenpatico Behavioral Health of Arizona, the organization that operates
Rim Guidance Center, is also in the process of obtaining money from
the state, specifically from the Arizona Department of Health
Services. The grant could provide the seed money for a local detox
center.

Convincing Payson to build a drug treatment facility has been
difficult, advocates say, partly because of the cost.

A detox facility could cost more than $1 million because it requires
24-hour, seven-day-a-week staffing. The personnel costs alone for
trained specialists -- psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, counselors
- -- is overwhelming.

To get involved in the local effort, contact Rep. Rick Renzi,
Arizona's congressional advocate for rural community health issues at
(202) 225-2315, or Arizona Behavioral Health Services at (602) 364-4558.

If you or a loved one needs support, there is help in the community.
Calvary Chapel offers a faith-based, sober-living facility. Pastor Joe
Hittle said the church accepts men only after they've detoxed.

The Steps House also welcomes addicts and alcoholics -- men and women
- -- into its residential 90-day center, usually after detox.

Housing is $95 a week, and the Steps House requires its residents to
work, stick to a curfew and attend 12-step meetings.