GOD, NOT MONEY, WILL CURE ADDICTION

"More must be done to rehabilitate drug addicts" bemoaned a recent letter to
the editor writer. The theme of the article seemed to be: Without more
publicly funded programs, there is no hope of recovery from alcoholism or
drug addition.

I have one question. Why should hard-working families open up their
pocketbooks and take out money to hand to people who chose to walk the
slippery slope of alcoholism or drug abuse?

Although a few turn a serious drug or alcohol problem around on their own,
most find their way out by not drinking or using one day at a time with the
help of God and others who have recovered from the same problem.

Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous and your
neighborhood church all stand with their doors wide open. The "Anonymous"
programs work and are funded by the voluntary contributions of their
members. If you think about it, this is the way it should be.

If you are lost in that dark lonely world of alcoholism or drug abuse, I
urge you to seek God's help through a church or one of these programs. Best
of all, God's life-changing help is free.

Glenn Jost, Bakersfield