DRUG CZAR ENCOURAGES RECOVERING ADDICTS

PLAINVILLE -- The U.S. drug czar, Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, visited Wheeler
Clinic Wednesday to discuss substance-abuse treatment programs with clinic
staff and recovering addicts.

McCaffrey is director of the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy.

McCaffrey's Connecticut calendar included a number of meetings with
high-profile advocates of drug education and prevention, including Gov. John
Rowland, Congresswoman Nancy Johnson and the state's business and media
leaders.

But the trip to Wheeler put McCaffrey in touch with people who struggle with
drug issues every single day.

"A lot of what I do is go to communities, where I have a dinner with the
leadership -- state and local -- and explain the national program,"
McCaffrey said. "Secondly, I come to places like the Wheeler Clinic, where
there are heroic endeavors going on that actually work."

The "straight-on, honest, tough-talking" McCaffrey -- as described by Nancy
Johnson -- began his duties for the White House in February 1996, after
retiring from the U.S. Army with the distinction of being the Army's most
highly decorated and youngest four-star general.

McCaffrey served four combat tours, received the Distinguished Service Cross
twice and has been awarded three Purple Heart medals.

Among McCaffrey's duties as director is the development of the annual U.S.
National Drug Control Strategy. Wheeler Clinic's special services department
director Joseph Puzzo commended McCaffrey for the policy, which Puzzo said
was compiled after much research both in the field and with experts.

"Gen. Barry McCaffrey is the best drug czar we've ever had," Johnson said.
"You have a drug czar, and everybody thinks you've taken care of the
problem. ..But it takes a very powerful person to -- from that position --
really make a difference."

McCaffrey's visit to Wheeler showed just how closely his office is tied to
the lives of real people. Three clients enrolled in Wheeler's
substance-abuse treatment programs shared their stories with McCaffrey as he
listened intently.

Patricia, a mother of three who asked that her last name not be used, talked
about how her life is different now that she's off drugs.

"I'm not depressed anymore," she said. "I'm not pushing my kids aside to get
high. I pay my rent, I pay my bills. ..Now it's time for me to look for a
job."

The resources Patricia came in contact with through Wheeler's LifeLine
program for substance-abusing mothers and their children sustain her,
because even though she is now drug- and alcohol-free, the allure of drugs
will always be there for her.

"At any time, I could use -- if it's a bad day I could use, if it's a good
day I could use. When I have feelings like that, I pray or I go to a
meeting. ..LifeLine has given me tools," Patricia said. "The other day, it
was a beautiful day. I thought of a beer, so I went to a meeting,"

McCaffrey asked them solid questions about key points in their recovery
process -- and even asked for their assistance.

"If I'm talking to high school kids, what should I tell them about
marijuana?" McCaffrey asked.

Robert, a recovering alcoholic who also asked that his last name not be
used, shared some advice. "It may feel good the first time, but it'll just
make you feel stupid," he said. "It just makes you stupid."

Patricia agrees. "It can lead to more powerful drugs, and it robs (users) of
their life. It just takes over. It takes over," she said.

One of McCaffrey's initiatives is to get more funds for treatment programs.
Getting help for addiction saves the nation -- and individual states --
incredible amounts of money, he said. "In Connecticut, it costs $43,000 (per
addict) if you leave them alone. That's how much damage they do. It's a
definable number -- it's a huge impact on society."

McCaffrey said that treatment-program costs typically run between $8,000 and
$10,000 per person. "It's just a no-brainer," he said. "Hey, Mr. Taxpayer
..this is going to save you money. Oh, and by the way, it's going to make
Hartford safer."

McCaffrey asked the Wheeler clients about the most important thing they
gained while in treatment.

Elsie, a recovering addict who last week celebrated three years of being
clean, said the most important thing she will take from her treatment
program is respect, both from herself and from others. "I love myself," she
said. "I love the fact that people can look up to you. You smell good, you
smell clean."

McCaffrey noted how as a nation, we tend to take people who we feel have
made the most impressive accomplishments and push them forward for everyone
to see -- except when it comes to overcoming addiction.

"This is the one endeavor in which the people we are proudest of are pushed
to the back," McCaffrey said to the panel of treatment program clients. "You
are heroes to me."