SHOWING ADDICTS THE WAY

SALVATION ARMY'S HARBOR LIGHT CENTER GUIDES THEM TOWARD A DRUG-FREE LIFE

A sign on the bathroom wall reads:

House Rules: No Dope, No Booze, No Cursing, No Smoking. Be Ladies, and Be
Gentleman, or Be gone.

This simple philosophy is what propels the Salvation Army's Harbor Light
Treatment and Recovery Center in Northeast Washington and helps alcohol and
drug addicts reach sobriety and stay drug-free.

The center -- which broke ground for its facility a year ago -- held its
first graduation last week. Fifteen residents completed the six-month
program and were awarded certificates of completion and brand-new
briefcases. More importantly, the graduation signified the start of a new
life free from alcohol and drugs.

"I'm going to take my place in society," Michael Hewlett told his parents
as he hugged them in the pews of Harbor Light's chapel before the ceremony
began.

The Harbor Light center, founded on Christian principles, currently houses
more than 50 residents and has a capacity of 200 at its facility on New
York Avenue NE near Bladensburg Road.

Residents volunteer to participate in the six-month rehabilitation program
that includes six hours of classes a day on everything from anger
management to interviewing for a job. There also are aerobic activities and
nutritious meals to help residents learn to live without drugs or alcohol.

"They don't graduate from addiction," Maj. John Tolan, Harbor Light's
executive director said. To graduate, "they have to have a positive idea
that they will succeed and focus on their addiction."

"I was tired of living the way I was," said Brenda Norris, a District
resident. "I had a nice apartment and a 16-year-old son, but I had too many
issues, so I used drugs. I didn't have a close relationship with my mom,
and I was lonely. The hardest part about the program was getting honest
with myself. It took a lot of crying to become honest."

Hewlett, a lifelong District resident, found coming to terms with his
addiction an inward struggle.

"My spirit was down," he said. "People don't respect you. They don't want
you around, and you get tired of it."

He knows that stepping into the next phase of his life is going to be a
challenge. "I have to stay focused on my recovery and praise God . . .
instead of going back to my old neighborhood," he said.

The program has four stages. The first stage is orientation and assessment
and lasts two to four weeks, during which residents receive medical
treatment and are assigned a case manager. The second stage lasts 30 to 45
days and primarily is devoted to treatment and education. There are
individual and group counseling sessions and Alcohol Anonymous and
Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

The third stage lasts 90 to 120 days and continues the focus on education,
with residents encouraged to start looking jobs. Relapse prevention is also
stressed, counseling continues, and residents are helped in making
arrangements to leave the center and live independently.

To graduate, a resident must stay sober and drug-free for six months, find
gainful employment and maintain independent housing arrangements.

The center offers in-house single accommodations to some of its residents,
which is the fourth stage of the program. Residents pay 25 percent of their
salary for rent, 50 percent is placed in a savings account and the
remaining 25 percent is used for basic needs, transportation and personal use.

Maj. Jackie Tolan, who helped her husband conceptualize and open the
center, said the program stresses the family atmosphere.

"I say to the folks, `If you don't have a family, find a family that has
the qualities you want,' " Jackie Tolan said.

She has become a mother to many of the residents, and she admits that many
of the residents have become sons and daughters to her. "I give motherly
talks, pat them on the back and put food on the table," she said proudly.

But creating the family atmosphere isn't always easy, especially when
residents come to the center with such diverse backgrounds. Some are
homeless. Some have been in prison. Some have college degrees and have been
successfully employed.

"It's impossible to get a demographic profile," John Tolan said. "There's
not one category that lumps them all together except substance abuse."

But many have something else in common, he said: "Many of the residents
have never been successful before. Because they were told they were no
good, it became a self-fulfilling prophecy, and they began to believe it."

Despite many differences, however, residents are close. They are taught
mutual respect and become one another's brothers and sisters.

This closeness was evident at the ceremony.

As each of the 15 graduates was named, loud cheers echoed through the
chapel from the invited families and other residents of the program. One
man called out from the back, "One day at a time," and a woman shrieked the
name of a graduate as he stepped up to be recognized.

"This is not an end," John Tolan said. "These very talented people have a
lot of potential they can bring back to the center. They tell our
residents, `I made it and so can you.' "

© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company