LOCAL WOMEN: MUNCIE NEEDS A WOMEN'S REHAB PROGRAM

MUNCIE -- Local women in need of drug and alcohol rehabilitation services
are often left with limited options in Muncie. And that's especially true
if they are coming home after spending time in Indiana's jails and
prisons.

"Basically, they just go back to the same environment they left," said
Karen Watson, who ministers to women in the Indiana Women's Prison in
Indianapolis. "If they have a good environment, they're lucky. If they
have a bad environment, then they end up ... back on drugs or in prison."

For this reason, Watson, who is also a recovering drug addict, and others
feel there is a definite need for rehabilitation services designed
especially for women.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, drug- and
alcohol-related arrests are on the increase across the nation and that's
especially the case with women. Some states have been quick to provide
services specifically for these women, but East Central Indiana has been
behind on that trend.

The Indiana State Department of Health has tracked the increase in drug
and alcohol use throughout the state, but doesn't have statistics on
gender differences. Staff are aware, however, of the difficulty for women
in finding sponsors or mentors in the area's 12-step recovery programs.

Locally, men with substance abuse problems can receive assistance at the
Muncie Mission, which provides a structured program for men wishing to
stay clean and sober. The same option doesn't exist for women locally,
meaning they might have to go to the Hope House in Fort Wayne or to the
Crane House in Indianapolis.

"For some reason, I think that men are given a better opportunity to
recover (in Muncie)," said Lanita Goins, a recovering drug and alcohol
addict who mentors other women trying to get clean and sober. "It's like
the women have been left hanging, fending for themselves."

Goins, like Watson, wants to see a halfway house specifically designed for
women in Muncie. Similar to other professionals in the recovery world,
they agree that addiction issues are different for women than for men due
to women's role as the child-bearer and nurturer of children.

Watson has created the "Women of the Nation Women's Prison Ministry" in
hopes of bringing other volunteers like herself together to create
rehabilitation services for women in Muncie. She, like others recovering
from substance abuse addictions, believes mentoring other addicts is
essential to maintaining sobriety and making a change in others' lives.

Some believe women with experience with drug and alcohol abuse can
encourage the city to create a halfway house for women, one that changes
the focus from punishment to knowledge about addiction.

"I was past 'just say no'. I kept asking, 'Can you please send me
somewhere? I can't do it (at home),'" Goins said. "People don't believe
it's a disease, but (addiction) is a disease. We're being treated like
we're just bad people and criminals, but it's a disease of the mind and
body. And a program for women is badly needed here in Muncie."