TREATMENT FOR ADDICTS IS COSTLY

About Half Of First-Time Patients Will Relapse, Health Officials Say

Get detoxified, learn about the roots and complexities of alcohol and
drug addiction, and find a "Higher Power" along the way to supply the
needed strength for recovery.

Those are the basic steps of most alcohol and drug treatment programs
- -- whether it's 28 days at the Betty Ford Center in California, 30
days at Valley Hope in Cushing or 100 days at Clay Crossing near Maud.

Treatment is expensive, and about half of the people who go for the
first time will relapse, health authorities said. Some insurance
companies pay for it, others don't.

"It may be a week, a month or a year, but many addicts get back into
it (addiction)," said Jeff Dismukes, spokesman for the state
Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

Oklahoma State University basketball coach Eddie Sutton said he will
seek treatment for his alcohol addiction after he was cited on
suspicion of driving under the influence Feb. 10.

Sutton was treated at the Betty Ford Center in 1987. No announcement
has been made as to where he will seek help this time. In general,
treatment programs are conducted by hospitals on an out-patient basis
or by private clinics in a residential setting.

Varying but similar As health officials explained, procedures vary
among treatment centers. But there are many similarities:

# Admission and assessment involve paperwork, an overview of the
center and assessment of individual needs. That determines whether
the patient is best served there or needs to be referred to another clinic.

# Detoxification involves weaning patients off their drug or drugs of
choice, possibly using other, less-dangerous drugs and vitamins.
Valium and lithium often are used to relax and assist addicted
patients. Detox is overseen by a physician and nurse. Eating
correctly and getting adequate sleep are encouraged.

# Counselors conduct individual and group therapy to educate addicts
about their illness. Sessions normally are serious and intense, and
include strong recommendations on lifestyle changes and behavior modification.

# Family counseling usually is offered. Improved communication
between spouses is emphasized.

# Treatment usually includes focusing on the Twelve Steps of
Alcoholics Anonymous. Two crucial points are surrender, and
dependence upon either God or a "Higher Power." Prayer and scripture
reading are encouraged.

For residential treatment, the Betty Ford Center charges $21,000 for
30 days and $33,000 for 90 days.

At Clay Crossing in Oklahoma it costs $150 a day for women, $125 a day for men.

"Most people who leave treatment will relapse two or more times
before long-term sobriety takes hold," said Pam McKeown, spokeswoman
for the state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

"A relapse isn't necessarily a 'rock-bottom, end-of-the-world' type
experience -- it's more often a wake-up call for them to realize they
need to take their sobriety seriously and to apply the lessons they
learned while in treatment," McKeown said.

Health officials said the problem of addiction is worsening. "People
are getting sicker," said Jim Riley, former University of Oklahoma
football player who helped start the Clay Crossing extended care
center for men in 2000. "These addictions are the devil himself."

Riley, who lives in Edmond, is swamped with calls from parents
seeking help for their addicted children. A Clay Crossing treatment
center for women opened in January near Purcell.

In the past four years, Riley said, he's been to nine funerals for
the addicted sons of friends. A veteran public speaker, Riley noted:
"There are plenty of dead people and their addictions to talk about now."