THE HYPOCRISY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

Specialists Weigh In On Las Vegas' Conflicting Messages About Drug And
Alcohol Abuse

Las Vegas may well be the mixed-message capital of the United States.

On one hand, the city sells itself as a 24-hour whirligig of booze and
gambling. On the other, measures -- such as relatively tough drug and
D.U.I. laws -- do show the city's overseers are at least somewhat concerned
about public safety.

But addiction specialists Philip Diaz and Dr. Patricia O'Gorman aren't sure
Las Vegas, or the United States as a whole, is doing enough to prevent and
treat drug and alcohol addiction.

"The problem is in Las Vegas; it's a place that promotes 'let's have a
party,'" said Diaz, who along with O'Gorman was in Vegas to conduct
workshops for adult children of alcoholics on Feb. 23-26. "And the problem
with all that is it's not a party to an addict."

Part of the problem, especially in relation to juvenile addicts, is the
fact that many get arrested and punished -- not arrested and treated.

According to a study by the nonprofit Harwood Institute for Public
Innovation, there were more than 40,000 criminal offenses committed by
juveniles in 2003 in Nevada. Of that number, 3,699 were arrested for
possession of controlled substances.

O'Gorman said it's important to pinpoint those juvenile offenders who are
suffering from addiction to receive treatment, not necessarily jail time.

"Nevada is under siege for the quality of care of children who are in
care," she said, citing several studies. "They're warehousing kids and not
treating them."

Neither O'Gorman nor Diaz, who co-authored a book together titled The
Lowdown on Families Who Get High, think legalizing drugs is the answer.
Both said that even the movement to legalize marijuana in Nevada is
wrong-headed, because, among other things, normalizing drug use almost
invariably has adverse effects on children.

And for O'Gorman and Diaz, it's all about the children. In their respective
roles as a New York-based psychologist and CEO of a North Florida treatment
facility, O'Gorman and Diaz said they've seen children as young as 12, who,
like the commercial warns, have literally fried their brains on drugs.

In addition to working with young addicts, O'Gorman and Diaz work with
children of addicts. They too end up in the juvenile justice system,
usually to bring attention to their parents' substance abuse problem.
O'Gorman said it's not usually a conscious move, but it can be an effective
means for children to combat their parents' addictions.

"That brings the full weight of the legal system ... because the family
will be brought into the court," O'Gorman said.

Problem is, treatment facilities in Las Vegas aren't exactly plentiful. And
even those that are available aren't that well known, said Sharon Bridwell,
project coordinator for Bringing Everyone's Strengths Together, a nonprofit
focused on drug prevention and intervention programs.

Bridwell said one reason for a lack of public awareness in relation to
treatment is the transient nature of the city. Many people move to Vegas,
then pack up and leave without establishing any connection to the community.

"The sense of community does challenge Southern Nevada," said Bridwell.
"People just don't feel connected. The population is coming in so quickly
that people don't know where to go for programs."

Another consequence of Las Vegas' transient population is that risk and
needs assessment programs quickly become outdated, Bridwell said. The
chameleon-like population blurs and changes areas that need improvement in
terms of treatment.

That's why, O'Gorman said, it's important for the community to appeal to
the bottom line of business.

"In some ways for Las Vegas, addiction is bad for business," she said,
citing the fact that addicts often miss around a day a month of work. "So
how can you provide entertainment and pleasure for people but send out a
message that overdoing it is bad for business."

Gina Polovina of Boyd Gaming said her company is doing its part to combat
addiction. In 2002, Boyd doled out $922,000 in grants to Las Vegas
organizations. Polovina also said Boyd is involved with the National Center
for Responsible Gaming, and has, in the past, contributed funds to
treatment facilities, such as WestCare.

While Bridwell said the casino industry doesn't traditionally assist with
addiction treatment, she acknowledges that Las Vegas has so many problems
that it's difficult to determine how to prioritize donations.