ADDICTION'S SOCIAL, FINANCIAL WEB

I found the Sept. 30 article on AODA treatment ["Kicking the Habit"]
options to be richly informative and deeply distressing. The paucity
of timely treatment options throughout the state, but particularly in
the city of Milwaukee, leaves me incredulous. Though I can't add to
the rich trove of figures cited by the author, it is difficult to
estimate the far-reaching societal and financial impact of drug and
alcohol addiction. Certainly, the causes of poverty cannot be
addressed if drug and alcohol treatment is so woefully
underfunded.

The author is astute in his observation that a decision to seek
treatment is an epiphany; clearly, the resolve resulting from such an
epiphany will not persist through months on a waiting list. An
effective treatment system must be prepared to "strike when the iron
is hot" and not at the treatment providers' personal expense. Both
clients and providers will benefit from beginning treatment when the
client, not the system, is ready.

I was pleased to read that the recently acquired grant may temporarily
alleviate the problem in Milwaukee County. For a problem as enduring
and devastating as drug abuse, however, no community should be
required to rely on grant funding. It is discouraging that few of our
spending policies acknowledge the far-sighted wisdom of improving the
collective health of society. Clearly, we must reconsider the
relationship between societal and individual well-being. Thank you to
the author for a thorough and revealing expository on this important
theme.

SUZANNE RUSS

Oshkosh