SUBSTANCE ABUSE WORK LEADS TO UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITIES

Lynn Inman wasn't the kind of kid, or even teenager, who knew what he
wanted to be when he grew up.

Though he's been extensively involved in prevention and treatment
relating to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, Inman never gave any
thought to that kind of work until he was out of college.

But he's been enthusiastic about it since. Not many people in North
Carolina are certified in both prevention and treatment of substance
abuse, but Inman is. Inman has also worked extensively with mental
health issues.

Inman said he's not the most knowledgeable person in any one area. He
compared himself to a decathlete who wouldn't be the star in
individual track and field events but can do well enough to win when
they are combined.

"I'm like Bruce Jenner," he said, making a sort of joking reference
to the 1976 Olympic winner in the decathlon.

Inman said his work with substance abuse has led to unexpected
opportunities. He recently co-wrote a research article about the
local smoke-free restaurant campaign he helped develop and evaluate.

He hopes to present the results of the research in October at a
conference in Basel, Switzerland. His work with substance abuse also
took him to Europe in 2005, when he spoke in Helsinki, Finland,
during a conference about tobacco use.

Inman graduated from Elon University, then Elon College, in 1986. He
worked at an electronics store before taking different jobs at
Alamance Regional Medical Center. While at the hospital, his work
included helping patients with substance abuse and mental health problems.

In 1999, he started working in substance abuse prevention and
treatment for the local mental health center. That later became the
Alamance-Caswell-Rockingham Local Management Entity, which receives
government money to help residents of the three counties.

THE JOB gave him opportunities to do work in the Alamance-Burlington
School System. Inman said he's a strong believer in "social norms"
efforts that teach young people that not as many of their peers use
alcohol, tobacco or drugs as they believe.

"A lot of kids start using because they think that's what they're
supposed to do," he said. Another of his strong beliefs is that
substance abuse is easier to prevent than treat. Building a bigger
jail to hold people convicted of drug-related crimes "won't make
drugs and alcohol go away," he said.

"You can't get rid of drugs. You have to get rid of the addicted
person" by helping them overcome what is leading to the substance abuse.

But, Inman said, "prevention is not a sexy thing to sell to people."

Inman is now the housing officer for the Alamance-Caswell-Rockingham
Local Management Entity. In that job, he helps find housing for
people with various disabilities.

That doesn't directly relate to substance abuse, but because that's
often a reason behind people being homeless or having problems
finding a long-term place to live, Inman's knowledge is valuable.

"Sixty percent of people who are homeless in Alamance County have a
mental health problem or a substance abuse problem," he said.

Inman has found he has a knack for reaching beyond the boundaries of
his job duties and descriptions. He said he wants to excel at what
he's expected to do, but he also pursues other projects.

That way of thinking led him to suggest a program to connect people
at the homeless shelter with job opportunities at the employment
office, to suggest the smoke-free restaurant campaign, and to help
organize a baseball camp that mixed sports with prevention of spit-tobacco use.

HE SAID his high school band director told him to "always play music
with people who are better than you." Inman said applying that
philosophy to other areas of life has helped him learn and do a lot
of things he might not otherwise have achieved.

In June, he received an award from the N.C. Council of Community
Programs. Called the Allen D. Spader Award, it was in recognition of
his collaborations to help people with mental health, developmental
disabilities or substance abuse needs.

Inman was recently appointed to the N.C. Substance Abuse Professional
Practice Board. The board establishes standards for treatment of
addictions and is responsible for approving credentials for people
who practice in that area.

Inman, 43, enjoys painting and coming up with fun ideas that aren't
related to work. He recently attended a flotilla in Virginia and
thinks that would be a good idea for the Haw River.

He and his wife, Nancy, have a 12-year-old daughter, Emily.

Though he admits to having little idea what he'd like to be doing 10
or 20 years from now, one of Inman's strengths is following through
on shorter-term ideas.

"Everything I've done in my whole career, anybody could have done it,
but nobody did," he said.