GETTING HELP JUST GOT EASIER

There's a scene in the movie ``Gridlock'd,'' starring Tupac Shakur and
Tim Roth, where the two characters, addicted to drugs and desperate to
quit, contemplate drastic measures to get help.

Turned away time and time again from detox facilities and treatment
centers, they debate stabbing each other in the side, thinking that,
if admitted to a hospital for a life-threatening emergency, physicians
might also wean them off drugs.

A lot of addicts can sympathize with that feeling. Nothing I've
experienced in this life is as hellish and miserable as wanting to
quit using drugs and not being able to without help.

I'm sure that doesn't make a lot of sense to those who haven't been
there. The best way I know to describe it is by comparing it to the
flu. That's what withdrawal feels like -- the worst case of the flu
you've ever had. Imagine lying in bed, shaking and shivering and
unable to eat, knowing that if you don't use, if you can just hang on
for a few days, you never have to feel that way again.

At the same time, you know that one more hit -- one more shot, one
more smoke, one more pill -- will make it all go away. Not the gradual
healing the body undergoes with the real flu, but complete and total
removal of all that agony. It's instantaneous, and afterward, your
body won't just feel normal, it'll feel amazing, because you'll be
high again.

There's a war going on in our heads when we hit that bottom -- do we
suffer and stay clean, or do we get high and feel better
immediately?

Most of us, myself included, often choose the easier, softer way. We
go back to the drugs, because that immediate comfort, that instant
gratification, is so much more seductive than suffering for a few days
and then facing the world without any drugs at all.

And when we finally reach a point where we want help, where we're
willing to reach out and seek some assistance in getting the monkey
off our backs, we're faced with obstacle after obstacle.

Here in Blount County, there's several options -- but they're all
weighted in favor of those who have insurance. Personally, I was
fortunate during my two trips to rehab and another to detox. I
miraculously managed to hold onto my jobs, or at least the insurance
those jobs gave me, and didn't have to worry too much about the
financial impact of treatment.

But the reality of drug addiction is that it robs us of those perks --
not just the ones that come with employment, but the ones that
accompany life, as well. Few addicts I know came into recovery with a
job and insurance. And unfortunately, the three-decade-old drug war
has put more emphasis on prevention rather than rehabilitation --
meaning that while there's plenty of planes and guns and defoliants to
stop drug runners and growers, there's damn few dollars to help those
on America's own streets who suffer from the disease of addiction.

That said, there are options. None of them are easy -- even medical
detox requires some suffering, but personally, I needed that. If I
didn't hurt a little bit getting clean, then it'd be all too easy to
go back to the drugs. That aside, here's a few places, if you're
addicted and want to quit, that you can try:

n Blount Memorial Hospital, 907 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville
(981-2300): The hospital's Emotional Health Services program includes
detoxification treatment for those with insurance. Different types of
insurance are accepted; if BMH doesn't take yours, they'll help refer
you to a facility that does.

According to family therapist Steve Patterson, the treatment involved
in detoxing a patient involves the seriousness of the addiction.

``We make an appointment for an assessment, and generally, we can do
it that way,'' Patterson said. ``We do the assessment, call the
insurance company and then bring them in for detox. Detox is a medical
procedure where they're going to be given medications to ease their
discomfort, and there are a number that take care of physical symptoms
and help with the cravings.''

BMH is one of the few facilities in the region that detoxes patients
from methadone, an incredibly addictive, hard-to-kick opiate
substitute generally given by clinics as a substitute for heroin and
other opiates. A typical detox stay is three to five days, sometimes
longer for methadone.

After the detox is finished, the hospital works with patients through
two different outpatient programs. The first, a partial hospital
admittance program, involves therapy and classes from 9 a.m. to 3:30
p.m. Intensive outpatient is a half-day of therapy.

n Cornerstone of Recovery, 1120 Topside Road in Louisville (crisis
line, 970-2189; business line, 970-7747): Cornerstone of recovery
offers a detoxification program followed up with several options,
including a 21- to 28-day inpatient treatment program. Cornerstone
only accepts insurance patients or those who pay by cash.

n Peninsula Hospital, 2347 Jones Bend Road, Louisville (970-9800):
Peninsula offers a detox program based on the seriousness of the
addiction. A preliminary phone assessment determines how quickly
you'll be assessed in person. Serious addiction to opiates and cocaine
usually gets you seen within 24 hours, and a few questions and a
preliminary medical exam can get you in the detox program that day.
However, some addicts may have to wait as long as a week for an
appointment, depending on the amount of drugs they use on a daily
basis. Peninsula accepts certain types of insurance, as well as
TennCare. Without that, however, it's a $200 fee for an assessment at
one of Peninsula's outpatient clinics, and a $5,000 deposit is
required for inpatient assessment and detox.

n Center Pointe, 5310 Ball Camp Road, Knoxville (523-4704): This
facility, formerly known as DRI Dock, is the only facility in East
Tennessee that accepts indigent patients. Because of the waiting list,
the availability of detox beds is scarce -- a Center Pointe worker on
Friday said it would be Tuesday before a new caller could get into the
detox program. Detox typically lasts three days, or if an addict is
interested in going through the facility's 21- to 28-day treatment
program, they can get on the treatment waiting list and will be
detoxed three days before being admitted. However, the waiting list
for treatment is even longer -- about six weeks.

That's a long time to wait for someone who wants to get off drugs
immediately. It's enough to make it seem almost easier to keep using.
It's not, of course -- addiction always leads us to one of four
places: Jails, institutions, death ... or recovery. Recovery can be
obtained, no matter how hopelessly we think we're addicted.

Steve Wildsmith is a recovering addict and the Weekend editor for The
Daily Times. His weekly entertainment column and stories appear on
Fridays in the Weekend section.