SUBSTANCE ABUSE

An estimated 22 million Americans suffered from substance dependence
or abuse last year, a study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services indicates. The study also found that 24 percent of substance
abusers who sought treatment were unable to obtain it.

Substance abuse is an enormous problem in our country. Fortunately, a
local clinic is trying to help residents cope with their addictions
and get the attention they need.

The Bayshore Rehabilitation Clinic, which is run by the Mental Health
and Mental Rehabilitation Authority of Harris County, recently hired
Debbie Vassallo to provide chemical dependency counseling to clients
in the area.

Vassallo's counseling services are free to any person 18 or older with
a substance abuse diagnosis. The service will also help those who are
mentally ill or retarded and suffer from substance abuse. These
counseling services, offered in individual and group sessions, are a
big step in the right direction to alleviating the problem of
substance abuse in our area.

Many of those who recognize their unhealthy dependence on drugs and
alcohol haven't gotten the help they need in part because there aren't
many free services offered in the area. With the clinic's new
counseling program, that's all changed.

Vassallo has the credentials to be effective, too. The University of
Houston Clear Lake graduate has a master's in psychology, more than 10
years of experience as a substance abuse counselor and has completed
stints in Harris County teenage boot camps and Houston ISD educational
programs.

The United Way of Baytown Area is funding the project, giving the
clinic $9,000 to offer the counseling program until mid-January, when
it will be re-evaluated for possible further funding.

The clinic is pushing for additional substance abuse services - like
educational programs - and additional training for its staff.

The success of the initial counseling program is pivotal to bringing
in more services for those who suffer from addiction. Let's hope that
people who need help make use of this service, and that the
rehabilitation center can expand its services to help more people in
our community.

The Bayshore Rehabilitation Center is at 2001 Cedar Bayou Road. For
more information, or to sign up for counseling services, call
713-970-7000.

Note: Today's editorial was written by Joseph Lohan, city editor of The
Baytown Sun, on behalf of the newspaper's editorial board.