PROGRAM OFFERS HOPE FOR ADDICTED MOTHERS

PITTSBORO -- "Theresa" came to Hope Meadow on a superstitiously ominous day
in December.

"It was Friday the 13th, but it wasn't a bad day," recalled the 34-year-old.
"It was the best day of my life."

Eight months ago, the mother of three entered Hope Meadow, a residential
treatment facility for pregnant women suffering from substance abuse, when
she was pregnant with her fourth child. That 2-month old infant now coos
gently, cradled on her mother's lap.

Another resident of Hope Meadow, a 27-year-old who asked that she not be
given a name, relaxes with her own baby, a 4-month old, next to "Theresa" in
the common area. They are waiting for a group parenting therapy session.

"I was pregnant and didn't really have a home, just a drug place to live,"
said the woman, who has been at the facility for seven months. "I heard
about Hope Meadow through a drug counselor, and after I called and talked to
a therapist, I thought I could see God's hands moving me here."

The two women each had been substance abusers for nearly a decade before
coming to Hope Meadow. They had been addicted to, among other drugs, crack
cocaine, marijuana and alcohol. The women came to the facility with a common
goal -- to become clean, to give birth to clean children and to function
again in a society in which they had previously struggled.

"Theresa" lives at Hope Meadow with two toddlers and her infant; her oldest,
a 12-year old, lives with relatives. She said that one of the most important
aspects of her recovery has been working on the once severely strained
relationship with her eldest child, who now comes to visit regularly on the
weekends.

"I really wasn't feeling anything when I was using, but I remember feeling
guilty when I used to smoke up my baby's Christmas money," she said. "There
was two sides to me, and my daughter grew up with that. When I was using
crack cocaine, I used to act out a lot, but my daughter likes me now. She
actually talks to me."

"Theresa," who was referred to the program through the state health
department, said the transition to Hope Meadow was rough at first. She was
shy and slow to open up to staff and other residents, and she was going
through a bad relationship with her mother.

"My mother didn't tell anybody I was here, and hasn't told anybody about my
baby. Only a couple of friends know about this," she said, her baby now fast
asleep on her lap. "But I'm clean, and it makes me feel really good about
myself."

In contrast, the mother of the 27-year old drove her to the facility.
"Substance abuse was a way of dealing with my past," she said. "I kept using
to keep from being responsible and deal with growing up."

Hope Meadow, which currently houses six women, three infants, and two
toddlers, was incorporated in the summer of 1996 and first began accepting
clients in 1997. Jean Sutter, who has served as executive director for 13
months, said the idea first stemmed from a study that revealed a high level
of pregnancy among substance abusers in North Carolina.

The 1994 study prompted state officials to begin the N.C. Perinatal and
Maternal Substance Abuse Initiative, which created programs throughout the
state, including Hope Meadow. A program of Family Wellness and Recovery
Services of North Carolina, Hope Meadow is a private nonprofit organization.

Thirteen staff members and more than 30 volunteers supervise and conduct
services 24 hours a day. Hope Meadow has served a total of 65 women and 42
infants, and also has conducted childcare and psychiatric services for 16
children who have lived with their mothers on the property.

Women are referred to Hope Meadows from a variety of places: local health
departments, public health nurses or other perinatal programs. They
participate in four groups a week -- two substance abuse groups, art therapy
and parenting therapy -- while also attending treatment groups through the
Horizons program at UNC Hospitals. In addition, Hope Meadow requires clients
to participate in four Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings
a week.

"Our primary goals are to ensure drug-free children and mothers, successful
engagement in recovery, establishing parent-child relationships and to
complete a sustainable return to independent and responsible community
life," Sutter said.

For the women of Hope Meadow, who must be 18 or older to be accepted into
the program, the yearlong treatment plan begins immediately upon arrival. At
first, they are required to spend 12-18 weeks attending the programs at
Horizons four days a week. Then they move down to a two-day-a-week program,
while still going through the levels at Hope Meadows. Each new level brings
more freedom for the women, but each level is longer and more involved than
the previous one. The women complete assignment worksheets at the end of
each level, with approval from therapists. Each client applies for the next
level, and all staff and residents vote on whether they should move up.

"Through our substance abuse therapy groups we address what is going on in
their lives, family relationships, cravings to get drugs and relapse
prevention," Sutter said. "They are exercises to work on issues about safety
and developing their own abilities."

Sutter, who facilities many of the programs herself, can relate to the women
at Hope Meadows. She was a drug addict for 20 years, from 13 to 33, using
cocaine, marijuana and alcohol.

She considered herself a functioning addict. She had a career in the
petrochemical industry in Texas and an undergraduate degree in psychology.

"After I got help, I realized what I wanted to do was help women with their
own substance abuse problems," she said.

Sutter traveled to North Carolina on business and "fell in love" with the
state. With a new master's degree in social work, she worked with social
service programs and as a substance abuse specialist before becoming the
Hope Meadow executive director.

"This job is very difficult and at the same time very rewarding," she said.
"The best part is when a woman here gains awareness and significant insight
about herself or notices a behavior and begins to see herself change."

In the next five years, Sutter said Hope Meadow wants to expand services to
provide an after-care program, to ensure that mothers who leave the
residence remain drug-free. Another goal is to develop a transitional
housing program on the property. Currently, Hope Meadow occupies only five
of the 38.4 acres that the group owns in Chatham County.

"Theresa" is hoping to leave Hope Meadow in October. She plans on staying in
Pittsboro to find a job.

"I have a job interview next week," she said with a smile as she looked at
her baby. After exiting Hope Meadow, the other client is hoping to enroll in
Durham Tech to pursue a career as a certified nurse's assistant.

"When you come here, you really have to be ready to do something about your
problem," the woman said. "It is for someone who is truly willing to go
through recovery."

"Theresa" said her experience at Hope Meadow has given her a new outlook on
life.

"The best part of being here is learning how to live again," she said. "You
learn who you are and that you really do have other options in life."