Commentary

ADDICTION'S TOLL IS FOOD FOR THOUGHT

GASTONIA - Cornerstone Christian Ministry, a private nonprofit residential
program that helps male alcohol and drug abusers kick their habits and
rebuild their lives, has reopened.

Community response resurrected Cornerstone in April after a lack of money
forced its closing more than a year earlier.

In September, 40 men enrolled in its free 120-day residential treatment
program. Of those, four have completed treatment and landed jobs, said
executive director Lorraine Hill. Another 13 are working to overcome
addictions.

That's good news. But, I think you'll be as shocked as I was when I did a
little research to find out just how much addiction affects Gaston County
residents.

The 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse by the federal Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimated that 16.6 million
people in the nation are addicted to alcohol or illicit drugs. That's a
startling 7.3 percent of the population!

A United Way assessment done two years ago estimated that 16,000 to 17,000
of Gaston County's 190,000 residents have drug and alcohol problems. In
2001, 5,837 sought treatment through local state-supported programs, said
Sharon King, director of substance abuse services for Pathways, which
provides mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse services to
Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland counties.

The youngest was 9 years old, she said, the oldest about 75. And there's
generally a waiting list to enter Pathway's detoxification and 14-day
residential rehabilitation treatment programs, she said.

District Attorney Mike Lands estimated that alcohol and drug addiction is
involved in 80 percent of the criminal cases in Gaston County courts that
result in imprisonment.

"Those would include people charged with driving under the influence,
selling drugs, committing crimes to support their habits and people who
commit murders and assaults because they're under the influence of alcohol
or drugs," Lands said.

It plays an even bigger role in defendants the courts refer to the
Alternative Community Penalties Program, which tries to keep people on the
job and out of jail, said executive director Doug Lance.

Last year, Lance's program served 125 clients, 120 of whom had drug or
alcohol problems. He said since government-supported programs often have a
waiting list -- substance abuse services are the No. 6 priority of the
state's mental health system -- he generally sends clients to private,
nonprofit centers.

Given that drug and alcohol addiction undermines so many families, affects
many businesses by absenteeism and gluts the courts, it seems to me it's
time to rethink our mental health budget priorities.

Isn't it time we invested money in programs to address the alcohol and drug
problems that increasingly are eroding our society?