THINK ABOUT METHADONE CLINICS' OTHER SIDE -- THE ONE THAT HELPS HEAL

To the editor: I am writing in response to the recent article, "Curse or
Cure?" Unless you have been an addict, how do you know what it is like to
spend your days suffering, with or without opiates?

The life of an addict is a miserable one. Opiates affect you mentally and
physically. You are no longer normal; everyday tasks are sometimes impossible!

Why are so many people opposed to the clinics? Have they even taken the
time to research about methadone and find out how it works?

How would having a clinic raise the crime rate? Wouldn't it lower it?

If someone you love was addicted and going to a methadone clinic was the
only thing that helped, would you still be opposed to it?

Who are the addicts? The cashier at the grocery store, the mailman, your
babysitter, the next door neighbor or the person you sit beside in church?

Addiction is a terrible thing to deal with in your life. To admit that you
are an addict and need help is a giant step, so we should praise these
people for admitting their problem and asking for help.

How many more people have to suffer, how many have to die before we as a
nation open our eyes and realize there is help, methadone?

We've heard talk about how opening a clinic would bring more addicts into a
community; what about some doctor's offices that open up and brings more
addicts? WIth a clinic, think about all the lives we could change, all the
people who could lead normal lives again.

The clinic at Tazewell has been a blessing, but there is such a demand for
help that people are having to wait months to get in. If there were more
clinics, hundreds of thousands of people could lead better lives.

How do I know this? Because without the clinic, my husband and I might not
be here today because, yes, we are patients at the LCG of Tazewell.

Michelle Garrett

Richlands, Va.