ADDICTION A BRAIN DISEASE, NOT MORAL FAILURE

One out of every four Americans has a family member who is struggling
with addiction. In 2005, there were 23.2 million Americans who needed
treatment for their illicit drug or alcohol abuse problems, yet only
about 10 percent received the treatment they needed.

For those who don't feel addiction is an issue in St. Johns County,
the staff and Board of Directors at EPIC Community Services can tell
you differently. Addiction is a preventable and treatable illness --
just like diabetes, hypertension and asthma. Working to prevent
addiction and providing treatment to those who do have an addiction
is the cornerstone of what EPIC does and what we have done since 1973.

Addiction is a brain disease -- it is not a moral failure. Addicts
are often portrayed as following one of two paths: being weak-willed
and succumbing to their addiction, or getting a "wake-up call" and
turning their life around. The truth is that addiction alters the
brain in ways that can make recovery much more difficult than "just
stopping". Recovery can be a messy, imperfect process and long-term
abstinence can take years to accomplish.

Research has revealed that the younger someone starts misusing drugs
or alcohol, greater are the chances they will become addicted. In
both EPIC's Counseling Center and Student Assistance Programs, we see
evidence of this everyday. Substance abuse is a major issue among
adolescents with one in three high school students binge drinking on
a regular basis. Many of the adults in treatment in our Counseling
Center report they were heavy users of alcohol and other drugs during
their teen years when it was considered a 'rite of passage' and no
big deal. But addiction is a big deal and is largely misunderstood by
the general public.

EPIC Community Services invites our community to watch HBO's
groundbreaking series on addiction, premiering on Thursday. HBO has
partnered with AddictionAction.org to produce the "Addiction" series,
which is comprised of 14 documentary films with compelling personal
stories and expert interviews. AddictionAction.org is a grassroots
partnership that helps communities mobilize to bring the hope of
treatment and long-term recovery to individuals and families affected
by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. We encourage people to watch
this series and to visit the Web site to learn more about addiction
as a brain disease. If you are unable to watch the series, call EPIC
(829- 2273) and we will provide you the opportunity to view our copy.

It is our hope that more people will learn about the devastating
effects of addiction and join us to continue our work to prevent and
treat this illness.

Greenough is the executive director of EPIC Community Services Inc.,
St. Augustine