A Sept. 29 Page 1 story highlighted criticism of the state’s drug rehabilitation/education program in its prisons. I put food on the table as an alcoholism and drug abuse counselor from 1973 until my retirement at the end of last year, though I still train counselors at two area colleges. Several comments:
– Relapse is a symptom of what’s wrong with Ron Menzie, who is highlighted in the story, and all addicts. It is not a symptom that the treatment received was flawed any more than it is a symptom that the addict didn’t want to get well. Quite simply, relapse is what addicts do–not all of them, not all the time, but, sadly, most.
– Mr. Menzie, to me, is a victory. It doesn’t matter whether the lesson hit home after the first or the sixth treatment–hit home it did, and he volunteered for help.
– The failures in the addicted world are those who never get treatment. As poor, statistically, as Mr. Menzie’s chances for long-term recovery are, those others have no chance at all. By the way, I found that the only statistics that really count are individual, which means they are binary–either one recovers in the long run, or one does not; no gray areas.
– Unsolicited testimonial. I have known Lou DiFonso for years professionally. If he is associated with this program, it is a good one.
