Cenikor celebrates its 30th year

TV show host, others honor rehab program

By Joann ZunIga
Copyright 1997 Houston Chronicle

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Cenikor drug rehabilitation program
Friday honored a Houston judge and dentist while television talk show host
Jerry Springer spoke on overcoming "the culture of victimization."

"Life is unfair. Children have horrible things happen to them and people
have terrible hands dealt to them," Springer told the luncheon crowd.

"Programs like Cenikor help people get control of their lives. You can say,
`I can die or use the journey on planet Earth to have a fulfilling life,' "
said the lawyer, TV celebrity and former Cincinnati, Ohio, mayor.

Saying he has never been drugdependent, Springer said even those not
involved with drug treatment should be willing to help people stay off drugs.

"People say, `I made it, why can't they? I'm not on drugs, why are they?'
But 95 percent of what we are is luck or a gift from God," Springer said.

"We have to deal with the whole person and not just the fact that they're
taking something. We're not going to solve the drug problem by putting
troops on the border," he said.

Among those honored were state District Judge William Hatten, who has
sentenced many drugdependent defendants to Cenikor's longterm residential
substance abuse treatment, and Dr. Robert Dibrell, who has donated years of
dental treatment to those residents.

Laurie Clark, a graduate of the Cenikor program 23 years ago, returned to
Houston to share her success story after being sentenced decades ago by
Hatten to attend drug treatment.

A selfdescribed '60s groupie who came from a loving family that was not
dysfunctional, Clark said her desire to experiment with drugs led her into
heroin addiction, despite having a husband and children.

After kicking the habit through Cenikor, she regained her children and is
now working for a publishing company although the children's father, also
an addict, has remained in prison most of the past 30 years.

"You either use drugs or you have a good life. It's as simple as that. I
just bought a home all by myself, and that's not bad for an exjunkie,"
Clark said, which prompted the audience to applaud.

She concluded, "Thank you Judge Hatten for giving me the opportunity, thank
you Cenikor for giving me the tools, thank you God for giving me the
strength and thanks to the angels for being my guides."

Cenikor President Ed Fresquez, also a graduate of the program, said a state
study showed that 80 percent of Cenikor graduates stay free of drugs.