DURHAM NEEDS A PLACE TO TREAT THE ROOT CAUSES OF ADDICTION

DURHAM -- I've seen enough crimes related to substance abuse to make my
head spin. You would think that a solution to this critical issue would
have been presented by now. For the most part, all camps are silent on how
to curtail addiction in Durham.

Last week I shared interviews with three people in recovery: Iris Bryant,
Alfred Tong and Ira Montague, Jr. The three had some things in common. Each
has less than one year in recovery. All of them said money is a problem.
When they have money the urge to get high is hard to resist. Each spoke of
a desire to get involved in a local church. They all have a problem with
trusting people.

They also talked about the difficulty in finding a place to get help.
Bryant and Montague spent time at TROSA. TROSA is well-regarded for the
work it does in helping people transition out of addiction. TROSA forces
abstinence. The people in the program are removed from the general
population and forced to work. The goal is to coerce a new outlook after
time away from the playgrounds, playmates and playthings of an addict's life.

Montague talked about the difficulties of adjusting to the down time -- the
time when there's nothing to do. The time when there's no work after you're
out on your own. Abstinence isn't recovery. Recovery is a way of living and
thinking. It's not enough to just say no, the addict needs a new view of
life, a new way of thinking about the world around them and the connection
between that world and how they fit.

Bryant couldn't stay at TROSA because they weren't equipped to deal with
her self-mutilation. Bryant began cutting and burning herself after being
raped. It was her way of dealing with the fear of being harmed. "No one can
hurt me more than I hurt myself," she said. TROSA wasn't equipped to deal
with a person who brought more to the table than a need to stop using
drugs. Bryant needed a chance to uncover the root causes of her addiction.

Most people in recovery need more than a place to teach them how to work.
Most need a chance to process the pain behind the addiction. These aren't
bad people. They're people who have made some bad decisions. They made
those bad decisions because it was the only way they knew to cover the pain.

The problem with work is it becomes a substitute for the drug. A person can
get high off working. Work can take attention away from the real enemy --
the person within. Instead of using, the person works. When there is no
work, the person goes back to what satisfied their need before the work --
drugs.

All three needed a program that forced them to look at the process of
addiction. They learned that people are addicted to different things, and
that a person with an addictive personality is prone to transfer from one
thing to another to quench their thirst to hide from pain.

Where does a person get that help? In Durham there are few options. A
person can go to Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous. That's a good
step to take, but most people need an education to go along with what they
get in a meeting. They need the basics of addiction. Where do they get that?

They can go to the county jail or they can go to Urban Ministries of
Durham. A person has to be locked up or homeless to access the information
they need. What does that say about Durham's commitment to reducing
substance abuse?

A group of clergy has approached the County Commission about taking over
the facility that once housed the Oakleigh Substance Abuse Center. The
recommendation is to match public funds with religious know-how. People of
faith know something about processes that lead to change. The county has
the facility. The church has the faith.

Those ministers may be on to something. Imagine a collaborative effort
between Urban Ministries, local churches, and the county. The churches
bring faith, love and some structure, but lack an understanding of the
process of addiction. Urban Ministries can help them with that. They can
help bring the philosophy of NA and AA to the church. The county has a
building. It's a union that could work.

Montague is a gospel hip-hop artist. Bryant grew up in the church and Tong
wants to find a church family. All three have trust issues. It's easier for
them to tell their story to people who share the same problems. They don't
need judgement. They need unconditional love and acceptance. They need
compassion. Are churches ready to offer what addicts need?

Urban Ministries offers a loving family. The church provides a spiritual
journey. The county has a building. It sounds like a plan. So make it happen.