Beating Addiction 'One Day at a Time'

She settled on a slice of pepperoni pizza and two pieces of fried chicken. The cookies she baked looked good but she would save them for later.

Ten months ago, Laura wouldn’t have cared if she ate or not. She had all she wanted and needed: crystal meth.

Her older sister Della had also been addicted to meth. So were her older brothers Ted and Greg. But the three older siblings had done what Laura could not get herself to do. They all quit cold turkey. Laura, 50, started using weed at the age of 14—encouraged by Della. By 20 she had turned to meth. She was hooked. She abused meth for almost 30 years. She had two children along the way—Steve, now 23, and Chris, 21.

But her children were not reason enough to quit using meth. She just could not do it. Not alone.

“I was not ready to let go,” said Laura.

For Laura, it would take hitting bottom, getting arrested and getting help from the court and the County. Thursday night, Laura celebrated her recovery with a potluck graduation ceremony in Chula Vista.

Last year at this time, Laura’s life came to a halt. She got arrested. The charges—possession of crystal meth.

The court ordered her to attend drug addiction treatment. She ended at McAlister Institute-South Bay Regional Recovery Center, one of several outpatient drug treatment programs funded by the County

“I was sick and tired,” Laura said after the graduation ceremony.

Steve and Chris were there to support her. So were her brothers and sister and several other family members.

“I am learning who I really am. I feel like I am alive for the first time. I am taking this one day at a time.”

Laura and the 29 others who completed the program are part of the thousands of people who seek help each year at County treatment centers.

Treatment works

The treatment services are part of the County’s Live Well, San Diego! initiative, which aims to improve the health and well-being of residents and communities throughout the region. One of its goals is giving people the tools to live a drug-free lifestyle and helping them lead healthy lives.

During fiscal year 2010-2011, nearly 12,200 people were admitted into County-funded treatment centers. Approximately, 10,300 were adults and about 1,900 were 18 years of age and under. Men outnumbered women by almost two to one.

Although prescription drug use is one the rise in the region, methamphetamine is still the number one drug of choice with 34 percent of clients coming into treatment to stop using the highly-addictive drug. Alcohol came in second with 24 percent,followed by marijuana (21 percent) and heroin (13 percent). Cocaine and other drugs represented eight percent.

Typically, about one third of people who enter treatment complete their program like Laura and the other graduates, one third drop out, and one third make progress towards recovery.

The fact that more than 60 percent of addicts complete treatment or make progress is a clear and encouraging indication that treatment works and recovery happens.

“People can and do kick their addictions. Recovery is possible with support, perseverance and determination,” said Susan Bower, Director of Alcohol and Drug Services for the County Health and Human Services Agency. “I congratulate all the graduates for taking the road of recovery and for leading healthy and drug-free lives.”

Prisoner to drugs

Abner Betech, 31, believes he is to be on the road to recovery even if that road has a stop in prison. The convicted con-man was one of the graduates at Thurday’s ceremony.

In June 2008, he and five others got arrested for defrauding victims out of more than $16 million in a mortgage scheme.

Abner started using alcohol at age 12 and continued using it in combination with marijuana, cocaine and meth.

At 22 he suffered a heart attack, the result of an overdose of alcohol and cocaine.

“I was dead. They had to revive me,” he said.

He was arrested seven times for crimes including domestic violence and driving under the influence.

But he continued using drugs and in later years used money  from the fraud scheme to fund his addiction.

He said he is “sorry” and feels “so much guilt” and, at the request of his attorney, has expressed his remorse in a letter to the judge who will be sentencing him.

He could spend up to 3 years and 7 months in prison. Abner said he is ready to accept responsibility for his actions.

“This is the price I am paying for my addiction,” he said after completing his drug treatment last night.

What his future holds is still unknown, but he says he has hope he will be able to say clean and sober.

“Even if I go to prison, I feel free,” he said.

Postcript: Abner was sentenced the day after his graduation. He was given probation and is set to go back to court at the end of March for a restitution hearing.