Drug Treatment Can Be Affordable

* In a Feb. 21 editorial, the point is made that addicts “who can’t afford private treatment have few options in Orange County.”

Unfortunately, this statement feeds into the old stereotype that addicts are only those who have lost everything and live on the street--the so-called “skid row” addict.

While some addicts do indeed lose everything, 95% of those who are addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs are employed, supporting themselves, and may even be your co-worker or boss, if not your husband, mother or sibling.

Thus, most individuals seeking or needing treatment have some source of financial support available to them--their own money plus financial support from friends, churches, families or bank loans, and, of course, insurance.

And private treatment is not necessarily expensive. Many excellent private programs offer [grants] to individuals. Some even negotiate lower fees based on ability to pay.

In addition, [some] after-care services are free for an entire year. There are many programs throughout Orange County that provide treatment at no cost or low cost, often with the cost being offset by employment in a sheltered workshop setting or outplacement work assignment.

With close to 1,000 licensed treatment beds in Orange County (not counting the beds licensed for detoxification or those facilities licensed for outpatient treatment), we have about one bed for every 2,500 individuals.

Is that enough? Hard to say. With one-third of our eighth- to 12th-graders using alcohol on a regular basis and more than 5% smoking marijuana daily, with more than three-fourths of high school students reporting that they have driven drunk, with driving drunk or under the influence of another drug still a major social problem, and with the vast majority of illegal activities related to alcohol and/or drug addiction--who in their right mind would argue that we are doing enough?

JOHN GARDIN, PhD

Vice president, operations

Pacific Hills Treatment Center

San Clemente