A COMMUNITY RECOVERY POINT OF VIEW

A COMMUNITY RECOVERY POINT OF VIEW

As one involved in community recovery going back to twelve step homes in the sixties, I question the design and direction of the alcohol and drug treatment field during the last twenty-seven years. The question is whether alcohol and drug problem services for low-income persons belong in the main stream of health care system or that they would be more effective in a social service or community recovery system?

The current health care addiction treatment system may adequately serve the middle and upper classes, but is too expensive per person served to meet the long-term needs of recovering persons who are in the lower economical and social scale. There has been a steady reduction of recovery opportunities for low-income alcoholics and addicts the last thirty years. During the sixties, it was easier to place a street drunk in a twelve step home than to now have them admitted into a federal or state funded treatment program. Currently in Los Angeles County, self-supporting sober living homes are assisting more poor alcoholics in residential recovery than all the federal and county funded programs.

Federal initiatives continue to promote comprehensive addiction treatment programs that are not addressing the longer-term needs of the poor. Now the promotion of managed care and implementation of welfare reform is making maters worse. I recognize that treatment programs are of good quality and treatment does work. The problem is that health care treatment serves too few for too short a period to accommodate and assist the many without health insurance or ability to pay. Most of the recovering poor need longer-term recovery support and not short-term health care treatment. This neglect of appropriate recovery opportunities for the poor becomes apparent when we realize that with the tremendous federal investments in alcohol and treatment, this country is not experiencing a reduction in our costly alcohol and drug problems within the low-income populations.

Our only hope to reduce our costly alcohol and drug problems is for the field to learn and explore the community recovery approach. A community recovery service system could have the capacity to respond to the longer-term needs of the poor alcoholics, addicts and family members who seek help. It is accepted that health care treatment will continue to serve those with health insurance and ability to pay.

Utilizing other cost efficient methods to serve the poor addicted population has the potential to reduce costly alcohol and other drug problems. Less costly ways to assist people into recovery and reduce alcohol and drug problems have been in existence for some time. For example, the twelve step houses in the sixties, self-help group activities and current sober living housing all demonstrate abilities to assist individual recovery without health care treatment.

Community recovery is a developed method that has assisted alcoholics, addicts and family members into recovery for over fifty years. Community recovery is a method that is not only assists individual recovery at a low cost reduces alcohol and other drug problems in the communities they serve.

Community recovery use safe and sober spaces, recovery activities and self-help learning, as theyre primary contributions to recovery. The art of community recovery lies in designing and maintaining space and activities that promote recovery. Community recovery managers are responsible to create a recovery fever that influence recovering persons to become active and responsible for their own recovery. Medical, mental health, counseling and other health care resources in the community are used when necessary. Staff costs are contained because recovering persons are recruited and trained be part of the work force to maintain environments, facilitate activities and serve others. Persons assisted are attracted to participate and are not scheduled or case managed. Community centers can be designed to serve a particular under-served target population i.e. youth, seniors, hearing impaired, etc. These recovery centers can include sobering beds and/or crash pads for the newly recovering. Centers are available at any time for those seeking help at any stage of their recovery.

This is a challenge for the field to initiate demonstration projects that utilize cost efficient community recovery centers, recover homes and sober housing to exclusively serve those with little or no ability to pay. Community recovery centers and activities have the potential to offer equal recovery opportunities for low-income persons and reduce problems at a fraction of current costs of health care treatment.

Ken Schonlau is President of the Sober Living Network and a Los Angeles County Commissioner on Alcoholism.