Special Report - Attacking addiction

James McDugle of Jackson lived for the highs brought about by a steady diet of beer and cocaine.

"I never made it through high school," said McDugle, 26, who grew up in Sikeston, Mo. "Drugs and alcohol made me feel like someone."

Alcohol and drug abuse ruled his life for years before he received treatment at Teen Challenge, a faith-based residential treatment program in Cape Girardeau County. "All my friends were doing it," McDugle said.

Before getting treatment, he was in and out of jail for robbery, car theft and arson.

McDugle's case is just one of many instances of alcohol and drug abuse in the area.

The United Way of Southeast Missouri and the Community Caring Council have identified substance abuse as one of four major social problems they want to tackle in Cape Girardeau County and Scott City.

A committee is looking at developing an extensive public education campaign to better inform children and parents about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse and help curb addiction. The United Way also wants to find funding to provide more and expanded treatment programs to treat addicted youths and adults.

The United Way committee hopes to have specific plans drawn up within 60 days.

"It is kind of a work in progress," said Marla Mills, United Way assistant director.

While the committee seeks to iron out a detailed plan, others are already tackling the problem through existing programs.

Cape Girardeau police officer Jeff Bonham goes into classrooms to educate students about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.

Steve Narrow administers a state- and federally funded Cape Girardeau County drug court designed to help lawbreakers break the addictions that led them to crime in the first place.

"We want to create a culture of non-abuse," said Jack Smart, executive director of Mid-America Teen Challenge, part of a national network of Teen Challenge centers. "We want to create a society where abusive behavior is not acceptable."

The local Teen Challenge wants to start an outpatient program to complement its residential treatment program, Smart said.

The substance abuse problem, Smart said, can't be solved overnight.

Alcohol abuse is particularly hard to take on, he said. That's because alcohol is a legal drug that is heavily advertised, he said. "It is not legal for anyone under 21, but the culture says it is acceptable."

Most people who abuse illegal drugs are also heavy drinkers, he said.

Reaching children

The United Way is considering developing age-appropriate education programs to reach children from preschool through high school.

The area has an alcohol and drug abuse education program, but it targets primarily sixth-graders in the Cape Girardeau public and parochial schools.

The DARE program -- Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education -- provides classroom education on the topic.

Police officer Bonham says the program could be expanded to elementary schools with more funding. Bonham's salary is paid by the police department, but state funding for supplies was cut last year because of the state's budget problems. Bonham now holds fund raisers to pay for such expenses.

Any new or expanded efforts to tackle drug and alcohol abuse depend on manpower and money, he said.

United Way officials point to statistics underscoring the enormity of the substance abuse problem.

More than 1,600 drunken driving and drug arrests were made in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties combined in 2001, officials said. Alcohol and drugs were involved in 112 traffic accidents in Cape Girardeau County and 81 in Scott County.

Alcohol and drugs were blamed for five traffic accident fatalities in the two counties and 137 injuries, United Way officials said.

Methamphetamine abuse is a major problem, said Smart and others involved in treatment efforts. Some addicts look like little more than skeletons when they first come into the Teen Challenge program, Smart said.

A 2002 national survey by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association reported that 2 million Americans used cocaine, 33.5 million drove drunk and 14.6 million smoked marijuana within 30 days of the survey. The study found that 2.3 million Americans ages 12 to 20 reported they were heavy drinkers. Smart said the study also reported that 11 million Americans said they drove under the influence of illegal drugs during the previous 12 months.

Abuse begins early, he said. The average Teen Challenge resident started using drugs or alcohol at 12 years of age.

Children often abuse alcohol and drugs because they see their parents engaging in substance abuse, he said.

"If you have a 12-year-old boy, and he sees people smoking marijuana, using cocaine, people getting drunk, it is going to be very rare indeed that that kid is not going to experiment and get involved with that kind of lifestyle," Smart said.

Cape Girardeau police Cpl. Ike Hammonds said a second-grader recently brought marijuana to a local elementary school.

DARE not enough

Drug education programs like DARE that target schoolchildren are good but don't go far enough, Hammonds said. Ultimately, programs need to address the home environment, he said.

Narrow, the drug court administrator, is seeking a $120,000 federal grant to establish a family drug court. It would expand on the existing 14-to-18-month court program for adults and the 8-to-13-month program for juveniles by providing substance abuse treatment and counseling for parents in child abuse or neglect cases.

Narrow said the goal would be to end the cycle of abuse in the home and ultimately reunite parents and children. "I have screened a number of people in adult court who tell me their first use of drugs was with their parents," he said.

The drug court system provides for extensive treatment, counseling and drug testing. Adult offenders have to undergo drug testing three times a week. "We close the window of opportunity around their drug use," Narrow said.

A lot of federal and state money goes into law enforcement efforts to combat drug and alcohol problems, but relatively little is spent to treat the addictions, Narrow said. He thinks drug courts and similar programs can turn alcohol and drug abusers into "productive citizens."

Since the drug court was established in Cape Girardeau County in August 2001, it has treated 93 adults and juveniles. That includes the 19 adults and 13 juveniles who currently are in the program.

A second chance

Drug court isn't designed for the hard-core drug dealer. It's meant to help drug users who typically are caught by police with small amounts of drugs in their possession.

"We are a court of tolerance," said Narrow. "We understand recovery is a long process. People don't change overnight."

Narrow said those who slip back into drug or alcohol abuse are given a second chance. "It takes an awful lot to get kicked out of our program and sent back to the sentencing judge," he said.

In 2002, nearly 39,000 Missourians entered substance abuse treatment programs. That compares to 25,512 in 1995. Officials at Teen Challenge and other treatment centers say more programs to help addicts are needed.

The Gibson Recovery Center in Cape Girardeau has both a residential treatment program and an outpatient program. The center serves an average of 473 residential clients annually. It serves an average of 471 outpatient clients monthly.

John Gary, the center's director, said there's always a waiting list. Some people have to wait as long as eight weeks to get a spot in the residential treatment program.

Gary said more funding is needed to provide medical care for individuals coming off drugs.

Teen Challenge, which is funded largely through donations, has about 140 people in treatment at its Cape Girardeau County facility in any given month. The residents go through a 10-month treatment program that follows a four-month program at a Teen Challenge induction center.

A majority of the addicts enter the program voluntarily, although some are ordered into the program by the courts.

Last week, as he readied to graduate from the program, McDugle said Teen Challenge and his faith in God helped him kick his addiction. "I couldn't do it without faith," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123