8/6/2019 DCdrugalch

1/1

5

MONDAY,AUGUST

1,2011

THEW

ASHINGTONEXAMINER

LOCAL NEWSTHE 3-MINUTE

INTERVIEW

Libert is executive directorand co-founder of FreeMinds Book Club & WritingWorkshop, a nonprofit thathelps young inmates in theD.C. Jail by giving thembooks, holding book clubmeetings, encouraging them to write storiesand poetry, and helping them adjust to lifeafter being released. The groups website isfreemindsbookclub.org.

What are some of the most popular books?

I thinktheyre all popular. Theones thatrelatetotheirlivesarethe most, like Makes MeWanna Holler by Nathan McCall, Manchildin thePromised Landby ClaudeBrownandA Placeto Stand by Jimmy SantiagaBaca.They lovethe Bluefordseries.

How does the group work? Weonly workwith youthcharged asadults. Thegoal ofthe juvenile justice systemis rehabilitation.Once youre in theadultsystem,itsmuchless so thereasonwe focuson that groupis because they donthaveas much accessto programming.... National studies show90percent[are arrested again] withina year.

Is there a different recidivism rate for

people in Free Minds? Ourcurrentrate is 32percent.Most areprobation violations,so itsnota newchargeand theyrenot violent. Thekeyis to have sometype of transformation.

Does everyone read the same book everymonth? They votedemocratically. Well comeupwith fiveor sixtitles, andits calledabook ballot. ...You haveto respectthe vote.We usedto doit byshow ofhands, but theygot into bad fistfights.So now wedo secretballot.

How can people get involved? They cangiveus money! Thebig thingis, goto thewritingblog andcomment. Wepostthe poems

anonymously. Justleaving a comment,a linethatsays keep writing, this poemwas great,is a huge boostto thesekids;theyfeellikepeoplecareabout them andtheycan careabout themselves andthey can change.

Va. game officials reportsmaller deer harvestBEDFORD, VA. Virginia officials say

thenumber ofdeer killedlast yearwasdown15 percent from theprevi-ousyear. TheDepartment ofGameand InlandFisheriesreports that219,797deer were killedin thestatein 2010,downfrom259,147 in 2009.TheNews& Advance in Lynchburgreports that theharvest was3percent less than theaverage overthepast decade. According tothenewspapers report, Bedford Countyledthe state forthe fifth consecutiveyear with about 7,500 deer kills,a17percent decline from 2009.The

department had expected a statewidedecline because of aggressivedeermanagement efforts in recent years,andbecause a snowy winterlikely ledto a higherthan normaldeer mortal-ity rate. AP

NEWS IN BRIEF

Tara Libert

BetsyWoodruff

TODAYS TOP STORY

ByEmilyBabayExaminer StaffWriter

Drug and alcohol abuse ratesare higher in the District thananywhere else in the country, andexperts say the wide availabilityof drugs, high stress levels anddifficulties getting abusers intotreatment fuel the citys persis-tently stratospheric rates.

A new report by the SubstanceAbuse and Mental Health ServicesAdministration found that 11.3 per-

cent of people 12 and older abusedor were dependent on alcohol ordrugs in the past year, well abovethe national average of 8.9 percent.Marylands abuse rate was 8.1 per-cent,and Virginiaswas 9.4 percent.

Drug and alcohol problems havelong been a problem in all cornersof the nations capital, from drugdeals on street corners to college

binge drinking to the White House even former first lady BettyFord admitted to a long battle withdrinking and painkiller addictionafter she left 1600 PennsylvaniaAvenue.

You can find drugs in anyquadrant of the city, said GeorgeWheeler, who runs Circles of Hope,an addiction counseling center.

The SAMHSA report is basedon national drug surveys from2008 and 2009 and interviews. Itfound the abuse rate in the Dis-trict is down from 11.9 percent in2002 and 2003 surveys. The most

widely used drugs in the District

are alcohol, marijuanaand cocaine,according to the survey.In D.C., politicians, lobbyists

and others regularly attend func-tions where work is socializing,said Babette Wise, director of thealcohol and drug abuse programat Georgetown University Hos-pital. That makes overindulging including to the point of abuse easy, Wise said. But because thedrinking is tied to work, she said,its harder for them or others torecognize a problem.

People will think, How can my

relative be an addict when he hasthis high position or shes makingall this money? Wise said.

Dr. Daniel Z. Lieberman, a

psychiatry professor at GeorgeWashington University, said stressfrom those high-pressure careersand poverty can both lead to drugabuse and D.C. has large popu-lations that fall into those groups.

In D.C., many people who needhelp arent getting it: 8.6 percentof city residents 12 and older areabusing or dependent on alcohol

but not getting help, and 3.3 per-cent have drug addictions butarent in treatment, SAMHSAfound. Those are among the high-

est rates in the country.

Thenumbers include peoplewhodont know how to get help, dontthink they need it, cant find treat-ment and cant afford care, among

other reasons, said Peter Delany,director of SAMHSAs Center forBehavioral Health Statistics andQuality.

Lieberman said people oftenend up in the hospital after anaddiction-related emergency, andlong-term recovery is most suc-cessful if the person gets to a drugtreatment center within a few daysof leaving the hospital.

Thats when their motivation isgoing to be highest, he said. ButLieberman said thats not always

possible in D.C., and patients often

end up waiting much longer or go afacility that isnt their first choice.

Dr. Kimberly Jeffries Leonard,senior deputy director for the Dis-tricts Addiction Prevention and

Recovery Administration, main-tained that anyone who walksthrough our doors can get helpand said there was no waiting listfor treatment slots.

The District is training primarycare doctors, mental health ser-

vices providers and HIV treatmentcenters to screenpeoplefor alcoholand drug problems, Leonard said,

because abusers often dont seekhelp on their own.

Wise said 12-step programs arefree and readily available in the

District, with about 1,700 acrossthe city, and the hardest part isgetting an abuser to realize theyneed long-term support.

Thats whats going to keepthem sober for life, she said.

ebabay@washingtonexaminer.com

D.C. tops nation in drug, alcohol abuse

Keeping youths awayfrom drugs, drinkingis D.C.s focus

D.C. officials say the city hasfocused its drug- and alcohol-prevention efforts on youths, andthat appears to be paying off: Thepercentage of District teenagersaddicted to illicit substances is

among the lowestin the country.The5.5 percentof youthsages 12

to 17 who say they abused or weredependent on drugs or alcohol inthe past year is the second-lowestin the nation, according to a study

bythe Substance Abuse andMental

HealthServices Administration.Only Tennessees rate is lower.

The Districts success in keepingyouthfromabusing drugs andalco-hol isa sharpcontrast to itsoverallabuse rate, which is the nations

highest at 11.3 percent.D.C. is combating its drug prob-

lem by focusing on youth, said Dr.Kimberly Jeffries Leonard, seniordeputy director of the citys Addic-tion Prevention and RecoveryAdministration.

The citys Health Departmenthas started prevention initia-tives that work with schools, anddepartments likeParks and Recre-

ation and Employment Services toeducate young people about drugsandalcohol,Leonard said. Shesaidthey stressto teens that alcohol anddrug use can lead to incarcerationand trouble getting into college or

findinga job.Leonard said she hopes keeping

youth fromabusing drugs willhelpthe citys overall abuse rate startdropping.

If we do our job at prevention,we wont see some of this stuff ontheback end, Leonard said.

Addiction experts said theyreseeing more anti-drug messagesgetting to youths, in school and

throughthe media.I think there is more education,

andat a younger age, saidBabetteWise, director of the alcohol anddrugabuse program at GeorgetownUniversityHospital. EmilyBabay

Other findingsSome other details from theSAMHSA report: Virginia was the only stateto report a decrease in past-month alcohol use amongpeople 12 and older, with adrop from 53.5 percent to 50.8percent. Maryland had the nationslowest rate of past-year mentalillness for adults at 16.7 per-cent. The national rate was 19.7

percent; the Districts was 21percent and Virginias was 18.5percent.

Source: Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services

Administration

Local numbersPercent of people dependent on or abusing drugs or alcohol in the pastyear

Ages Ages Ages AgesJurisdiction 12+ 12-17 18-25 26+D.C. 11.3 5.5 21.25 9.65Maryland 8.1 5.9 17.3 6.8Virginia 9.4 7.3 23.0 7.4U.S. 8.9 7.3 20.4 7.2

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health S ervices Administration

FOR BREAKING NEWS

THROUGH THE DAY, CLICK ON

Up to the Minute...

Washington

Examiner.com/Local