"i have been there and i am living proof that it does work because it worked for me." paul, you have been active in an initiative called partners for recovery that csat has. indeed, that is a partnership-building activity, is it not? yes, and it's an excellent example of what dr. cline was talking about, about the key role that the federal government can play in the leadership that congressman davis is talking about. samhsa and csat, through partners for recovery, have done a great job of getting information out to people, coordinating, getting ideas around the country, allowing people to share what's working in other places, and really be able to work together to get the word out that there really are a lot of effective things that can be done. one of the major goals of that has been to address the key problem, which congressman davis mentioned,

which is that a lot of people still don't get that alcohol and drug dependence is a disease and an illness and one that can be effectively treated. despite the fact that it's more than a half-century since the american medical association said that addiction and alcoholism is a disease, and all the studies we have that show that treatment really is as effective for addiction and it's as effective for alcohol and drug problems as it is for other chronic illnesses like hypertension or diabetes. but that understanding isn't as widespread as it needs to be. it's getting better, and it's getting better in part because of the kinds of initiatives that partners for recovery, you know, things that the federal government has done. what does it do the local community? how does it work with states? how does it bring people together? well, the partners for recovery program has done a great job of both identifying people in various states and communities who know about these issues, who are key on these issues, and letting the key stakeholders have the tools that they need, whether it's through trainings or information or a web site

or other kinds of mechanisms to give them the tools they need to be effective at their local and state level. paul has reminded me of one initiative that took place which samhsa helped support, which were town halls that were held across the country. there are about 1,300 town halls that were held focusing on underage drinking and prevention of underage drinking. so that was a great example of the federal government providing very small resources in that situation-very small-but enough to help facilitate these local communities coming together to talk about underage drinking and the impact of underage drinking, and then to formulate plans for their community. again, not the federal government saying, "here's what you should be doing," but for local communities to find solutions at the local level. i attended three of those, two in urban areas and one in a rural area in oklahoma-very different feels between those different areas, but we had mayors, we had superintendents of schools, we had pastors,

we had business people, law enforcement, educators. it was the community really coming together to address these issues, and they walked out of there with next steps. dr. cline, in the field of both addiction and mental health services, there is a whole new emphasis on recovery and using people in recovery to be part of the solution, and the whole notion of transforming both systems: the mental-health system and the addiction treatment system. how is samhsa involved in that effort? samhsa is very involved and i think this is an area where a lot of leadership has been exhibited by and throughout samhsa, again in partnerships with people across the country. what we know is that there is an incredible workforce that is waiting to be mobilized. people who have at some point in their lives struggled with these issues, they understand the impact. we don't need to do the educational piece about the importance of this issue and the negative consequences and

also the power of recovery, because these individuals have experienced this, just like we heard right here. i think it's a powerful story and experience. so in our workforce strategy, part of that is capitalizing and mobilizing this very rich resource that is present in every single community across the country. is there a way to provide tools to those individuals who have that interest, have that experience, and then will have those tools in the hands, to help their fellows in their own communities? it's a powerful, powerful vision for the future, i think, that has incredible potential. we have seen that through other support activities. there is a real ability to cut to the chase when you have been there and when you have walked the walk yourself. and to put that faith on there, as several of my fellow panelists have mentioned, because i remember kind of my coming out there in the kansas legislature as i had been there

about a month my first year and we had a bill that was-we had already had a bill several years before that was a drug court type thing and they had a choice of either doing treatment or going to jail, and this bill addressed about 200 inmates that were already caught up in the jail before this law became in effect. so we were trying to do something retroactively, and during discussions that morning one of my fellow colleagues got up and said, "well, i don't like this bill because it's soft on crime and, besides, we know that treatment doesn't work." and so i felt the calling to get up and say, "representative, i respectfully disagree with you because 14 years ago, if treatment wasn't available to me then i wouldn't be here today; i would probably be dead," and was able to put a face on what this recovery is all about. and the awareness, as dr. cline has mentioned,

congressman davis, you know, there's a lot of people that we can mobilize. it just again gets back to the coordination and getting the knowledge out there that treatment does work and prevention works. absolutely. congressman davis, coming back to you, and speaking of speaking out, there is a committee or a group of members of congress that have put together a congressional group on addiction treatment. are you a member of that? the addiction caucus, the mental health caucus, yes. as a matter of fact, people who want to address a particular problem or issue oftentimes will come together and spend time working on that. i mean, i sometimes laugh and suggest that if we look at prevention, treatment, as well as research,

understanding what causes people to do certain things or to become ill in a certain way, i'm often reminded of when i was a little boy. my buddy and i were out playing around the church one sunday, and one of our main deacons who was about to conduct devotion services, it was his sunday to lead. and we happened to be around the church and we saw him go in his pocket, pull out a half-pint bottle, take a good hit, then he came back in and started the services. well, from that some people think that if you become a drug addict or if you become addicted that you're a macho person having fun, and that it was all about-no, that's not really the case with many people. many people need some help because of insecurities and things that are going on with them. and i always use him as an example when i'm talking about it.

once he got his hit he could come in and start amazing grace, whatever. without it, he probably would have been shaking. well, we are very fortunate to have the support for recovery month from both congressman ramstad and congressman kennedy, who are leading the caucus. and paul, why is it important for other members, as congressman davis is participating in this caucus, for them to come forward, particularly if they're in recovery? well, as we've talked about, this is such a huge issue and of such great importance to our country that we need as much support from policymakers at every level including, and especially in, congress. we're very fortunate to have a number of champions like congressmen davis and kennedy and ramstad; they've done a great job really putting the spotlight on the importance of this issue and the policy reforms that we need to make to do a much better job of addressing it. but we need more. we need more champions and we need more people stepping out there who really have the power

to make the changes that we need. congressman davis, i want to come back. earlier during the show, you mentioned the whole criminal justice system, and i'm sure you're familiar with the drug courts. what really has to happen to go beyond the intervention of the drug court? well, i think we have to have, you know, programs established to help people successfully reintegrate back into society. and i've begun to understand that any program that we've got should include treatment for addiction, or treatment for handling drug problems, because so many of the individuals who have gotten records have them because of an association and interaction with substance abuse in one way, shape, form, or fashion. so if you don't have that as a part of the program, i mean,

i've been pushing a concept called second chance; that is, to give individuals a second chance at leading normal lives, becoming productive, contributing members of society where they pay taxes rather than use tax money. just to jump in, that is so incredibly important, i think, to provide that opportunity, not just the treatment piece of that, but what can we do to help that individual sustain their recovery? what will actually help them stay on that path to recovery? and if we make it so that the person can't find a job, if we make it so the individual can't find adequate housing, if we make it so that individual can't be around their sources of strength and their family and their communities, then we're setting that individual up for failure. and we're not giving them that second chance because we are pulling the rug out from underneath that person before they even get started.

so if we can build in and help facilitate those types of things that actually encourage and support recovery, like housing and good jobs and family and connections and supports, we're much more likely to see those individuals stay on that path and not end up back in the criminal justice system. i think it's very visionary. when we come back we're going to talk about the toughest challenge that faces this field, which is stigma. we'll be right back. i'm a sophomore in college this year. man, if you had known me when i was a sophomore in high school, nobody could tell me anything. i gave all my teachers a bad time. they all gave up on me except my english teacher. eight years teaching high school english, 10 years in recovery for alcohol addiction. "to be or not to be." i got help. that's it right there. if you get help, who knows just who you'll help along the way? for drug and alcohol information, and treatment referral for you or for someone you know, call 1-800-662-help.

everyone with alcohol and drug addiction is in the same boat. with treatment, you can find solid ground. for drug and alcohol information and treatment referral for you or someone you know, call 1-800-662-help. for a copy of this program or other programs in the road to recovery series on dvd or vhs, call samhsa's national clearinghouse for alcohol and drug information at 1-800-729-6686 or order online at recoverymonth.gov and click "multimedia." the heart of recovery month are the hundreds of national,

regional, state, and local events held throughout the country. get involved with recovery month and join the thousands of people who organize and participate in events each september. here's an example: delaware held a statewide recovery month kickoff brunch in dover, highlighted by a proclamation signed and presented by governor ruth ann minner. the event focused on those who are in recovery and those who are helping them progress along that path. for more information on national alcohol and drug addiction recovery month, events in your town, and how you can get involved, visit the recovery month web site at recoverymonth.gov. [music]

for every dollar we invest in treatment, we save $7. the public needs to understand that and our public officials need to understand that. and not only is it the cost saving, but it's the saving of lives, lives that are related to law enforcement issues, lives that are related to children that are left without parents because of their incarceration and addiction. the human cost is incalculable, and we need to come to grips with that in this country. we can invest in treatment, we can make huge progress in reducing addiction in this country, but we need to understand it fundamentally as a public health problem, as a chronic management of a disease problem, and i think we change the way we think about the war on drugs. [music]

welcome to the august meeting of the dc recovery community alliance. thank you for being prompt and on time... the dc recovery community alliance is a group of people in recovery from addiction who feel strongly about improving the chances for people to get recovery in the next generation here in the washington, dc, area. . and our interest in the entire city policy network as well as in actual treatment of people in crisis stage. the dc rca is a little over a year old. we have been very effective in changing some policies here in the dc area. we have been very fortunate with mayor fenty and many others who are welcoming our message and welcoming us to participate in the leadership of our city. we want our recovery community to come out. i tell you if we get as many people as we have in here tonight, somebody on the hill is going to pay attention. we did have a town hall meeting

with mayor fenty and it was extremely positive. i think it brought to him a new face and a new awareness of how many people were really interested on changing policies and changing the way the district views recovery as well as the problem, the answer as well as the problem. that means we'll be sending you information about our meetings and about our policy updates, about the work that we're doing, about the communities that we're out reaching to, and about the goals that we're setting for ourselves. it's the perfect merge of bringing people in the community who have an intimate knowledge of what's happening along with policymakers who may or may not have that information. and then i think, secondly, it's important to show people that they really can control their communities. they really can advocate for policies and help shape the world the way they want it to be. when you're dealing with legislation that affects

people's lives, i think it's very important that the people whose lives are being affected be involved in those policymakers' decisions. and it has to be a concerted effort. it just can't be the policymakers making the decisions without the help of the people who it's going to affect, the people with the addictions. the science says that recovery is an expected outcome when appropriate solutions are offered in a timely manner. nobody disagrees that when someone is fresh in recovery or seeking recovery they have to find a safe place. and protecting that safe place is important to all of us, whether you're in recovery or not in recovery. but let's not confuse that anonymity, which guarantees that safe place for the newcomer, with the responsibility we have as citizens when we're in full recovery and we are not in early stages and we have an obligation

like any other people who survive cancer, who survive diabetes, to talk about our recovery and how it can be more helpful to the next generation. dr. cline, all this talk about needing to change, all this talk about needing to coordinate, but in reality, can these changes really take place if we really don't deal with the issue of stigma? well, it's complicated. i think that one of the challenges that we face is the prejudice that most people in america have grown up with, and it's a prejudice against people with addictions and substance abuse disorders that has been perpetuated through the media and through other means. we have limited information about people in recovery. those aren't the stories that make the headlines. those aren't the stories that we hear people talking about. we always hear all the controversial issues that

make for good gossip, but we don't hear about your neighbor or your physician or your banker or the person down the street who is in recovery. so that stigma is very, very-it permeates all of our society and for many people that's internalized. even if the service was available, because of the stigma they might not access those services. and paul, stigma really does take a very ugly presence in the form of discrimination for individuals, even for those that are in recovery. yes, it absolutely does. there was a study that was done for faces and voices of recovery of the recovery community of people who identified themselves as being in recovery that found that 24 percent of them, a full quarter, said they had been discriminated against when they sought employment and/or insurance. and of course it's pretty hard to live without a job. it's pretty hard to live without insurance that will cover your health care. so discrimination is still an ugly reality. people get discriminated against both because of their

alcohol and drug history even if they have been in recovery a long time. and also many people who may have picked up a criminal record while they're addicted but have since gone on to get into treatment or otherwise it's recovery are doing fine with their lives, still have that conviction on their record or even arrest that didn't lead to a conviction that may well plague them down the road as they run into problems trying to get the basic necessities of life to be able to sustain their recovery, as dr. cline talked about before. and i know that you're working with a project called know your rights, where you did quite a number of training. what is that all about? we are very grateful to csat, this was part of the partners for recovery project, which is where we were able to develop a pamphlet for people in recovery and others who are interested that describes what the legal rights that they have are and what they aren't so that people around the country would know what the law is and what is illegal discrimination when it happens. and then we were fortunate to have the opportunity again

through csat to go around the country and provide trainings to people all over the country aimed at people in recovery so they would know what their rights are and know what they were able to do despite the fact that they might have an addiction history or a criminal record. congressman davis, in congress how do you help to let your colleagues know about stigma and for them to have a better sense of the fact that addiction is a medical condition? well, we sometimes talk about some of the many contradictions. we are largely a religious nation. i mean, we practice lots of different kinds of religion, and in most of them redemption is a part, is a primary principle. and so we're contradictory. i mean, we talk about redemption, but oftentimes we are unwilling to practice it.

so we try and help people kind of come out. we do something every year called recovery walk, where we have 5-600 people who are in recovery. we go out on a saturday and we walk several miles down the street, you know, with banners and flags and waving, and so we just simply try and help our colleagues come along to understanding that there are many different ways to tackle the problems, and that we are a nation that is imperfect but we are always becoming, trying to reach that level of perfection that our forefathers were thinking about when they put together the constitution and the premises. we're not there yet, but as long as we're moving i think we are indeed on our way. well, i'm sure that happens during september which is recovery month so we thank you for that wonderful event.

pat, let me go back to you and ask you: what would you tell your colleagues or any professional that has had an addiction problem and is now in recovery? what would you tell them of the importance of them coming forward and being vocal? well, of course, awareness is a big part. what we talked about earlier, the treatment on demand, but also in a sense recovery on demand. if we make it easier for people to succeed in recovery or in any area of our life or other illnesses, as we have addressed-you know, we've come a long way with diabetes and heart disease because we realize it's a continuum of care. and so when i talk to my colleagues there in the state legislature, i try to make that nexus between the other diseases and how all the statistics are exactly the same. and so for us to get it out of the shadows, this disease of addiction, is we need to point out that

it's very similar to other medical problems and that treatment and prevention and aftercare really does work, and it saves dollars. besides saving lives and families it also saves dollars. very good. gentlemen, what is our next frontier? we have heard so many good things that are going on in terms of the federal government trying to coordinate policy, in terms of the blueprints from the state, but what is our next frontier to really getting there? i think we keep our eye on the prize, and that prize is making certain that there is treatment on demand for individuals, that people feel supported in their recovery, that people know that substance abuse and addiction or medical conditions that have an impact on individuals and the entire family, these are conditions that are treatable, where there is great success with that treatment, and recovery is the expectation.

we just have to make sure that we have adequate resources for prevention, for treatment, for recovery, and discovery-i mean, to keep trying to understand what causes the problem. and so we still have to do a great deal of research to better understand addiction, causation, why do people get trapped, how do we prevent and keep them from becoming trapped. and i think if we can do that we will see some great results. paul, should people-we've got many policymakers here, but what is the ordinary citizen that may be watching this show, what can they do to really move us forward to that next frontier? well, they are very key, and i think there are a couple of things that really are very crucial to really changing how our country is dealing with addiction in a much better way.

i agree with all my fellow panelists that really focusing on the health responses to alcohol and drug problems, continuing the research, the brain illness research that's been done showing that it really is an illness of the brain, has moved our understanding forward. we need treatment on demand and we need the kinds of prevention services that focus on individuals and families as well as initiatives across the country and communities. we also need to eliminate discrimination, as we talked about earlier, because it's going to be very difficult for people to move forward. people out there in the country listening to this are the ones who make these things happen or don't make these things happen because policymakers listen to their public. and i would conclude by saying that the real way that we can change this is if the people who are most affected, people in recovery and family members, which as pat mentioned before ends up being a majority of

the country, start to speak out about what the problems are and how they can be solved. that's what will really change policy forever in this country. very good. i want to thank you for being here. as you know, national alcohol and drug addiction recovery month happens every september, and we want to thank those that are already having events, such as the walks or any other events, for putting them together and for making sure that people in recovery have a voice within the country. and pat, have you participated in any recovery month events in the past? yeah, we've been real active in the recovery month there in kansas, also to encourage other communities besides my local community of dodge city. we have brought awareness to my colleagues that recovery month does happen every september, so it's a great event and just another way to make people aware of this great problem that we have.

is the longhorn still there? we still have the longhorn and we still have boot hill there, congressman. we want to thank you for being here. it has been a great show. national alcohol and drug addiction recovery month, observed each september, provides an opportunity for every community to highlight the effectiveness of treatment for alcohol and drug use disorders, and to help individuals and families affected by addiction find help. the free recovery month kit can help your organization to carry out an effective strategy to raise awareness and promote the benefits of addiction treatment in your community. the kit offers ideas for planning and helpful tools for implementing an outreach campaign or event that matches your goals and resources. to receive the recovery month kit or other free publications and materials related to addiction treatment,

visit recoverymonth.gov or call 1-800-662-help. it's important that everyone become involved because addiction is our nation's number one health problem and treatment is our best tool to address it. [music]