The Daily Times

Tomorrow begins a new year, full of possibilities for change and growth.

For addicts and alcoholics, however, the future can seem as dark and bleak as the present. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Many of those struggling with addiction and/or alcoholism reach the other side of the holidays feeling worse than ever. A time of family makes those in addiction painfully aware of the agony they’re causing to loved ones; the season of togetherness makes those of us who are slaves to chemicals cognizant of how alone we really are.

But making that decision to crawl out of the darkness is difficult and frightening. Many addicts — and I speak from personal experience — would rather linger in the familiar pain of dereliction, degradation and humiliation because the fear of the unknown, the thought of living life without the use of drugs, is too great.

Which is why I urge anyone with a loved one who battles the diseases of addiction and/or alcoholism to cut this column out and save it. Just because an addict may not be ready today or tomorrow doesn’t mean that he or she won’t reach their own bottom in the coming weeks or months and decide to seek help.

It’s not easy to wait until that point is reached, especially for loved ones who encourage the addicts in their lives to get help. Unless an addict is ready to stop using and do something about the problem, no amount of coaxing, bullying, pleading or threatening will get them to change.

And even when that point is reached ... when the life they lead becomes too weary or difficult ... it doesn’t mean that help is readily available. These days, it’s almost impossible for an addict to wake up one morning, decide to get help and actually receive that assistance the very same day. Note — the key word here is “almost,” because help is out there, if an addict is willing to put forth as much effort into obtaining it as he was into getting high.

The key is willingness to keep going, no matter what, until help is obtained. And as a caveat — this list contains a number of treatment centers, but I also include 12-Step meetings held in Blount County. (There are dozens more held every day in nearby Knoxville.) Going to a treatment center is not a requirement; many addicts do, but many also find the help they need in the rooms of recovery and learn how to live a new life without ever stepping foot in a treatment center.

Bottom line — if an addict wants to get into a treatment center, they need to call, call and call some more. It won’t be easy, but it’s not impossible. Cut these numbers out, save them and share them with someone you know who struggles. And in the meantime, until a bed opens up, get to a meeting. Surround yourself with those who understand and want to help.

Here’s a roundup, although I’m sure it’s not complete, of meetings, treatment centers and other places that help the addict and alcoholic:

Alcoholics Anonymous

A 12-Step program for those who struggle with alcoholism. For more information, go to http://www.discoveret.org , or call the East Tennessee Central Office in Knoxville at 974-9888. The help line, open to callers from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., is 522-9667. Blount County meetings are as follows:

• The Surrender to Win group meets at 7 p.m. each Wednesday at the Martin Luther King building on Franklin Street in Alcoa. The meeting is closed discussion, meaning it’s closed to all except those seeking help for a problem with alcohol.

• There’s an open-discussion meeting (open to everyone) at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday at Cornerstone of Recovery’s facility at 4726 Alcoa Highway in Louisville.

• Cornerstone’s facility at 1214 Topside Road in Louisville hosts an open-discussion meeting at 7:30 p.m. every Sunday.

• There’s an open-discussion meeting at 7 p.m. every Sunday in the auditorium of Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville.

• There’s an open speaker meeting at 8 p.m. every Tuesday at the union hall on Hall Road in Alcoa.

• The Happy Destiny group meets at 325 White Crest Road (in the old Gun Cabinet building between Krystal and the bowling alley) at noon and 5:30 p.m. daily (no 5:30 p.m. meeting on the first Wednesday of every month) and 7:30 p.m. every day of the week except Mondays.

• A closed-discussion meeting takes place at 8 p.m. every Friday at Fairview Methodist Church, 2505 Old Niles Ferry Road in Maryville.

• The Unity Group meets at 7 p.m. every Tuesday (closed discussion) and Thursday (open discussion) in Room 116 of the First United Methodist Church of Maryville, 804 Montvale Road.

• The Principles Before Personalities Group meets at 5:30 p.m. every Thursday at Pecks Memorial United Methodist Church, 2438 Wilkinson Pike in Maryville, for a closed discussion meeting.

• The Spiritual Progress group holds a closed discussion meeting at 7 p.m. Thursdays at Foothills Baptist Church, 2710 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway in Maryville.

• There’s a meeting in Rockford at the AROC building, at the intersection of Old Knoxville Highway and Self Hollow Road, every day of the week at noon and 5:30 p.m. (closed discussion except noon on Sundays); 8 p.m. every evening except Wednesday; and at 10 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Saturdays. There’s also a Spanish-speaking meeting at the AROC building at 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

• There’s an open-discussion meeting at noon Sundays at St. Francis Catholic Church in Townsend.

• A closed-discussion meeting is held at 8 p.m. every Monday at Tuckaleechee Methodist Church, 7322 Old Tuckaleechee Road in Townsend.

Al-Anon

A 12-step support group specifically for family members and loved ones of addicts and alcoholics. For more information, visit the Web site www.tn-al-anon.org, or call the Knoxville office at 525-9040. Blount County meetings are as follows:

• The Rainbow group meets at 8 p.m. Mondays and 10 a.m. Saturdays at 325 Whitecrest Road in Maryville.

• There’s a 10:30 a.m. meeting on Tuesdays at First Baptist Church of Maryville, 202 Lamar Alexander Parkway, in the Family Life Center Craft Room.

• There’s a noon meeting for women at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (in the library) on Broadway Avenue in Maryville every Thursday.

Narcotics Anonymous

A 12-step program for those seeking help from addiction. For more information, go to the Web site at http://www.knoxvillena.org or call the hotline at 1-866-617-1710.

• N.A. meetings take place every day at the Little River Group, located at the AROC building in Rockford: noon and 8 p.m. Sundays; noon Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; and noon and 9:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

• The Better Way of Life Group of N.A. meets at 7:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays in Room 206 of New Providence Presbyterian Church, 703 W. Broadway Ave. in Maryville.

Nar-Anon

A 12-step program for family members and loved ones of addicts. For more information, go to the website www.nar-anon.org.

• A meeting also takes place at 8 p.m. every Monday at the AROC building, at the intersection of Old Knoxville Highway and Self Hollow Road in Rockford.

Faith-based recovery programs

These religious programs combine traditional recovery methods with a Christ-centric approach to breaking the bondage of addiction.

• Celebrate Recovery meets at 7 p.m. every Tuesday at RIO Restoration Church, 701 Front St. in Maryville. Go to http://www.celebraterecoveryrio.com for more information.

• Celebrate Recovery meets at 6 p.m. every Monday at Faith Promise Church, on the Blount County campus of Pellissippi State. http://www.faithpromise.org

• Celebrate Recovery meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays at Mercy Chapel (in the Salvation Army complex), 1414 Sevierville Road in Maryville. For more information, call 983-7135.

Treatment centers

• Blount Memorial Hospital, 907 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville (981-2300): The hospital’s Emotional Health Services program includes detoxification treatment for those with insurance. Different types of insurance are accepted; if BMH doesn’t take yours, they’ll help refer you to a facility that does. Most importantly, BMH offers free walk-in assessments.

• Bradford Health Services, 301 S. Gallaher View Road, Suite 300, in Knoxville (693-9326): Offers a variety of treatment options.

• Cornerstone of Recovery, 1214 Topside Road in Louisville (crisis line, 970-2189; business line, 970-7747): Cornerstone of recovery offers a detoxification program followed up with several options, including a 21- to 28-day inpatient treatment program. Cornerstone only accepts insurance patients or those who pay by cash, but payment arrangements can be made, and Cornerstone staff members will work to refer or assign grants to some indigent patients.

• Peninsula Hospital, 2347 Jones Bend Road, Louisville (970-9800): Peninsula offers a detox program based on the seriousness of the addiction. A preliminary phone assessment determines how quickly you’ll be assessed in person. Peninsula accepts certain types of insurance, as well as TennCare.

• Center Pointe, 5310 Ball Camp Road, Knoxville (523-4704): This facility, formerly known as DRI Dock, is the only facility in East Tennessee that accepts indigent patients. Because of the waiting list, the availability of detox beds is scarce. Detox typically lasts three days, or if an addict is interested in going through the facility’s 21- to 28-day treatment program, they can get on the treatment waiting list and will be detoxed three days before being admitted. However, the waiting list to get in the door can vary, from six to sometimes as many as 12 weeks.

• The Frank G. Kolinsky Treatment Center will open in January at the E.M. Jellinek Center, a halfway house for men in Knoxville at 130 Hinton Ave. It’s a 21-day residential treatment program for men. Call 525-4627 for more information.

• The Salvation Army offers Operation Bootstrap as a program for men. For more information, call 525-9401.

• Knox Area Rescue Ministries offers residential recovery programs for both men (the Lazarus Program) and women (Serenity Shelter). For more information, call 673-6551.

Other options

Others may be forced to look out of town for treatment options. Here are a few around the state:

• Aspell Recovery Center, Jackson: 731-427-7238

• Brookhaven Retreat (women only), Seymour: 1-877-817-3422

• Buffalo Valley, Hohenwald: 1-800-447-2766

• CADAS, Chattanooga: 1-877-282-2327

• Centerstone (various facilities in Middle Tennessee): 1-800-681-7444

• Cumberland Heights, Nashville: 1-800-646-9998

• Cumberland Plateau Recovery, Livingston: 931-403-3577

• Daybreak Treatment Center, Germantown: 901-753-4300

• Discovery Place, Nashville: 1-800-725-0922

• English Mountain Recovery, Sevierville: 1-877-459-8595

• Focus Healthcare of Tennessee, Chattanooga: 1-800-675-2041

• Harbor House (for men), Memphis: 901-743-1836

• JACOA is run by United Way in Jackson: 731-423-3653

• La Paloma, Memphis: 1-877-345-1887

• Magnolia Ridge (and Willow Ridge, specifically for women), 900 Buffalo St., Johnson City: 1-877-928-9062

• New Life Lodge, P.O. Box 430, Burns: 1-866-836-8125

• Our Master’s Camp, Pikeville: 423-447-2340

• New Path at Parkridge Valley Hospital, Cleveland: 1-800-542-9600

• PathFinders, 432 East Main Street, Gallatin: 1-800-553-2540

• Pine Ridge, 2800 Westside Drive, Cleveland: 1-800-414-4134

• Place of Hope (Christian-based), Columbia: 931-388-9406

• The Ranch, P.O. Box 38, Nunnelly: 1-866-574-8207

• Samaritan Recovery Community, Nashville: 615-244-4802

• Serenity Recovery Centers, Memphis: 1-888-521-1131

• Synergy Treatment Centers, Memphis: 901-332-2227

• Tony Rice Center, Shelbyville: 931-685-0957

• Youth Town (for teens), Pinson: 1-888-274-2036

Other options are out there; the key is perseverance, because there can be a lot of red tape to jump through. The other is willingness — just how badly do you want to do something about your problem? If the answer is “anything,” then check one of these programs and/or facilities out.

Steve Wildsmith is a recovering addict and the Weekend editor for The Daily Times. Contact him at (stevew@thedailytimes.com) or at 981-1144.