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Help for addicts and alcoholics is out there, and if an individual has truly reached the end of his or her rope and is willing to do anything to get better and change, then it can be found.

It's not easy, 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.

I know from personal experience. It took two stays in rehab and one in detox before I finally got clean. Each time, I thought I was ready, but it wasn't until I stopped lying to myself and was willing to do whatever it took to get clean and stay clean that recovery finally started working.

That's a simple thing to say but a hard thing to follow through upon -- doing whatever it takes. It means swallowing pride, deflating ego and admitting that drugs are more powerful than I am, and in order to do something about the problem, I have to listen to people who have walked this path before me and know more than I do.

For those who are ready to get help and are willing to do whatever it takes, that path won't be easy. Bureaucratic red tape, funding cuts, insurance woes and more make it incredibly difficult for an addict to wake up, decide to get help and find that help all in the same day.

But it's not impossible. The key is willingness to keep going, no matter what, until help is obtained. A couple of times a year, I round up all of the options out there, and sometimes, it takes those seeking help going through the entire list, sometimes multiple times, before a bed in a treatment facility opens up.

Bottom line -- 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. 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 www.discoveret.org/etaa/, 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 Center on Edison 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 8 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 Maryville.

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.

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; at 10 p.m. on Fridays; and at 10 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Saturdays. There's also a Spanish-speaking meeting at the AROC building at 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

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.discoveret.org/alanon/kada.html, or call the Knoxville office at 525-9040. Blount County meetings are as follows:

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.

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.

Narcotics Anonymous

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

N.A. meetings take place every day at the AROC building in Rockford: noon and 8 p.m. Sundays; 8 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 5:30 and 8 p.m. Tuesdays; 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, Wednesdays and Thursdays in Room 219 of New Providence Presbyterian Church, 703 W. Broadway Ave. in Maryville.

Faith-based recovery programs

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

Celebrate Recovery RIO meets for refreshments at 6:30 p.m., worship at 7 p.m., small groups follow every Tuesday at RIO Central, 370 S. Long Hollow Road, Maryville. Call 681-2763 for more information.

Celebrate Recovery Cokesbury meets for refreshments at 6:30 p.m., worship at 7 p.m., and small groups at 8:15 p.m. every Thursday at Cokesbury Center, 9915 Kingston Pike, Knoxville. Call 246-0449 for more information.

Mainstream Rehab is a recovery program at RIO Central church, meeting at 5:30 p.m. Saturdays in Room 13 of RIO Central, 370 S. Long Hollow Road, Maryville. Call 681-2763 for more information.

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.

Bradford Health Services, 301 S. Gallaher View Road, Suite 300, in Knoxville (693-9326): Offers outpatient services, counseling and more.

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.

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

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

Indian Path Pavilion, Kingsport: 423-857-5500

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

New Directions, Memphis: 901-327-4244

New Leaf Recovery Center, 1200 S. Willow St., Cookeville: 1-877-567-6051

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

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

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

Pine Ridge, 2800 Westside Drive, Cleveland: 423-339-4100

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

The Ranch, P.O. Box 38, Nunnelly: 1-800-849-5969

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

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 steve.wildsmith@thedailytimes.com or at 981-1144.