The way out of addiction to alcohol and drugs is accountability, Jamie Westervelt told Iola Rotarians Thursday. Westervelt is a counselor at Preferred Family Healthcare, 726 W. Patterson Ave. The private company offers counseling in alcohol and drug abuse as well as mental health and domestic violence counseling.
Most of her cases are referrals from the court system. “We seldom have walk-ins,” Westervelt said.
She had a role in the development of Allen County’s drug court, including counseling now done online. Drug court means to keep offenders in the mainstream and working, rather than incarcerated.
“Drug court is about accountability,” she said, with the objective to make those who have abused drugs and alcohol productive citizens.
“We want them to find a job and be proud to have one,” Westervelt said, and also understand the advantage of not being involved in drugs or abusive levels of alcohol. “We’re also looking for people (employers) who are willing to take a chance and hire someone who has been in the court system.”
Part of the battle is education, she said, making those who have fallen into trouble understand that staying clean and being productive is a better way of life.
The light bulb does pop on occasionally. Westervelt said some offenders are so proud of having a clean urine or drug test that “they frame it and put it up on the wall.”
Drug court is working to the point that some clients tell Westervelt they’ve never before been held so accountable. They know full well a slip-up means jail time.
While she strives to change lifestyles, Westervelt knows the likelihood of relapse is extremely high. “That’s something you have to accept, but I also work with clients to have a plan for what to do when it happens,” she said.
Her patience has limits.
“I’m done when they keep blaming everyone else for their problems,” she said. “I’m not their friend, not their mother, I’m their counselor.”
With drug court in place, Westervelt’s workload has increased. When she joined Preferred Family Healthcare, she had 10 cases.
“Now I have about 25,” Westervelt said.
A REPORT compiled from interviews with students in sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th grades locally and statewide led to statistics that Westervelt shared.
In a three- to five-year trend, use of smokeless tobacco, marijuana, prescription stimulants, cocaine/crack, methamphetamine and heroin has increased, the study showed, while alcohol use and cigarettes have declined.
“Heroin is making a comeback, along with cocaine and crack,” Westervelt said, with about one in 200 students here having said they had tried heroin and 1.43 percent cocaine/crack.
Though it has declined, alcohol consumption still tops the list at 27.8 percent among students. Cigarette use is second at 10.38 percent. In drug abuse, marijuana leads the way at 8.78 percent.
Westervelt on front lines against drugs
