Sober Home Bill Unlawful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) December 28, 2006 -- Saying we live in a free country seems to be more of a slogan these days, rather than a reality. After reading the December 21st article in Newsday on the bill proposing a pilot program to regulate sober homes in Suffolk, it became apparent that our country is becoming less free each year.

What right does the State of New York have to regulate the manner in which people live in their own home? Sober homes don't provide clinical care or treatment of any kind. They're merely a place for recovering addicts to live and support each other. The problem isn't with sober homes, it's the perception of the people who live in them. This bill is a desperate attempt to eliminate services for people trying to get better.

The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) is a corrupt and negligent agency that is out of touch with reality. Its Commissioner, Henry Zwack, has unjustifiably eliminated services that have been helping people with their addiction for years. Up until February of this year, Crossings Recovery Centers, was the largest provider of outpatient substance abuse treatment and sober housing on Long Island. OASAS unjustly shut down Crossings for frivolous reasons and as a result, the alcohol and drug problem on Long Island has significantly worsened. Statistics indicate that DWIs and drug related deaths are at an all-time high. However, no one seems to realize that maybe it might be because OASAS wrongfully shut down the largest rehab center in our area.

The sober home bill is a pathetic display of discrimination against recovering addicts, elaborately disguised as an attempt to make things better. The truth is, it's just politicians' way of avoiding public hysteria. Why are there so many sober homes popping up all over Long Island? The answer is simple...because they're desperately needed and they work!