Cold turkey kicks

Addington House addiction counsellor
says the best way to get off any drug,
including weed, is to just stop doing it

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Gerry Sidel

Age: 62

Occupation: Drug/alcohol dependency counsellor

Bio: This Côte-St-Luc stud had been working as a mental health therapist when called upon by a lawyer buddy of his to assess one of his clients, a dope addict who was facing time for various drug-related criminal activities. After playing a major role in creating the jurisprudence that now often sends criminal addicts to rehab rather than prison, Gerry started offering his services to a local rehab facility and became “intrigued” by the issue of addiction, eventually earning his certification as an alcohol and drug dependency counsellor and opening up Addington House in the summer of 1990. A small facility that houses no more than 12 people at a time, they are whole-heartedly committed to the 12-step approach to recovery, being “very closely aligned” with the big three support groups, Cocaine, Alcohol and Narcotics Anonymous, while placing a strong emphasis on after-care once clients leave their facility. “We’re also the only English facility in Quebec that’s been certified by the Ministry of Health.” If you or somebody you care about is strung out and this approach to sobriety seems like it just might be the ticket, go to addingtonhouse.com or call (514) 483-3869.

Something Gerry feels very strongly about: That cannabis isn’t nearly as benign as most believe. “When I was in university, the average THC levels were three per cent, now it’s 30 per cent or better. It’s highly addictive, most definitely a gateway drug, a lethal, horrible, highly destructive drug that should never be decriminalized. I see what it does to people every day.”

Has anyone ever checked themselves into Addington House strictly to address their “addiction” to reefer? “Well, let’s say they’ve checked in primarily for marijuana. After a while, you usually discover there are other substances as well.”

Something no heroin addict wants to hear about the preferred method of detoxing at Addington House: They generally employ the time-tested cold turkey approach. “We don’t want to relieve the full impact of withdrawal because we want people to remember what it was like so maybe they won’t do it again. Besides, that’s nonsense, you don’t treat addicts with drugs. We don’t believe in methadone here. Our approach to drug addiction is abstinence, full recovery, not the harm reduction model. Anyway, the severe withdrawal generally only lasts a few days and sometimes it’s okay to not feel so good for a while. I have problems with facilities that try to make it easy for you.”

What it costs to straighten up via Addington House: $15k for a minimum three month stay.”

What kind of a drug addict has an extra $15k lying around to spend on getting straight? “Over 90 per cent of addicts are checked in by somebody else, not on their own initiative. It’s usually these people who are paying.”

Do people ever relapse and come back going, “Hey, I’m still fucked up, gimme my money back, I need that cash to get high!” “No, and we offer no guarantees to begin with.”

Last book read: The Devil’s Punchbowl, by Greg Iles.

Musical preferences: Beatles, Stones, Paul Simon.

Words of wisdom: “If something is right and nobody’s doing it, it’s still right. And if something is wrong and everybody’s doing it, it’s still wrong.”

Comments: dimwit@hdot.net