Sober Home Bill Unlawful

The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services acts irresponsibly by considering legislation that would regulate Sober Homes.

It's a free country...or is it? 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.

The article indicates that the pilot program would regulate recovery homes and that it would limit the number of occupants living in these types of residences. The fact is, most of the sober homes on Long Island are fine. Sober homes are "independent living residences" for individuals in recovery from some type of substance abuse addiction. What right does the government, whether it be local, state or federal, have to regulate the manner in which people live in their own home? Sober homes don't provide clinical care or any type of treatment. They are merely for the purpose of providing a sober support system to people who don't have that type of structure.

The problem isn't with the sober homes on Long Island, it's with the perception of sober homes and the people who live in them. There is such a horrible stigma attached to substance abusers. No one wants a house on their block with a bunch of recovering addicts in it. This bill is a desperate attempt to eliminate services for people trying to recover from an addiction. Politicians and the general public think that if they eliminate these types of homes, alcoholics and drug addicts will just disappear. Wake up Long Island! They're everywhere. You see them in the bank, at the supermarket, in the post office at 7Eleven, etc. Just because a home is labeled a "sober home" doesn't mean that's the only place where addicts live.

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 on Long Island. Henry Zwack and OASAS unjustly shut down the agency for frivolous reasons and as a result, the alcohol and drug problem has significantly worsened on Long Island. DWIs and alcohol/drug related deaths are at an all-time high. None of the Newsday articles describing the increase in substance abuse problems on Long Island have mentioned that maybe it might be because OASAS wrongfully shut down the largest agency that was helping people.

Crossings Recovery Centers had sober homes that helped many people. They took in homeless people off the street, gave them food and a safe place to live. By the time they had completed their treatment program, they were healthy, employable, addiction free and ready to live normal lives. This wouldn't have been possible without the partnership of sober housing and addiction treatment. The community has got to stop trying to ostracize substance abusers. They need help just like anyone else suffering from a different type of disease or illness. The sober home bill is a pathetic display of discrimination, elaborately disguised as an attempt to make things better. However, the truth is, it's just politicians way of defusing 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!

The fair housing act stipulates that unrelated individuals living in the same residence who share the same common interest (in this case, recovery) are to be considered an unconventional family. In no other circumstance did politicians step in and suggest that conventional families and households should be regulated in any way. Of course not, that would be ridiculous. Well, the sober home bill is the same thing.

The Nassau/Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless states that there are about 40,000 homeless people on Long Island, most of which are homeless because of some type of underlying substance abuse and/or mental health condition. Statistics also indicate that most crimes are committed by substance abusers. The solution...give these people the tools they need to overcome their addiction problems. The result...less crime, more healthy people, safer communities. Some one needs to step in and realize the harm that Henry Zwack and OASAS has caused to Long Island by shutting down a respectful agency like Crossings Recovery Centers. It's almost like someone let the dog off the leash in Albany.