i also look at the location where people want to put a bunch of drug addicts right in the middle of annunciation , roosevelt and pineridge schools , with the low income housing not far .
Perhaps we could look at Vancouver’s solution for moving “undesireables” from the Robson Street area…? (That was said with tongue in cheek - sometimes that doesn’t translate well in written form)…
True story,
Fellow worker had a serious drinking problem, company sent him to rehab 3 times in Vancouver. Nice guy, honest, hard working etc. etc.
Guy did great at the rehab programs, however he arrived back at the airport in PR
very drunk each time.
At the final disciplinary meeting he was told make a choice, liquor or your job.
It was at that point he spilled his guts and told the personnel mgr that he was terrified of flying,
long story short he bussed both ways to rehab, hasn’t drank in 20 yrs.
theres one case where its good to have a rehab centre in town 
. good story
Decker makes a good point about location. That’s, to me, the difficulty with our city. Everything is so close to each other.
However, Prince Rupert’s need won’t be the reason a drug treatment centre comes here anyways. The argument must be based on the regional need. Terrace, Smithers, Haida Gwaii, Kitimat and the Hazeltons all could use a closer location than Prince George and so I feel the Northwest, rather than Prince Rupert, would be the best argument.
The “old” acropolis manor to me would serve some purpose and it need not only be for detox – though that is the need that jumps out. How about a men’s shelter or a doctor’s office? How about regional mental health centre or an after-care location? Perhaps a parking lot is desired but I’m not certain how many people in town would suggest that.
i think if anything it should be knocked down. and thats where mussalums idea for a joint police/fire/amubulance station should be . close to the hospital and main roads is perfect
In my original post the point I was trying to make in my own clumsy way is that the new manor will not give us any more capacity than the old one when you add in patients from the forth floor. This plus the utter stupidity of tearing down a perfectly good building.
I did the post before I got last nights Daily News. This very subject was the lead story. At the conclusion of the article on page three, there was a comment attributed to Michale Hoefer the director of capital planning and support services for Northern Health.
‘In the end, as far as Northern Health is concerned, the price tag is going to be the determining factor AND NOT THE NEED FOR FACILITIES’.
I wish they would use this rule for the Olympics.
It looks like poor little orphan Rupert’s absentee guardians have bought him a new pair of pants that are too small, while his distant cousin George gets new tailored suites.
I have this picture in my mind of fat George sitting in the middle of his playroom surrounded by all his toys with a lollipop in his mouth, and his poor cousin Rupert shivering in the cold with his little bowel whispering “Please Sir, more soup”
CLOCKED OUT Your misspelling of bowl in your last post conjures up an interesting picture
lol
You said it. Freudian slip! At least thats my story.
got to get a proof reader. 
Yes maybe it was. Proof reader on the way.
First of all - addiction (and alcoholism - I put them both together in the word ‘addiction’ because for a true addict it is not about a specific substance) is NEVER ‘cured’. A person can go to detox, then treatment and never abuse another substance in their lives - yet they are STILL an addict for as long as they live. It’s not just a physical affliction; it’s a disease of the mind which brings on the physical aspects.
Now as far as the location goes, I do see your point. The detox center in PG is very tightly controlled; it’s not like there are freshly detoxed addicts wandering around the area where the building is. I would assume that such a facility here would be the same. The same goes for most treatment centers out there.
But as someone pointed out, no matter where you put it in Rupert it’s going to be ‘too close’ to something for everyone. People get all in a snit when the subject of a substance abuse center comes up and where to put it, yet some houses in this town are less than a foot apart where someone in one house might be abusing a substance while their next door neighbour has no idea.
As for not wanting the facility here - those people in active addiction will look for any excuse or loophole to not get help, and the fact that the closest detox is 8 hours away is a fantastic one. 
[quote=“kaleid”]
First of all - addiction (and alcoholism - I put them both together in the word ‘addiction’ because for a true addict it is not about a specific substance) is NEVER ‘cured’. A person can go to detox, then treatment and never abuse another substance in their lives - yet they are STILL an addict for as long as they live. It’s not just a physical affliction; it’s a disease of the mind which brings on the physical aspects.[/quote]
That’s not really true. All you have to do is train yourself to not be dependant on the drug anymore. Drugs don’t actually alter your brain–they just change the rate at which certain neurotransmitters are released, or increase the number of receptors open for a certain type of neurotransmitter. Not to make light of drug or alcohol abuse, but ‘addiction’ isn’t the unbeatable, untamable monster it’s made out to be.
My biggest concern isn’t location, or even cost–it’s (for lack of a better word) usership. Do we really have enough hardcore substance abusers in this town to merit that many beds and that much staff? It seems like it might be more prudent for a town our size to deal with addiction on a case by case basis–even if it means they end up heading to the ER. I know that won’t do anything to actually solve any widespread addiction issues, but I just don’t see how we could justify taking money from somewhere else in the Northwest to keep an old building running for a small number of patients. Despite some people suggesting Prince George is hording the money–I’d rather see a drug clinic there than here… best bang for the buck.
This would be for victims, users from the North West region, Prince George is a long way to go, this would be used very well I believe and it could address the issues of addiction for many.
Ok I’ll see if I can be a little more clear. Yes, it is true - the obsession, the compulsion, the self centeredness - all of those aspects NEVER go away. Yes, with treatment and as you so ‘bluntly’ put it ‘training of thyself’. Very few addicts can train themselves alone and succeed in staying clean/sober. There are definitely those that can, but as I understand it, it’s pretty rare.
An addict in active addiction is completely consumed by the obsession and the compulsion to use. The moment they wake up until they go to sleep (if they DO sleep) the thought of their substance of choice is prevalent. The getting, the using and the finding ways and means to get more. Once the addict is clean and sober, and if they are not taking care of themselves (physically, psychologically, spiritually) it is incredibly easy to slip back into active addiction. This is not to say that it is a certainty that WILL happen, but it is definitely a possibility.
Drugs don’t alter your brain? Are you serious? Wow. Yes, the brain chemistry is altered like you suggest, but there is no way to predict whether this change will be permanent. Drugs of abuse change the way an abuser’s brain works. Some of those changes might last for minutes, but other changes may be permanent. Brain cells may be killed or damaged. Damaged neuron fibers may grow back, but not exactly as they were. An abuser’s brain may never be the same - or function exactly the same way - again. An overdose can cause someone to have a seizure which can also drastically affect brain function. Don’t believe me? That’s ok, that’s your choice. But have a look at the late Hunter S Thompson, Ozzy Osbourne and Keith Richards - can you honestly say you think their brains haven’t been altered? Maybe you can, but it is desperately short sighted and ignorant. (IMHO)
They should keep the old Acropolis and relocate the Health office from the Ocean Center mall and the Doctors on the second floor. Keep everything in one central location and save thousands on leasing mall space every month.
You are right Eccentric that we don’t have the population here to justify a Prince Rupert drug rehab centre. I do think the region is large enough, though. When you include Kitimat, Hockeyville, Smithers, Haida Gwaii, Oona River etc. you start seeing how a regional centre could justifiably exist. Even if there isn’t the population size, the per capita drinking and drug abuse is about par or higher here than in Vancouver or Victoria and much higher than in a place like Kelowna or Kamloops.
However, to add to a previous comment, you don’t just train yourself not to consume drugs as an addict. If you could do that you more than likely would not be addicted. In fact you could be considered a casual user since your dependency would be based on fleeting desire rather than absolute musts. That’s not an addict, though.
An addict wakes up every morning and tells himself or herself “today is the day I change, today is the day I say no.” And by the end of the day that message has turned to a lie because the addict could never say no.
We see it everyday in our alley behind the office. You just won’t reach these people with “positive” thinking. There has to be support.
So right you are Baker Writer, I appreciate your comments of this issue and yes there are enough people to use such a program after all these years of suffering and having to go to PG or even Alberta some time. We must address this now because as I have said before they are getting younger and the dealers do not give a shit and I would question if Council does. I would put money on it that the Liberals do not care.
Very true! Addiction is not a casual state of mind that can easily be overcome by willpower alone.
This makes me think you haven’t had much experience or exposure to the disease.
Maybe tune in to “Intervention” on A&E.
When your loved one is dealing with addiction it does indeed seem like an unbeatable, and untamable monster.
Your ignorance is unbelievable and disgusting. Maybe one day when one of your family members struggles with addiction you might change your tune. It is attitudes like yours that deter people that are struggling with alcoholism or drug abuse not to get help they need. I would not wish dealing with this disease on anybody but maybe if you saw it first hand your attitude would change. Most people who struggle with addictions are the ones who would give ANYTHING to change their lives and stop hurting the ones they love. They do not live each day happy that they are addicted to a substance. Open your eyes and stop being so ignorant.
Eccentric doesn’t know how to not be ignorant, it’s too easy to be un informed. And too easy to start typing before thinking about what’s being typed about.