"Our society would rather lock people up than help them," said Glen Lambert, director of Odyssey House, when he spoke to the November meeting of the Humanists of Utah. Director Lambert said treatment programs for substance abusers is under vicious attack, make it more and more difficult to convince public and private agencies to allot sufficient funds to provide effective treatment. Lambert said he gets his incentives to continue fighting for funds from the positive attitudes of the abusers enrolled in the Odyssey House program. "They teach me every day that it takes great courage to live," continued Lambert, "and for them to face the kind of issues they face and overcome every day is an inspiration to me."

According to Lambert, substance abuse is a serious problem in our society, because so many of us seek relief from every tension with a pill, nicotine or caffeine. Our many social problems - poverty, homelessness, mental illness, child abuse and crime - have substance abuse as the number one contributing factor. And the number one problem of substance abusers is low self-esteem.

The Odyssey House program is designed to restore self-esteem, realistic values and healthy coping skills.

Two Odyssey House residents, Pat and Paul, joined Lambert at the podium to briefly summarize their stories of substance abuse, and express their appreciation for the program that restore their self-confidence and their abilities to face the daily challenges of life without the artificial help of mood altering substances.

--Flo Wineriter