Addiction

New abuse
program has
out-patient
treatment

NORTH SHORE residents
seeking help for substance
abuse, but who do not want
lo take time off work for
treatment, now have a place
to go in North Vancouver.

By Surj Rattan
News Reparter

Jack Jackson is the founder of
the Elan Experience, which first
started operations in Surrey and
has now moved to North Van-
couver.

Jackson says the biz difference
between his program and other
substance abuse treatment centres
is that therapy is delivered on an
out-patient basis.

“*There’s no one else doing thar,
and I think you have to look at
how that came about. Traditional-
ly, substance abuse programs were
done in residentia! settings. That
goes a long way back, back to the
1950s," says Jackson, who has
been in the substance abuse
business for over 20 years.

“*At that time, people goine for
treatment were people, who by
and large, had reached way down
on the scale of addiction and the
most appropriate treatment for
them was residential.”’

Jackson adds that over the
years, wilh the introduction of
employee assistance programs and
public awareness programs, people
began to sealize that while they
may have had a subsiance abuse
problem for years, they sull ‘Shad
a lot going for them,” such as a
good marriage and a steady job.

“They still had a support
system in place and they're. still
functional people, but yet at one
point they say: ‘Look, } want to

yt hp hats

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

JACK JACKSON, founder of the Elan Experience, has now set up shop in North Vancouver to heip treat people with substance abuse
problems. The Elan Experience works on an out-patient basis.

deal with this (addiction) now."
“What we're saying is treatment
for people who are on the middle
of the addiction scale is just as
viable, and perhaps more so,
delivered on an out-patient basis,"’
says Jackson. “Hm not talking
about out-patient counseling, that
Once & week thing that is neces-
sary for people in the maintenance
of their sobriety, but in the devel-
opment of their sobriety, an in-
tensive out-patient program is
what we're saying is working.”*
Jackson adds that the key ic the

success of the oul-patient treat-
ment program is that the Elan
Experience keeps the addicted
person in) his or her ‘‘environ-
ment’* rather than in an
“asylum” type of institution.

Another important part of the
Elan Experience, says Jackson, is
that the spouse of the addicted
person attends the program
because substance abuse is more
than one person’s preblem, it is a
family problem.

“From an out-patient’s point of
view, | think we can work better

°Marese _
Jean Bourget -

reation Stummer

“Plus many; m

with the family than vou can in a
residential setting,"" he says.
Jackson says the Elan Experi-
ence includes both group and in-
dividual counseling. The group
participation calls for §2 hours of
group involvement over a four-
week period. It requires a person

to participate for three evenings a
week and Saturday mornings, for
a total of 15 hours each week.

The one-to-one program = can
vary depending on the type of
ueatment required. Phone 980-
8499,

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