COMING CLEAN

I used to think I was so bad, so cool, so hip, when I was addicted. Now those are the last things on my mind. I’m a mother, a wife, a student, a friend, a volunteer and a good neighbor. I’m just growing up now, even though I’m 37; I lost 15 years.

My experience of six months at Impact in 1972 was one of the worst, if not the worst, long-term experiences of my life. I, like many others after me, went there to stave off jail terms. But the program, being in its early stages, was fraught with in-house staff fighting and turmoil. Impact made an indelible mark on my psyche, one of the most negative to date.

I trust from your article that Impact has changed from the bad old days.

One last comment for the staff of Impact. A reassuring smile or a genuine pat on the back goes a long way. Drug addicts have very low self-esteem, and kind gestures are worth more than a precious diamond to us.

MELODEY LYNCH-SALEH

Pacific Palisades