COMING CLEAN

You are to be congratulated on bringing the heartache of recovery to your readers in “Coming Clean” (July 29). More important is making them aware that recovery is possible.

Author Marita Hernandez is to be complimented on such an in-depth study. However, I felt the article didn’t clearly emphasize the positive aspects of coming clean and also needs some clarification.

Seventy-five percent of Impact’s services are free to the person who cannot afford treatment. Four of the six people in the article are clean and sober as of the writing of this letter. The article dramatized and focused on some isolated situations--signs, handcuffs, et cetera--that in reality rarely occur.

The author could have mentioned her visit to a completion ceremony for the 60 people who joined almost 10,000 other Impact alumni on a new road to life.

Impact is one of the toughest and most respected programs in the country, not just Los Angeles. This is because of its uncompromising commitment to dealing with a living problem, not just a drug problem.

Yes, recovery is difficult but not impossible. It is unfair to those who face the struggle every day to imply that a new start in life is not possible and only filled with heartache. Many are succeeding “one day at a time,” bringing joy to themselves and their families. They know that recovery is possible with proper treatment and support.

JOSEPH S. SILVERMAN

PRESIDENT, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, IMPACT

Pasadena