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NIMBY

© Mike Gowen

For the past few weeks I have watched a skirmish develop into an all out war between an organization named FIRST or the Forsyth Initiative for Residential Self-Help Treatment and some local folks in Wilkes County here in North Carolina. It seems that FIRST crept into the neighborhood when no one was looking and bought a 93-acre farm. The objective of this covert operation was to begin another chapter in the story of a remarkable organization that is helping people recover from drug addiction. They may just as well have hung up Helter Skelter signs and ran ad campaigns promoting Charles Manson for mayor. NIMBY (not in my backyard) strikes again.

As the parent of a child who is struggling to overcome substance abuse issues this situation greatly saddens me. The resources to help people with substance abuse are extremely limited. I'm not going to use this as a forum to throw stones but I do wonder if the good people of Wilkes County have honestly looked at the FIRST program before passing judgement. If they did they would see ordinary people struggling to overcome a problem with much to contribute to the community rather than a bunch of drug addicts bringing nothing but trouble. Was it not Jesus himself (since we are in the Bible belt) who said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone". There have been some colorful debates in our Winston-Salem newspaper between opponents of FIRST and supporters. When one supporter asked the question "What would Jesus do?" - an opponent wrote back a response suggesting that Jesus would do just as they did. Maybe I missed something in one of the newer translations of the Bible but my impression of Jesus is much different.

If more programs like FIRST existed than perhaps I would have been able to get my child help faster. However when I see the resistance that programs like FIRST encounter from the very people who may one day need their services-I understand why programs are few. Parents, if you have never had a child, a niece or nephew, child of a friend, etc., who has dealt with drug addiction I applaud you. I also suggest that you thank the Almighty for your good fortune. As Granny would say, "What goes around comes around". If you have an opportunity to help and make a difference for one of these programs I implore you to do so.