Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Step by step to sobriety: Addicts find freedom and family through a housing program

Freedom House Open House

L.E. Baskow

Andrew Keeler kisses his son Valen, 1, with partner Marie Chitwood nearby as they await the start of the Freedom House 8th Anniversary Open House event on Wednesday, Nov 29, 2017.

Freedom House Open House

Andrew Keeler offers thanks and praise to those who helped turn his life around during the Freedom House 8th Anniversary Open House event on Wednesday, Nov 29, 2017. Launch slideshow »

Did you know?

Nevada ranked sixth nationally for the number of milligrams of opioids distributed per adult, according to a 2016 study by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

About Freedom House

• What: A sober-living housing program that fills the gap between rehab centers and normal life; the housing incorporates three main programs: 12 steps, case management, and job readiness.

• Where: 3852 Palos Verdes St.

• Contact: 702-485-1300

• Donate: Through monetary donations, you can help provide scholarships to those who can’t afford to attend the center. Call to find out other ways to donate.

WHAT IS ADDICTION?

The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as a primary and chronic disease of dysfunctional neurology impacting reward, motivation and memory circuitry. These dysfunctional circuits manifest in the pursuit of rewards or relief through substance abuse pathologically.

“The biggest problem with people understanding addiction is that they think the problem is the drugs. The drugs are actually the solution for most addicts,” said recovering addict Andrew Keeler. “The problem is the addict himself; it’s our minds. We can’t cope with life in a normal fashion.”

How many people misuse drugs?

According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH):

• An estimated 11.8 million Americans misused opioids in 2016

• 11.5 million people misused pain relievers

• 948,000 Americans were heroin users

• Locally: From 2013 to 2015, opioid misuse and abuse accounted for more than 1,700 emergency visits and inpatient hospitalization in Clark County, according to the Southern Nevada Health Improvement plan.

The Treatment Gap

The treatment gap refers to the number of people who need substance abuse treatment but don’t have access to it. According to the 2016 NSDUH study:

• In 2016, nearly 1 in 10 Americans 12 and older had used illicit drugs in the past 30 days.

• That number jumped to almost 1 in 4 for young adults between the ages of 18 to 25.

• About 1 in 13 Americans 12 and older needed treatment for addiction.

• About 1 in 7 Americans among young adults 18 to 25 needed treatment for addiction.

• Only 10.6 percent of those 12 years or older who needed treatment actually received it in the past year.

An EMT found Andrew Keeler next to a North Las Vegas dumpster in mid-November 2015, his body turning blue, his mind gone. He was dying from his addiction.

Keeler had inched closer to joining the 619 people who died in Nevada from drug overdoses that year. Nevada ranks 15th in the nation in drug overdose death rate, according to the most recent information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Two years later, on Nov. 29, Keeler spoke to the Las Vegas community about how Freedom House, a sober-living housing program, helped him beat his addiction and find a family. The organization brought the community together to discuss addiction in Nevada and celebrate the eighth anniversary of its transitional living program, and first anniversary of its residential program. Both programs collaborate with drug courts in local municipalities to prevent addicts from serving prison time, while also offering affordable access to addiction recovery services.

Keeler, 34, had attempted to become sober many times at many different transitional living housings, but his time at Freedom House, one of Southern Nevada’s few nonprofit rehabilitation centers, was different.

Keeler’s addictions varied; he started drinking and smoking marijuana at a young age. Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., he moved to Las Vegas to live with his mother and get sober 15 years ago.

“And I did — it just took a lot longer than I expected,” Keeler said.

His addictions progressed as he aged, switching booze and pot for pills and, eventually, heroine. The transition started innocently enough. After he caught the flu, his girlfriend at the time gave him one of her prescription pills to ease his symptoms.

“I liked it, and decided to chase that feeling a little bit more,” he said. “I didn’t even realize what synthetic opioids were. I didn’t realize they were basically a smaller dose of heroin. I continued to take them, more and more, not realizing I was addicted. And by the time I realized what was going on, I was OK with it.”

After that EMT saved him, a judge from one of Nevada’s drug courts gave Keeler a choice: seek treatment or go to prison. Keeler chose treatment at Freedom House, where he attended the transitional living program through a scholarship the first month.

Freedom House helped Keeler find work setting up its new residential program to help pay for his second month.

Shortly after, Keeler learned his longtime girlfriend was pregnant.

“When I found out I was going to be a dad at three months sober, yeah, that’s kind of a scary thing to go through, and they were all there for me. To this day, I talk to every one of them on at least a weekly basis,” Keeler said of Freedom House staff.

“I was terrified, and I had a lot of talks with Jeff (Iverson, the president and CEO of Freedom House). He just kept telling me, ‘This is the greatest experience of your life. It’s terrifying and it’s hard, but it’s incredibly rewarding.’ ”

Keeler helped prepare the facility for Freedom House’s anniversary celebration, which included Las Vegas City Councilman Stavros Anthony, state Sen. Scott Hammond, Assemblyman Nelson Araujo and state Treasurer Dan Schwartz.

“My son is 1 year old now. He has never had to see me high or using,” Keeler said to the crowd.

After sharing his story, Keeler maneuvered through the crowd and hoisted his son, Valen, onto his hip.

“Truthfully, there’s never any moment where you know you’re going to be sober,” Keeler said. “It’s a day-by-day thing.

“You wake up every morning and pray that you’re going to stay sober. You do the work that’s necessary to keep yourself on the right path, but I don’t know what’s going to happen 10 years from now.”

Addressing the problem

• Nationwide: The United States has one of the world’s harshest drug policies, according to a 2012 Stanford University report. It also has the highest prison population in the world, according to the International Centre for Prison Studies.

Nearly half of the federal prison population is serving time for drug offenses, and 15.7 percent of state prison populations are serving time for drug offenses.

Zero-tolerance policies for drugs have increased the prison population, but there is growing momentum to transition from criminalization to rehabilitation.

• In Nevada: Nevada began its transition in 1992 when it launched its drug court, an alternative program to incarceration for some individuals facing narcotics charges.

Addicts in the program do not have criminal records, as a record could lead to rejection from job applications. The program also prevents the justice system from being overburdened by low-level offenses.

This year, the state’s Interim Finance Committee budgeted $1 million for a five-point plan to address opioid addiction in Nevada. The plan includes preventive and educational programs, and sets aside funds to allow first responders access to Naloxone/Narcan, the reversal drug used for opioid overdoses.

“That’s lost time I can’t replace”

Former U.S. Marine Keith Hinchen spent seven years homeless on the Las Vegas streets, as his addiction to crack cocaine consumed everything in his life — his success, his children and his pride.

On Nov. 29, Hinchen stood in front of a small crowd as a different man, gaining back everything his addiction stole from him. He was the first graduate of Freedom House’s residential living program.

“I couldn’t face (my children),” Hinchen said. “When you’re an addict, you think it’s OK because you’re only hurting yourself, but you’re not just hurting yourself. I didn’t know who I was hurting. I dropped out of their lives, and that’s lost time I can’t replace.”

Now, Hinchen works as a cook at Paris Las Vegas, and reached out to his children, who are now adults, and his estranged brother. He is slowly rebuilding his life.

“Change is scary,” Hinchen said. “I hope the people who hear this story can find the courage to take the first step.”