Two Steps Back

Noelle Bush, daughter of Florida Governor Jeb Bush, was placed
under custody on October 17, 2002, for 10 days after she was found in
possession of crack cocaine while undergoing treatment in a drug
rehabilitation center. The highly publicized case highlights the
difficulties faced in treating drug addiction. Even after successfully
completing a treatment program, recovering addicts face a lifetime of
recuperation.

Treatment programs are designed to be effective over the long-term.
In rehab, addicts are taught about the life span of drug abuse, such as
its progressive nature and debilitating effects. Intensive psychological
therapy is also implemented to help addicts understand how poor mental
health can perpetuate addiction.

After 18 years of working in the field of addiction in Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania, Sandra Davis, Ph.D., remarks that achieving full remission
may mean finding new friends and new hobbies while leaving all of the old
behind. "What you are saying to a person is, 'Oh, by the way, you are
going to have change your whole life when you leave here,'" says
Davis.

Thus far, Noelle Bush has apparently been unsuccessful in
rebuilding her life. She was first admitted to the drug rehabilitation
center in January after a failed attempt to forge a prescription for
anti-depressants. This is her second incarceration since her enrollment
in the treatment program.