Editorial

Good people, good ideas

There’s a lot of bad news out there these days about alcohol and drugs. But there’s good news too.
Dedicated, caring people are making a positive difference in people’s lives every day. Sometimes – as in the story of ‘Jim’ in this week’s Leader – the difference is enough to help someone kick an addiction altogether. These successes are worth acknowledging.
It does sometimes seem that things are only getting worse. And it’s true that there’s an awful lot of misuse and abuse of alcohol and drugs out there. Drunk driving continues to kill and maim. Kids get hooked on booze or crack cocaine and fall away from school. Some become useless to any purpose but serving their addiction.
Families get hurt. Crimes are committed. Health gets damaged.
Light, however, always shines at the end of the tunnel, for those ready to look for it. In Jim’s case, when he was ready to do something about the huge hole he’d sunk into, there were people available who helped him develop strategies. An experienced addictions counselor, a caring, respectful and open-minded doctor. A Mental Health counselor with a sympathetic ear and sound advice. Jim’s faith community helped him too when he started going to church.
In other cases it’s the dedicated folks at Alcoholics Anonymous who step up to the plate and help somebody beat the addiction. They’ve been through it and they know that what a recovering addict often needs is just somebody to talk to who understands.
An interesting and hopeful aspect of Jim’s story is how much his effort to beat booze was helped by vitamins. For many people, a poor diet goes hand in hand with heavy drinking, and can aggravate symptoms of depression. On a daily diet of nothing but Coke, fried fast food and beer, anybody is going to get run down. When you turn that around, your mental outlook tends to improve as well. You feel better about your chances.
Good people and good ideas. They are making a difference in our communities.



Road cash

The way the Alberta government is spending money lately, you’d think Christmas is just around the corner. Or an election.
One thing the province put some cash into recently is resource roads. It’s not a huge amount – just $34 million for the whole province. But some is better than none, and M.D. #124 Reeve Denny Garratt says the M.D. is “hopeful” about the development.
The M.D. is particularly interested in resource road funding, because of all the log hauling that rolls over some of its roads. The Old Smith Highway gets hit particularly hard, and it would benefit from resource road designation. And with Tolko log hauling expected to triple, the case for a by-pass road becomes pretty strong. M.D. taxpayers can’t (and shouldn’t have to) pay entirely for such things themselves, so any improvement in the provincial contribution is good news.