September is National Alcohol and Drug Recovery Month and who more prominent than singer and actress Lindsay Lohan to remind us that recovery is not a simple process, even for folks who have the financial means and family support to make it so.

Despite her recent repentant behavior and promises that — this time — she’ll stay sober, Lohan just failed a court-ordered drug test.

Tweeting her transgression Friday, she acknowledged “substance abuse is a disease, which unfortunately doesn’t go away overnight.”

It doesn’t. Not for anyone.

Lohan’s struggle has been public, probably more public that she prefers. But, for most people struggling with alcohol or drug addiction and recovery, the fight is private, painful and prolonged. And, there’s no guarantee of success.

Especially when, like with Lohan, the addictions start early.

In Androscoggin County, the problem is profound.

According to the most recent Department of Health and Human Services statistics, more than 100 juveniles are arrested for drug law violations every year. That may not seem extreme but considered per capita, more juveniles — ages 10 to 17 — face drug charges in Androscoggin County than in any other county in the state.

That’s not to say that every teen arrested on a drug charge is an addict, but the arrest rate is certainly a strong indicator of a substantial problem.

The second highest rate of juvenile drug arrests is in Hancock County, followed closely by Franklin County.

When it comes to alcohol violations, Androscoggin County runs in the middle of the pack, with about 1,000 arrests per year. And, again, these arrests are an indicator of a larger problem of alcohol abuse among Maine’s youth.

Statewide, the teen alcohol violations are highest in Washington and Knox counties, and lowest in Lincoln and Oxford counties. Given the rash of teen alcohol parties raided by state and county police in Oxford County in the past year, the fact that Oxford County rates among the lowest for teen alcohol violations is startling.

Teens who drink and drug often become adults who drink and drug, making alcohol, tobacco and drug disorders the seventh-highest ranked cost of illness among 33 diseases and conditions tracked by the National Institutes of Health.

Think this doesn’t affect you?

Think again.

According to Maine’s Office of Substance Abuse:

* Maine’s drug- and alcohol-related crimes (juveniles and adults) in 2005 (latest year statistics are available) cost an estimated $214.4 million, which is $163 per person.

* In 2005, substance abuse cost Maine $898.4 million, or $682 per person.

* That same year, Maine spent $25.2 million to provide treatment for drug and alcohol addictions — of which a whopping 88.3 percent of those dollars came from federal, state and local tax funds.

So, every year every resident of Maine spends well more than $845 to battle substance abuse through public programs and services and to combat alcohol and drug crimes in our police departments, our courts and our jails.

Drug and alcohol addiction may be a personal battle, but it’s also a costly public emergency and has been for a great number of years.

If candidates for the Blaine House want to save money, aggressive public policy to reduce addiction and its associated costs can do that.

editorialboard@sunjournal.com

Parents seeking help for addicted teens, go to 211maine.org for 24-hour access to support services in Maine.

For general help, including locating support groups, go to maine.gov and search “support groups.”

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