School for young addicts based in AA philosophy
After helping alcoholics recover from the bottle for more than 60 years, Fairbanks Hospital is ready to try a surprising new tactic -- a charter school.
With the blessing of Mayor Bart Peterson's charter board, Recovery High will offer the state's first school solely dedicated to students who want to stay free of drug and alcohol abuse.
Initially using temporary facilities on the Fairbanks campus near Community Hospital North at I-465 and I-69, the high school won't be a place for young people to recuperate from a weekend hangover.
The Fairbanks people mean business when they talk about recovery. Students and parents will sign a contract for the student to abstain from drugs and drinking and to attend at least two Alcoholics Anonymous meetings a week. To protect the school's culture and values, they also will pledge to report any other student using drugs or alcohol.
"This is not an alternative school for kids that get suspended," says Rachelle Gardner, who will head the school and directs Fairbanks' current work with young people. "It's a school for kids who are committed to staying clean and staying in recovery."
The serious side of the school will be mixed with love and support, and Fairbanks officials don't expect they'll have to recruit hard to fill the student body, projected to reach 120 students after five years. They expect a demand for a boarding school dorm for students from around the state and will raise money to build a new school building.
Why do alcohol and drug abusers need their own school? "The biggest reason for an adolescent to relapse is from the school environment," says Fairbanks President Helene Cross.
"When we talk to parents about Recovery High, you can see relief come over their faces," Gardner adds. "They won't have to worry about their using friends or that temptation."
One unusual feature is a 10 a.m. starting time. That's based on research indicating that teens seldom get enough sleep.
Fairbanks takes the motto "experts in addictions, focused on recovery." The facility has stuck with its traditional emphasis on Alcoholics Anonymous, recommending 90 AA meetings in the first 90 days after treatment. The AA tradition likely accounts for the hospital's endurance and survival as other insurance-based facilities for alcohol abusers have gone out of business or dwindled.
Cost-cutting in insurance reimbursement has reduced the time allowed for treatment. Remove AA from that equation and relapse rates tend to soar. Not every alcoholic stays sober right away through AA meetings. Yet it's usually a disaster for those who try to bypass AA by attempting to sober up on their own strength.
"Our first class is called recovery management," says Gardner. "In AA they call it their home group. They know these people."
The school will be modeled after the Sobriety High School in Minnesota. There are about 20 similar high schools around the country.
Recovery High School isn't faith-based in the normal sense. But there is a faith and values emphasis in the AA tradition, including a fearless moral inventory and making amends to those who have been wronged. Most of the 12 steps are paraphrased from the Bible.
The charter school approach to fight alcohol abuse is new. But Alcoholics Anonymous has been tested for several generations and could make this experiment one of the most interesting of the city's charter school initiatives.
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