Special report: Living with addiction in Beertown USA

The population in Bend has been growing, and so has the number of breweries. But for those who suffer from alcohol addiction, the constant reminder can be tormenting.

It’s on every corner — in barber shops, bike stores and even while you shop.

But not everyone is thrilled by the fact that Bend has become a beer town.

Just around the corner from Bend’s bustling beer scene lies the darker side of alcohol.

“My bottom, for me, was sitting on the floor with a gun in my mouth, tasting the cold barrel, that taste of gunpowder,” said recovering alcoholic Jeff Lake.

In 1994, Lake spent a year in the sobriety program at Serenity Lane.

“And then life threw some curve balls. And I didn’t stay close to the program, and then battled relapse the last several years,” Lake said recently.

The traveling salesman found himself back in the inpatient program at the beginning of this year.

“I needed to be shut down from the world,” Lake said.

Joellen Billington of Serenity Lane said, “It is at every function that happens in our community there’s some kind of alcohol that’s supporting it.”

Serenity Lane focuses on helping those who struggle with alcohol addiction.

Eventually, it will kill you,” Lake said. “You know, to me, the addiction part of it is the enemy — and it will eventually take you out.”

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether an addict lives in Central Oregon or not. The disease can afflict a person anywhere.

“It’s something that we just have to have a coping skill around, because you can’t really avoid it,” Billington said. “It’s everywhere — in front of us, around us.”

Although a portion of state funding goes toward recovery, it’s still not enough.

According to the OLCC website, the net state revenue for liquor and marijuana taxes for the biennium of 2013 through 2015 was $435.5 million, with only about 4 percent of that allocated toward mental health, alcoholism and drug services.

“What I found out from the state commission is that we do focus more on rehab than prevention,” said state Rep. Gene Whisnant, R-Sunriver.

But due to tight budgets, the ability for more money to be put toward alcohol abuse is at a standstill.

“Every year, we come in and talk about more money for alcohol, drug and mental health,” Whisnant said. “And I’m sorry to say it’s doesn’t get the funding it usually needs or deserves.”

The sale of alcohol does help the economy in other ways.

“It helps in tourism, as you said, it provides good jobs,” Whisnant said.

One of the hardest parts for those struggling with alcohol is criticism.

“And so for the community to change that judgment. and to know that we may have that background but you most definitely can change also, and judging — it’s got to stop somewhere,” Billington said.

Lake’s story is one that serves as a reminder of the everyday struggle addicts face.

“Somehow, by the grace of God, I didn’t pull that trigger,'” he said.

With the legalization of marijuana, Serenity Lane also has been focusing its efforts on marijuana abuse. Joellen Billington tells us marijuana dependency is treated similarly to alcohol dependency. You can learn more at serenitylane.org.