Many stories on rehabilitation focus on an alcoholic's downward spiral before finding new life in sobriety. But with that new life comes a quandary — how to fill time once occupied with a bottle with time dedicated to health.

"You have to have something to replace that time, said Lawrence Houston, 48, who once abused alcohol and drugs but today lives clean and sober in suburban Lancaster. "Idle time is the devil's workshop!"

"Go for a walk," agreed Dr. David Hill, a Millersville University professor of psychology, who has also served as an addictions consultant for area treatment centers. "Go to the gym; go to something self-enhancing."

Like Houston, others who have battled addiction have taken up that mantra. They work out, golf, swim, coach, take up yoga, read, meditate and/or pray. They share their past experiences with others. They keep busy setting goals and — as another local man put it — "chasing some dreams." They watch their health, some for the first time in years.

"I didn't even bother with checkups before," said Kenney Randall, 49, of Lancaster. He said he's been sober since January 1999, decades after he had his first drink at 8 years old. Now, he said, "I visit the dentist. I visit the doctor. I get my cholesterol checked. I finally care about myself."

On top of that, "I work out," both at home and at the gym at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Randall said.

"I quit smoking. I changed my diet. I am living healthier than I ever lived in my whole life."

He said he also does "a little jogging" when he can.

"I never thought that would happen," Randall said about re-focusing his time. "That's a good thing ... I thank God for that."

Love for son bursts alcohol's grip
Tara Poole, 35, found both physical and mental well-being after embracing sobriety almost two years ago. She refutes the argument that pursuing a healthy lifestyle is a schedule-consuming commitment.

"You had time to go to happy hour!" said Poole, who works as membership coordinator at the Lancaster YMCA on North Queen Street. She works out there, as well.

Now, she is strong enough in her sobriety to go to a bar and order a soda — an ironic contrast to her past, when she worked in several local establishments as a bartender.

As with many who fall prey to alcohol, Poole tried her first drink young, "about 13 or 14," she said. After college, Poole became co-owner of a small art and furniture business in Lancaster city, bartending at night to pay bills. Her drinking became heavier, and Poole abused other substances, too. After her boyfriend and business partner moved away, "I didn't have anyone to monitor me," she said.

Poole's breaking point came in 2002 after a man with whom she was beginning to develop a serious relationship with died. Poole entered a rehab facility in Maryland; afterward, though, "I slipped a few times," she admitted. "I was testing myself. I was in denial for about four or five months, and then it just hit me — another rock bottom."

Becoming pregnant with her now 2-year-old son helped lead Poole to sobriety. Today, he's one of the positives that keeps her life in focus. She has also rebuilt her financial credit, which was wrecked during her years of substance abuse; and, recently, she was able to buy a car.

"Every step makes you want to keep going," Poole said. "When I drove that car off the lot, I cried."

She admits she doesn't go to organized meetings, such as those hosted by Alcoholics Anonymous.

"Different things work for different people," said Poole, who also takes yoga classes. "Someone could go to a park and walk for a couple of hours. I read; that's how I learned to fill my time. You don't want too much time on your hands."

She also shops, goes to the beach, enjoys the outdoors and going to church, in Poole's case, Lancaster County Bible Church. Like many in recovery, Poole has found wellness for the soul, as well as the body.

Back in the swim
Cindy Drob, 47, who said she has been sober for 2½ years, can relate.

Like Poole, she works at the YMCA, as aquatics director and head swim-team coach. Like Poole, she's happy to be in an environment where people concentrate on health and well-being.

Not to mention being in the familiar. Drob worked at the Y before; but, she said, "I was let go from here.

 "This was my whole life. My life just fell apart.

"I went to other places to work," Drob said. "I just kept losing jobs. I was getting worse. I was getting to be unemployable."

Her downward spiral continued. "Toward the end, I was drinking out of the bottle," Drob recalled.

She sought help from several facilities — "six years, in and out," she said — and found inspiration at New Hope Community Life Ministry in Quarryville. She got a second chance at the YMCA, starting back to basics with lifeguarding. But it was an opportunity for her.

"It was almost like I had died for six years and was gone," Drob said.

Today, she coaches and works out five times a week, either swimming herself or hitting the machines. She also takes her dog, a keeshond named Reggie, on a one-mile walk every day "to keep us both in shape!" she said. She works in her flower garden and bakes, which makes her popular at work. Most importantly, she is the mother of Matthew, 19, and Aimee, 16.

The key, Drob said, is balance. "It is very easy to switch 'one addiction for another,' and exercising, or doing anything to extremes, is a common trait for addicts. Learning to balance all areas of your life is key to recovery." She's also learned to let go, to not push herself to perfection. It was a trait that bedeviled Drob even during her years of drinking.

"When it's time to go home, it's time to go home," she said of life today.

A better course
Home for Lawrence Houston is a suburban house in a well-established neighborhood, which Houston shares with his wife, Pristilla, 47. They've raised four children: sons Lawrence Jr., 32, and Louis, 30; and two daughters, Lacenda, 25, wife of Ghazi Rodgers, and Christina, 18.

"My family stayed together," said Houston, an auditor with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 23 years. He said he's been sober since 1993.

Athletically built, Houston doesn't fit the stereotype of someone once in the grip of substance abuse. He tries to hit the YMCA for a workout "at least five days a week; on occasion, six." He also plays basketball and, outside the Y, fills his remaining free time getting fresh air and exercise playing golf. Lawrence Jr., who was a caddy at Lancaster Country Club, "got me started on golf," said Houston, who today mainly plays at Four Seasons or the Host Resort courses.

In addition to his physical fitness, Houston is also spiritually healthy, as a member of Brightside Baptist Church in Lancaster and as a pastor at First Baptist Church in Temple, near Reading.

Houston started drinking wine when he was 9 years old, on the streets of North Philadelphia. He started smoking marijuana at 12. He became a father in his teens. Then came the cocaine, and extramarital affairs.

That ended when he had something of an epiphany, "my Damascus Road experience," as Houston calls it. He was at "a lady friend's house," he said, "when all of a sudden, I got a conscience again." He said he drove home, overcome by strong feelings of paranoia and "what ifs."

He pulled in front of his house, sat in his car and "cried like a baby," he said. Turning on the radio, he was startled to hear the Commodores song "Jesus is Love" — on a station that wasn't a religious one. Houston took it as a sign. "Jesus, I will serve you if you'll have me," he recalls praying.

Getting clean wasn't an overnight process — Houston gradually eased off cocaine but "still smoked weed. I didn't drink liquor, but I still drank wine," he said. He dropped the latter when he became active in sharing testimony at Brightside. "It wouldn't be good testimony to talk about the Lord and smell like a distillery!" Houston said. As for marijuana, "I called my dealer and said, 'I'm serving the Lord.' He said, 'I understand.' Today he's clean and serving the Lord!"

Lawrence understands it might seem incomprehensible to some that there are people who cannot enjoy a social gathering without some kind of substance stimulation.

"Once it gets a-hold of you, you think that's what it takes to have a good time," he said. "We don't know of other pleasures."

But he has adapted and survived — and socializes in a healthier way.

"I still got my big frosty mug," he said, smiling. "But I put ginger ale into it!"

Helping others helps them
As for his own way of occupying time, Kenney Randall said, "I'm too busy!" In addition to his workouts, he works as a boiler packer for Burnham Corp., and runs his own painting business, Kenney D's.

Part of recovery, MU's Hill said, is making amends, or giving back. To that effect, Randall shares his past experiences twice a week with residents of White Deer Run, an in-patient drug- and alcohol-residential treatment facility in Lancaster. It's where Randall himself found help. "That's when my life began to change," he said.

A fellow alumnus of White Deer Run, "Cat" said she stays centered on healthy living because of her daughter, now 10. "A lot of the energy I have is being a good parent," said Cat, 39, a Millersville woman who did not want her full name published. She said she has been sober for 5½ years.

Her low point came in March 2002, when her daughter, then 4, was taken from her. That's when Cat, who used drugs, as well as alcohol, entered White Deer Run, which was then a co-ed facility and is now an all-male treatment center.

Today, mother and daughter are together, and her child is what keeps Cat busy. As for exercise, "I've tried belly dancing!" she said. She also meditates, on occasion, and mentors other women who have gone through experiences similar to her own.

It's a far cry from her previous life, Cat said. "I didn't know there was any other way to live."

But it's possible. "Set some goals," Kenney Randall advises.

"Start chasing some dreams."

Where to get help
•Alcoholics Anonymous, 1116 Manheim Pike, 394-3238.

•CONTACT, a 24-hour talk hotline, 299-4855.

•Council on Drug & Alcohol Abuse, 630 Janet Ave., 299-2831.

•Drug and Alcohol Commission, 150 N. Queen St., 299-8023.

•Lancaster/Lebanon chapter of Al-Anon, for family and friends of alcoholics, (800) 671-5994.

•Local hospitals.

•Or see the Community & Human Services pages of your telephone directory; look under "Substance Abuse Services" for a listing of many resource agencies.

In addition, a hotline to report underage drinking, establishments serving people under 21, parties or events with underage drinking and buyers of alcohol for people who are underage is available at (888) 863-3721.

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Stephen Kopfinger is a Sunday News staff writer. Contact him at skopfinger@lnpnews.com or at 291-8799.
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