PERHAPS the biggest problem faced by Corner House in raising the money it needs to scrap an old building and build a new one is that too many people still think of alcohol or drug addiction as a moral failing, rather than a medical problem. To their way of thinking, addicts are weak people who put personal pleasure before all else in the world.
Follow that line of reasoning to its logical conclusion and there would be little reason for society to support treatment programs for addicts or halfway houses such as Corner House. The only treatment that addicts would need would be a strong dose of moral censure to shame them into sobriety.
But moral censure does nothing to quell the physical and mental craving that drives full-blown addiction. Pursed lips and icy stares cannot change the genetic makeup of people whose bodies are disposed to dependence on drugs or alcohol.
If addiction was merely a matter of pleasure-seeking, there would soon be no addicts. There is nothing pleasurable about addiction. Each drink, shot or snort provides not pleasure, but — at best — temporary relief from mental and physical agony.
For the addict, addiction becomes a tangled knot of physical cravings, shame and despair. That knot is difficult to untie without medical treatment and long-term emotional and social support.
In Emporia, much of that support is provided by Corner House.
Does Corner House need to be bigger? Reliable statistics on addiction are difficult to come by, but by one estimate, there are 15 million alcoholics in the United States. Half that many would still be a substantial percentage of the population. There many people in Emporia and Lyon County who need the recovery support that Corner House can provide. More space, better space will mean that more of them can be helped.
For the addicts, for their families, friends and communities, that could only be a blessing.