In hopes of reducing the amount of substance abuse cases and relapses in the military, Naval Hospital Bremerton hosted its first ever Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program (SARP) conference Sept. 24.

The conference was open to health care professionals such as psychologists, psychiatrists, marriage and family counselors, social workers, substance abuse counselors, nursing, program directors, probation officers, and primary care physicians in the Department of Defense (DoD), the Veteran’s Administration (VA) and a host of civilian treatment centers.

SARP is the Navy’s program that delivers drug and alcohol screening and outpatient treatment to active duty members, retirees, and adult family members throughout the Pacific Northwest. The SARP’s mission is to successfully treat substance use disorders and improve retention rates and readiness.

The conference provided networking and training for healthcare professionals who deal with addictive behaviors amongst agencies in the region that have either never had or had very limited interface in the past. The topic for this year’s conference was relapse prevention, and what can be done to reduce the numbers.

“Relapse prevention is an extremely important and relevant topic for both individuals with addictive disorders as well as healthcare professionals attempting to help those with addictive problems,” said Cmdr. Mark Russell, head of SARP at Naval Hospital Bremerton.

“Despite advances in substance use and addictive behavior treatments, the relapse rate remains quite high in both the civilian and military communities, and that’s what we want to change, and we hope this conference will help us reduce the amount of relapses we have each year,” he added.

The SARP also provides service members an opportunity to learn to live their lives without resorting to addictive behaviors that are often detract from their quality of life. “By learning to cope with life’s problems and stresses in more effective and health promoting ways, they can begin on a path to a happier, healthier, and longer life,” said Russell.

During the event, the guest speaker, Dr. Alan Marlatt, professor and director of addiction research center, University of Washington, spoke about alternative methods of treatment.

“Everyone is different, so I am teaching these professionals how to teach people (substance abusers) better coping skills so they don’t relapse, different types of therapies and how meditation can be used as a way for people to deal with urges and cravings when it comes to substance abuse.

According to Ron Graham, chemical dependency professional, Kitsap Recovery Center, attending the conference was an eye opening experience.

“It’s been nice being able to explore other ideas and belief systems. Dr. Marlatt doesn’t believe addiction is a disease, so he has presented other ways for us to do business. I like the idea that no one model fits every addict. I believe that addicts deserve a choice on what will work for them in their world.”

With the wealth of knowledge the conference provided, the guests left with a better understanding of new treatment options and how the other half does business.

“This was a great forum for us, so I loved the fact that we were able to do this,” said Michael Welpman, involuntary treatment specialist, Kitsap Recovery Center.

He added since Kitsap County is a military community, it’s extremely important to hold training for both parties.

“Since we live in the same community we can’t just partition ourselves off from each other and say this problem is going to be resolved on one side of the fence or the other because we have to strategize together and figure out the best way to solve the problem,” said Welpman.

For more information about SARP, contact Naval Hospital Bremerton at (360) 475-4000.