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Treatment Center in New Mexico Replaces Smoke-Breaks with Gardening Breaks.
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A therapeutic garden in a New Mexico addiction treatment center has proved to aid smoking cessation, according to Eve Flanigan, program manager. The Carlsbad Community Coalition Drug Task force, a 100 Pioneers for Smoking Cessation grant recipient, works to promote a healthy, safe, drug-free community and targets risk factors that lead to substance abuse. Part of its Pioneer project included offering tobacco intervention awareness classes to all community centers. One of these centers is Crossroads, a 120-day residential addiction treatment center for women. Crossroads residents bring their children, ages 10 and under, into the facility as well.
While the results of their planned cessation activities were even more successful than they had envisioned; there was a fortunate coincidence that Ms. Flanigan called the “icing on the cake.” Woods Houghton, the agricultural extension agent for Eddy County, as well as a founding member of the coalition, helped establish a therapeutic garden at Crossroads around the same time the 100 Pioneers smoking cessation activities were going on. The program administrators had no knowledge of the other project, until the final wrap-up cessation meeting with residents, who reported that the garden was their new recreational outlet and solution to cigarette cravings.
“Houghton, who is deeply committed to both agriculture and substance abuse recovery, didn’t just establish a garden,” said Ms. Flanigan. “He created a symbolic recovery exercise and helped residents learn new, practical skills.” Residents first worked together to establish a traditional garden. Then, because the residents would eventually move from the facility, in some cases before the garden would bear fruit, they were encouraged to pot their own plants which they could take to their post-treatment homes.
As a program manager and 100 Pioneers recipient, Ms. Flanigan said this experience has taught her that resources for smoking cessation can come from unexpected sources. She hopes the success of the garden will be replicated in other venues. She also reminded fellow Pioneers and colleagues across the nation that “every United States county has an agricultural cooperative and/or home economics extension service program. These people are, in our experience, prepared and willing to assist people with addictions and mental health issues in learning to lead happier, healthier lives.” The cooperative extension is a combined county, state, and federal USDA effort.
Some states have a link under their local county government webpage or land grant university webpage. All can be located via http://www.crees.usda.gov/ under quick links or at http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html.
For information on the New Mexico Pioneer effort contact Eve Flanigan, program manager, Carlsbad Community Coalition Drug Task Force at jump.clear@plateautel.net. To learn more about the garden project contact Woods E. Houghton, Eddy County Agriculture Extension Agent at whoughto@nmsu.edu or phone (575) 887-6595.
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The Tobacco Recovery Resource Exchange network of Regional Technical Assistance and Training Centers provides free classroom training and onsite technical assistance for New York state addiction professionals integrating tobacco education, tobacco treatment, and tobacco-free environment policies into their programs. In addition, all addiction professionals, inside or outside the state, with an internet connection can access free, high quality, highly interactive, self-paced online courses through the Exchange E-learning HUB at www.TobaccoRecovery.org. The Exchange’s technical assistance email discussion list allows addiction professionals from all over the U.S. to share resources, advice, and request email and telephone technical assistance from Exchange staff. The Tobacco Recovery Resource Exchange is operated by Professional Development Program, Rockefeller College, University at Albany with funding from the New York State Department of Health Tobacco Control Program. For more information about the Exchange, or if you would like to join their email list, contact Bill Panepinto at wpanepinto@pdp.albany.edu or 518.956.7955.