Rep. Steele Named Legislator of the Year by Drug and Alcohol Counselor Association

Speaker-designate Rep. Kris Steele will soon be recognized for his drug-and-alcohol prevention measures and named Legislator of the Year by the Oklahoma Drug and Alcohol Professional Counselor Association.

According to addiction recovery.net, in 2005 an average of 227,000 people were addicted to alcohol and 86,000 were addicted to drugs in Oklahoma. Of those, only 13,000 alcoholics and 6,000 drug abusers got the help they needed from an Oklahoma treatment center.

“These are alarming statistics. More needs to be done, not only to stop these addictions from the beginning but also to provide treatment to help rehabilitate addicts,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “ODAPCA helps provide a unified voice for addiction counselors and an organizational safe-haven to encourage their work for all Oklahomans. It’s an honor to be recognized by this outstanding organization.”

In Oklahoma, ODAPCA represents certified, licensed addiction counselors and certified prevention specialists with the hope of creating one voice that will represent and advocate for the needs of addiction professionals across the state.

Steele will be recognized for his legislative efforts that helped ODAPCA at the group’s bi-annual conference on November 3. James Patterson, president of ODAPCA, will present the award.