Loralee west biography

Story and photos by Joan A. Bang

joanzb@gmail.com

For anyone who’s experienced the roller coaster ride of addiction and also been diagnosed with a mental health issue, the journey to wellness is steep.

There is always the possibility of a quick descent back into the morass of drugs and dysfunctional behavior. At times it can be a rarely ending cycle, one problem cropping up as another has dissipated, or both illnesses occurring together, making life totally unmanageable.

The same is true for the families and loved ones of the patient.

One moment moms, dads and siblings think a cure is happening and the next is despair over another failed round of rehab and restitution.

Several years ago, a Paoli couple, Al and Loralee West, faced this challenge with one of their children.

Their son had schizophrenia as well as an addiction problem. Frustrated with the seesaw nature of the dual diagnoses, the parents founded a facility in Manchester, N.H. to address the complicated issues o