The Wet House Idea

Have you seen this? Know anything about it? Any thoughts?

St. Paul, Minnesota (CNN) – It’s been over seven years since Marian Hagerman has spoken to anyone in his family.  As he huddles behind a parked trailer on a cold early spring day, Hagerman reflects on his life, and recalls what led him to this moment.

“This is my lifestyle,” says Hagerman, 54, while sneaking a swig of what he calls “wash,” or mouthwash – a cheap way of getting intoxicated. “It ain’t much, but this is what I have.  It sucks. ”

He says he held a steady job for 20 years, before his addiction to alcohol took over his life.  Today, Hagerman lives at St. Anthony Residence in St. Paul, Minnesota, along with about 60 other late-stage alcoholics.

St. Anthony, which receives funds from the state and the Catholic church, is known as a “wet house” because Hagerman and the others are allowed to drink on site, with some caveats – including no mouthwash.

“It’s not bad. I got cable TV,” Hagerman says.   “You can’t drink in your room, but you can drink. You gotta do it outside.”

The theory is that it’s better to allow these guys to drink in a safe place than to end up on the streets and in the city’s emergency rooms, jails, and detox centers.   At St. Anthony, they have access to nurses – and doctors if the situation warrants – plus on-site case managers to aid in their addiction. Ideally, St. Anthony’s counselors want the residents to sober up – but they realize that there isn’t a strong chance of that happening.