Helping people through the aftershock of a drinking and driving arrest is key with Steven Gotheridge.

Gotheridge, newly-appointed Driving Under the Influence (of alcohol) services coordinator at DeKalb’s Ben Gordon Center, will supervise the DUI Remedial Education Series. The series is part of the center’s substance abuse program.

Before being appointed DUI services cooridinator, Gotheridge was a counselor for more than a year with the center’s Substance Abuse Services Program.

He also runs the center’s Relapse Prevention Education Series, which helps those who were treated for substance abuse stay substance free.

Before joining the Ben Gordon Center, Gotheridge was a half-way-house counselor for the Rock Island Court Council On Addiction.

Rick Johnson, Ben Gordon volunteer and community education director, said alcohol abuse programs vary depending on the individual’s needs, the severity of the problem and the extent of the substance abuse.

The programs range from one-on-one counseling to education and treatment, Johnson said.

In the past year the center serviced 75 individuals convicted of a DUI, he said.

The cost of an evaluation is $85, while DUI education costs are $130, Johnson said. The programs are designed to meet state requirements, depending on the impact of a court conviction and the number of similar arrests.

The center has four programs; in addition to the Substance Abuse Program, there also is Adult Services, Youth Services and a Prevention Program.

The prevention program attempts to educate DeKalb youths about drugs and why to avoid them. The program tries to instill confidence in young people by developing a person’s self-esteem and self-respect, Johnson said.

The Youth Services Program serves people under 18 and deals with mental, emotional and substance abuse problems. Counseling for victims of sexual abuse also is available for youths through the program, he said.