Ketchikan has job potential. Alaska had 21 years of job gains up until 2009. After a year without, Alaska added 1,800 jobs in 2010 and 5,200 in 2011, according to the Alaska Department of Labor.

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Former Ketchikan resident Mike Thomas, 47, died Dec. 20, 2011, in Mohave, Ariz. He was born in Salem, Ore., on Nov. 25, 1964, but was raised in Ketchikan.

A crisis is a lonely place. But it doesn't have to be, especially since the creation of Enough is Enough.

Earlier this year, about 300 people attended a town-hall-style meeting to discuss drug and alcohol abuse, suicides and similar behaviors in the community.

Much of the attention focused on the young, but it became quickly apparent that the behaviors of concern know no age limits.

The Ketchikan suicide rate prompted many people to attend. It is well above the national average, with six suicides in 2009. That's six out of a population of about 13,000. Nationally, the figures are 1 in 10,000.

The meeting created a stir in the community, many commenting on how unbelievable to get a crowd of that size out to discuss social issues on a Tuesday night. People often don't like to go out on Tuesday nights, and most expected to see about 35, certainly not more than 50. The meeting showed Ketchikan's care, frustration, fear and heart for ending the crisis.

But did the caring and the willingness to do something beyond that Tuesday night? They have.

Enough is Enough continues to meet. It is a core group of about eight individuals meeting twice a month.

The group views itself as a facilitator of information, serving to keep the lines of communication open between the City Council, Borough Assembly, School Board and schools, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary clubs, Ketchikan Wellness Coalition and others seeking to better the community.

The group realizes drug and alcohol abuse, suicides and similar behaviors likely won't be eradicated overnight. They're big problems. They will take time to solve, and it will be at a rate of one small step at a time, no magic wand.

A first step was to send a member to talk with the Ketchikan Police Department and Alaska State Troopers. As a result, Neighborhood Watch is expected to be implemented.

Neighborhood Watch will help neighborhoods protect themselves from vandals and burglars. Vandals and burglars often break in and steal property in an attempt to acquire items to sell for cash, cash that then will be used to buy alcohol and drugs, substances that often lead to suicide and other risky behavior.

The police and troopers will assist neighborhoods in setting up Neighborhood Watch.

Enough is Enough also wants to assist in ensuring police and troopers receive the resources necessary to combat alcohol-and-drug-related crimes. If they need manpower, if they need funding, the group plans to lobby the powers that be or find sources to fully equip the authorities.

Enough is Enough members also made presentations to the Assembly, Council and School Board in recent weeks. They're emphasizing equipping authorities and the need to educate students about the bad effects of alcohol and drug abuse. The information needs to be presented early and often to the students as a way of eliminating - at least reducing - the number of students likely to experiment with and then later abuse alcohol and drugs.

It's a matter of stemming the tide and allowing time to clean up the wreckage on the beach. The wreckage: People already addicted to alcohol and drugs, and the lifestyles associated with them.

The devastation affects everyone. Society's costs are huge: Kids drop out of school; they become nonproductive people; they turn to crime to support their addictions; and the cycle repeats itself with their children. Kids often follow in the footsteps of their parents.

Even if the cycle is broken, it often isn't until after years of abuse, years that can never be recaptured to live in a more productive manner. Opportunities are lost. Other opportunities might come along. It could be a long wait before they do.

Members of Enough is Enough talked with school officials about opening the schools to youngsters and youth-serving programs at reduced costs. For example, there is one program in town that serves kids. It's all about kids. But it can't afford to rent office space. The schools are public buildings already paid for by taxpayers. Taxpayers and their children should be able to use them. Programs designed to serve children should be able to meet in the schools.

Granted, costs come with using buildings. But school officials indicated to the group that they understand and would look into making arrangements for use of school buildings.

Enough is Enough also endorses renovating the former veneer mill building at Ward Cove for a sports facility. The building is owned by the borough. It could be renovated with money acquired through donations, and state and federal grants. It would enable athletes and teams to play games indoors throughout the winter, expanding the availability of healthy activites over involvement in alcohol and drug abuse.

The group also has connected with Ketchikan Wellness Coalition, an organization sharing many of the same concerns as Enough is Enough. It also supports the Teen Alanon and Teen Narcotics support groups for young people struggling to overcome addictions. It supports Big Brothers/Big Sisters. As a result of the Enough is Enough meeting, at least two adults volunteered with that organization.

One leader in the group credits the Ketchikan Regional Youth Facility with doing a phenomenal job educating, monitoring and counseling young people. Adults there are helping young people who don't have parents available or able, for whatever reason, to help them. The facility houses between 20 and 40 people from all over Alaska.

The leader says the group also has encouraged the School Board to institute a dress code that requires students to dress according to how they would be expected to if they went to a job in a local business. School is their job. They should be dressed appropriately to do it well. Appearance can affect performance. Higher performance widens the window of opportunity.

The Enough is Enough group, in its effort to educate, also has a Facebook page: ktnenough.

The group has before it a huge undertaking. The results of alcohol and drug abuse are devastating. To address them, the group has to make an effort as great or greater than those results. It has taken the first steps.

That effort has begun because Ketchikan has had enough of living in crisis.