Uniting to confront and contain meth

Pinal County in Arizona is facing an “extreme” methamphetamine problem, according to county officials. At the only hospital in the county, the ER usually sees two methamphetamine addicts each day. And two or three of every 10 babies born there has a mother who is addicted to methamphetamine.

Moreover, law officials estimate that 70 percent of crime in the county is directly related to methamphetamine addiction.

So the Pinal County Anti-Meth Coalition is actively working to fight the problem head-on. And they’re doing it by pulling together existing community-based drug prevention coalitions.

What a novel idea! Instead of reinventing the wheel, they’re approaching the problem by gathering together people already involved in the fight, so they can communicate and move in the same direction, together.

Bravo! Too bad more communities haven’t realized the value of this approach.

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http://www.azstarnet.com/news/216357

Making a difference in Yuma

The Yuma Sun reported a heartwarming story this weekend.

A group has been started to help those in the community who have been victimized by meth addicts. They trying to educate the parents, spouses and children of someone addicted to meth about how to tell if they're being victimized - and what to do next. In addition, they also want to serve those who are victims of crimes involving meth.

As I've read in articles from other parts of the country, people are so often reluctant to talk about it. Why is that so??

I applaud the efforts of the Yuma County Meth Nucleus Group and wish them much success in helping their community cope with the effects of this insidious drug.

http://www.yumasun.com/news/meth_35691___article_news.html/people_group.html

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'Meth is OUR problem'

Over the past month, a Clovis, New Mexico, paper published an exellent series about the methamphetamine crisis.

Now in a follow-up opinion piece, the author of that series has shared her emotions about the experience of writing those articles and her compassion for the families of meth addicts that she met. Especially the mothers.

It touched my heart. But then, it's a subject I know well.

Helena Rodriguez has done a wonderful job of shedding light on this darkly disturbing problem. But she found not many people are willing to talk about it.

Has that been your experience? And I wonder, is that true of other drug problems? Heroin, cocaine, oxycontin. Are people more willing to talk about these drug problems and if so, why is that?

I believe that meth is the biggest problem drug our country faces today, and its effects are going to be felt in generations to come. Let's talk more and DO more to eradicate this insidious drug!

http://www.cnjonline.com/opinion/meth_22323___article.html/people_problem.html

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Prevention ads are working in Montana

Keeping young teens from trying drugs is such a daunting task.

Our federal government has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into prevention campaigns in recent years, but it doesn't seem to be making a difference. I've had conversations with my addicted son over the years about how to keep kids from experimenting with drugs, and he didn't have a pat answer.

Now, businessman and Montana rancher Tom Siebel has come along and gotten involved in the fight. When he learned how serious the methamphetamine problem had become in that state, he decided to do something about it.

The Montana Meth Project was born. Compelling TV public service announcements have "significantly reduced first-time use" and helped reduce meth use overall in that state. And I'm really glad to hear the state of Arizona has also begun to air these startling TV spots.

They're the most graphic, in-your-face prevention spots I've ever seen. Learn more about the project and take a look yourself. Do you think they're effective?

I hope other states buy into them and through their airing, we can begin to chip away at the horrifying statistics related to meth use. And spare families from the pain and agony of an addicted child.

https://www.montanameth.org/index.php

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A bright spot on the meth front

So, USA Today has reported that progress is being made against the manufacturing of methamphetamine in the U.S.

The good news: a 58% drop in meth labs and abandoned sites seized last year by police and U.S. agents, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Apparently the state and federal laws that restrict the sale of cold medicines and other chemicals used in the manufacture of meth, as well as increased law enforcement, are making the big difference.

The bad news: use, prices and supplies remain the same. Sources in Mexico are flooding our country with this highly addictive drug--about 80 to 90% is imported.

Some 512,000 people in the U.S. use meth regularly. In 2005, a survey of law enforcement officials identified methamphetamine as their biggest illegal drug problem--surpassing cocaine, heroin and marijuana. It's driving up crime across the country.

When are people going to take a stand against this hideous drug? Have you felt the effects of the meth epidemic? Let me know what you've seen and how you've been affected.

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Meth use linked to heart problems--this is news?

If an active methamphetamine addict cared what the drug was doing to his body, a recent study at the Scripps Research Institute might get his attention.

As if anyone whose life is touched by this insidious substance doesn't know, it can cause the heart to race. Heart attacks. Instant death. And usually at an early age.

But now, these researchers have identified medical complications resulting from prolonged use that had never been recognized before. These include numerous cardiovascular problems such as arrhythmias, intracranial bleeding and congestive heart failure.

The study also noted that methamphetamine reacts with proteins in the body, creating compounds that have been associated with Alzheimer's disease and diabetes.

It's not a pretty picture. Too bad the addict usually doesn't get it until the damage is done. As a society, we haven't begun to see the effects of this crisis, but the next 20 years will be telling.

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But that's not my REAL son

Earlier today I was talking with a family member about the latest crisis. It was similar to other conversations over the years: "That's not who he is REALLY. That's the Addict doing those things, not my son. My REAL son would never be so hurtful--he's caring, loving, giving. Not the monster out there today."

Not making excuses, believe me. His choices have brought him to this point. But I now understand more about the process that got him there.

According to author Craig Nakken (The Addictive Personality, Hazelden, 1996), the addicted personality is actually created by the illness of addiction and results from the addictive process that happens within a person. In Stage One of the three-stage addiction process, Nakken explains that the Self and the Addict emerge:

"The Self represents the 'normal,' human side that is consumed and transformed by the addiction. Eventully, the addicted person forms a dependent relationship with his or her own addictive personality."

So I wasn't crazy. It really is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation with the Self and the Addict arguing with each other at first, but the Self eventually being swallowed up by the Addict. It explains so much about their behavior, why they don't care about the people they actually love. They are truly not themselves.

The whole situation was different when he was younger and single. He hurt himself through the drug use--yes, his sister and I cared and felt the pain of the incarcerations, but ultimately, it was his life that he stifled. Our lives kept moving right on.

Now, after a stable period--marriage, a baby daughter, learning a trade and being recognized as a valued employee--something snapped, my REAL son is gone and the Addict is again fully in charge. This time, more dangerously than ever.

It's as though someone threw a huge rock into the lake--making the biggest ripples I've ever seen. The ripples created by that enormous methamphetamine rock now reach farther and wider, touching not just his family of origin but now, his own little family he helped create. How long will these ripples slap against our feet, taunting us with the questions?

One ripple whispers, Will this craziness ever end?
Another asks, When will his wife decide she's had enough, and walk away?
This one says, Will his little girl ever know the wonderful person he is inside--her daddy and my REAL son?
And I wonder, Will he even live through this episode?

It's a problem that has consumed not only my family, but families across our country. Read about the Methamphetamine Abuse Treatment and Prevention Act of 2007 recently introduced by Iowa Senator Tom Harkin.