Pubdate: Mon, 22 Aug 2005
Source: Cleveland Daily Banner (TN)
Copyright: 2005 Cleveland Daily Banner
Contact:  http://www.clevelandbanner.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/947
Author: Tammie Goins, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

RALLY OFFERS CHRIST AS SOLUTION TO METHAMPHETAMINE ADDICTION

The only hope to successfully overcome a drug addiction is through the 
power of Jesus Christ. That was the solution offered by methamphetamine 
addiction victors who spoke Saturday at the Cleveland/Bradley Meth 
Awareness Rally at Westwood Baptist Church.

Stories of heartbreak and devastation - and victory - from those affected 
by meth were shared with more than 100 members for the rally, sponsored by 
Mothers Against Meth-Amphetamine support group.

Brittany Bowman, president of the Cleveland MAMa chapter and rally 
organizer, opened with her testimony. She has been clean from the drug for 
15 months, and the life change made possible by a relationship with Jesus.

"If someone would have told me I'd be doing this today, I probably would 
have yelled and cursed at them," she said. "... Meth took me right to the 
gates of hell, but God saw right past the drug use. ... He had a plan for me."

The plan included starting the prayer support group. "God is in the 
restoration business," she said. "He's answered so many prayers right 
before our eyes.

"It's time to wake up, Cleveland ... we need to reach out to these families 
(affected by meth) and encourage them," Bowman added.

Her parents, Mickey and Joan Bowman, know from experience the turmoil 
families face when a loved one is under the control of meth. They gathered 
with family many nights for prayer on their daughter's behalf, and 
encouraged those at the rally facing the same situation to remain steadfast.

"God is faithful ... so I say to all you family members, don't give up," 
Mickey Bowman said. "You feel hopeless, you don't know what to do, but look 
to the Lord. That's where you get strength."

Joan Bowman encouraged parents to continue to pray for their addicted 
children and not to give up. Even though she couldn't see how, she said she 
knew God did have a plan for Brittany.

Dr. Mary Holley, founder of the national MAMa organization, was the 
featured guest speaker at the event. Her brother committed suicide after 
abusing meth for years. In a mission to educate the public on the dangers 
of the drug, she founded the support group and travels across the country 
spreading the word.

"The high is a lie," Holley told rally attendees. "When someone is seduced 
into trying meth for the very first time, it damages the self-control tract 
of the brain. ... And when those cells are dead, it controls you. ... You 
make a mistake with meth, and you pay for it with brain cells."

Holley discussed the physical affects of meth from a physician's 
perspective, including the damage the drug does to the pleasure center of 
the brain, and the paranoia, anxiety and loss of control users experience.

"You will sacrifice everything you are on the altar" for meth, she said.

She also warned parents what to look for if they suspect their child is 
using drugs, and offered encouragement to those facing the challenge.

"No matter how bad it gets or how ugly it looks, don't ever quit praying 
for that kid," she said. Noting the beating the addiction is a life-long 
struggle, Holley added the only way to change an addict is to "put God in 
the center" of the struggle.

"God is the only way to stay off. It requires discipline, courage and 
strength of character," she said.

Two ex-addicts also spoke at the rally, each giving moving testimonies of 
how giving addiction completely to God was they only way they could overcome.

Former addict Jason Cope came to tears as he told how a letter from his 
grandmother pleading for him to change helped turn his life around. After 
losing his home, wife and two children because of drug abuse, he gave his 
life - and addiction - to the Lord.

"I was addicted to drugs all my life, but I'm addicted to Jesus now," he 
said. "The Lord can do the same thing for you, your children or someone you 
know."

Cope and his wife were married for four years and divorced because of his 
addiction. After a year apart, and after he quit using, they remarried on 
May 19 this year.

Vickie Lee, whose son was murdered by a stranger high on meth, also gave a 
testimony at the event.

"I was a 'mother against meth' long before there was ever a group," she 
said. "... The day Allen died, a part of me died too. It changed my entire 
life."

Lee's 23-year-old newly married son was shot in the face in June 1997 by a 
man who was on a three-day meth high. He had stolen a car from a Georgia 
wildlife agency and stopped at Allen's house demanding to know where his 
children were. Allen had never seen the man before and knew nothing about 
his children.

In honor of her son, Lee keeps his memory alive by working as a Tennessee 
contact for the Parents of Murdered Children group and a volunteer for the 
Champions for Life in Chattanooga.

In contrast to the personal side of the effects of meth, several speakers 
were on hand to present the legal and law enforcement perspective of the 
meth problem.

Detective Ed Choate of the Bradley County Sheriff's Office Drug Enforcement 
Unit gave a K-9 demonstration with his partner, Titan, on how police dogs 
help officers locate drugs during busts.

He demonstrated several tools of the trade that help him in detecting the 
presence of drugs during traffic stops on the interstate, including a spy 
stick and other devices officers use to check gas tanks, tires and other 
areas in a vehicle where drugs might be stored.

Choate also commended Bowman for her success at quitting meth.

"I've seen a lot of people who've been on it, and 95 percent of those who 
complete rehab go back to using," he said. "I'm proud of Brittany - it's by 
the grace of God that she's done it."

BCSO Chief Bill Griffith addressed the aggressive attack law enforcement 
has made on the problem of meth in the area - and the difference it's made.

"Bradley County has closed out more meth labs than any other in the state," 
he said. "And that's not necessarily because there are more here, but 
because we've set an aggressive tone in removing them in the area."

Using an acronym for METH, Griffith suggested things citizens could do to 
help in the fight, including:

Making yourself aware of your neighborhood;

Educating yourself about the problem;

Telling about the dangers of the drug; and

Helping law enforcement make the community as safe as possible by reporting 
suspicious activity.

Eric Watson, the BCSO's team leader for criminal warrants, and Assistant 
District Attorney Sandra Donaghy discussed work in the courts to combat the 
problem of meth.

Donaghy - who said an estimated one in seven high school students will try 
meth - said the goal is to educate youth on the dangers before they use the 
drug. She added that the faith-based community is an important weapon in 
winning the war on drugs.

For more information about the MAMa support group, which meets every other 
Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Westwood Baptist Church in the fellowship hall, 
contact Bowman by e-mail at  The group's next 
meeting is Aug. 23.
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