Pubdate: Sat, 24 Dec 2005
Source: Janesville Gazette (WI)
Copyright: 2005 Bliss Communications, Inc
Contact: http://www.gazetteextra.com/contactus/lettertoeditor.asp
Website: http://www.gazetteextra.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1356
Author: Mike Heine
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

HEALTH OFFICIALS READY IF METHAMPHETAMINE INVADES

Public health officials in Rock and Walworth counties say they are 
preparing for the arrival of methamphetamine.

"It is up and coming," said Bob Gibson, alcohol and drug abuse 
specialist at the Rock County Human Services Department. "It's 
something we want to be on top of.

Walworth County health and human services staff are in training about 
how to handle meth addicts, said Pat Matteo, child protective service 
and juvenile court intake program supervisor.

Besides dealing with the users, specialists are learning about how to 
care for children from drug households.

"The drug creates such erratic behavior on the part of the parent or 
on the part of the adult that it is physically dangerous for the 
child" Matteo said. "They are neglected. The care-givers are in no 
state to take care of them."

Rhonda Hemenway, an alcohol and drug counselor at the L.E. Phillips 
Treatment Center in Chippewa Falls, has seen the ills of methamphetamine.

"The treatment is long-term," Hemenway said. "Cognitively, it takes a 
long time for them to come back to normalcy. With alcohol 
detoxification, within 72 hours you can work with them. With meth, it 
takes three to four months before they start to learn and change 
their behavior and attitude."

She said meth use in northwest Wisconsin has reached epidemic levels. 
Crime rates have jumped, family and job issues are more prevalent and 
domestic violence is more common, Hemenway said.

"Once somebody starts using meth, it consumes their life," Hemenway 
said. "Eventually, everything that is important to them goes away."

In northwest Wisconsin, meth replaced marijuana and cocaine as the 
drug of choice, Hemenway said. About half of the 44 beds in the 
treatment center are routinely used for meth users, Hemenway said.

For most, methamphetamine isn't the user's first illegal drug, Gibson 
said. And they usually have a reason to take drugs.

"Probably the vast majority of people who use meth are trying to 
cover up some sort of unpleasantness. We as humans don't like pain, 
either emotional or physical. We'll do almost anything to not feel 
like that. Sometimes the cure to not feeling the pain is not worth 
the ailment."

Hemenway echoed those feelings.

"Don't use it," she said. "In the short term, it's going to give them 
what they're looking for.

"But in the long term, it's going to lead to a road of total destruction."
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman