Pubdate: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 Source: Indianapolis Star (IN) Copyright: 2006 Indianapolis Newspapers Inc. Contact: http://www.indystar.com/help/contact/letters.html Website: http://www.starnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/210 Author: Dan McFeely Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) INMATES GRADUATE FROM METH PROGRAM ROCKVILLE, Ind. -- Forty-eight female inmates fighting an addiction to methamphetamine graduated from the Clean Lifestyle is Freedom Forever program today at the Rockville Correctional Facility in western Indiana. It is the first program in the country to provide a prison-based treatment for female offenders with a meth problem. The program is designed to treat the addiction as well as help inmates make the transition back into society."I think I see ... women with purpose in their souls. Now you just have to see it through," Gov. Mitch Daniels told the graduating inmates. "When you do, it will be a big victory for you, for your families and for the state of Indiana." Meth addiction is so powerful, experts say, that without treatment in prison, most addicts will return to abusing the drug once they get out. Last fall, 23 male prisoners graduated from a similar program at the Miami Correctional Facility near Peru, Ind. Of those 23 men, 11 have been released through probation or parole and none have returned to the custody of the Department of Corrections, indicating the program's early success rate, according to state prison officials. The remaining men are still in custody completing their prison terms. CLIFF is designed to run 15 hours a day, seven days a week. It is overseen by a mix of staff and outside drug experts. By completing the nine-to-12 month voluntary treatment program, inmates are eligible to shave up to six months off their sentence. According to experts, there are no pharmacological treatments for meth dependence. Antidepressant medications can be used to fight depression, which often accompanies withdrawal, but the most effective treatment is cognitive behavioral interventions, which modify a patient's thinking, expectancies and behavior while increasing skills to deal with life stress. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman