Pubdate: Sun, 25 Nov 2007 Source: Helena Independent Record (MT) Copyright: 2007 Helena Independent Record Contact: http://helenair.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1187 Author: Alana Listoe, Independent Record Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) TREATMENT PROGRAM FOCUSES ON METH ABUSE BOULDER -- Inside the Elkhorn Treatment Center, the 43 women live austere, fairly structured lives. They're all convicted felons, but have been given a second chance here in Boulder in a therapeutic community for female addicts, which provides residential treatment for chemical dependency in a minimum-security facility. The facility is a private, nonprofit agency ran by Boyd Andrew Community Services that opened in Boulder earlier this year. The agency contracts with the Department of Corrections, which decides who can come here, and the residents are paid a daily wage just like inmates in jail. Some of the earned money goes toward restitution and fines residents owe, but the rest can be used to purchase items at the commissary. Women wake up early and hit the showers and breakfast, having no time to be alone. They spend all morning in classes, therapy groups and by afternoon, usually get some free time. They can exercise, work puzzles or visit with other residents but are under constant supervision either through direct contact or video surveillance. The women range in age from 21 to nearly 60. They're divided into four crews, identified by colored scrubs like those worn in hospitals. No makeup is allowed. No jewelry either. Simple street clothes, like jeans and T-shirts, represent the outside. The ability to wear these is an earned privilege. The reward can be revoked, too, for a lost temper or lashing out at someone. When phase one is completed, based on individual progress, a woman can don jeans and, if she wants, a religious medallion. At phase two, which comes along a few months into the nine-month program, they are able to wear jeans and two religious medallions. They also earn two 15-minute phone calls a day, a lifeline to the outside world. In the final phase, women can wear their own clothes. The rest of the phase three details have yet to be ironed out because only a few of the women who have reached that point are scheduled to be "phased up" around Thanksgiving. A healthy lifestyle is apparent in the diet served. Fruit is the only food constantly available with no restrictions. Cigarettes and caffeine are banned. In the large classroom, three meals are served each day equaling 3,600 calories and prepared by the men at Montana State Prison. An on-site dental care office plays a critical role in not only physically fixing teeth -- which meth causes to rot -- but also fostering stronger self-confidence. A nurse-practitioner visits for routine health examinations. A hair dresser comes in on Saturdays for cuts, but no permanents or hair dye are allowed. The women are encouraged to go outside into the 2,904-square-foot recreation area, which is surrounded by a security fence. They have a small running track with a volleyball court that doubles as a tug-of-war arena and a concrete slab used as a patio area. They can spend up to 10 hours per day in lectures, group discussions and therapy. While the DOC wants to allow persons with any types of addictions into Elkhorn, right now the focus is on methamphetamine abuse. Mike Tones, a licensed addiction counselor at the center, told the women during a recent class that heavy drug use has damaged their brains, so initially the treatment is repetitive. Days are spent studying the disease and the damage it causes, the internal battle and corrective behaviors. "(Excessive drug use) changes how the brain functions," he said. "It severs brain synapses, but they grow back." Tones said it generally takes meth users about a year and half to rebuild the damaged part of the brain, training it to release dopamine through healthy activities like exercise. The longer the abuse, the more time it takes to repair the brain. Family members may come to the facility to see loved ones, but they too must participate in education, learning about addiction to gain an understanding about what the women inside are going through, notes Sue Carroll, chief operations officer. Visitors also explore how they can support the person inside the institution as well as after they are released. When the women arrive, their baggage includes resentment and anger, said Laurel Johnston, licensed addiction counselor. She helps them address those issues, teaching coping skills -- sometimes just to erase the numbness caused by years of drug abuse. "They get to a point where the tolerance level is so high that they really don't get to feel normal anymore," Johnston said. "It's pretty scary place for them." Therapies focus on abuse, chemical dependency, mental health, parenting and strategies for self-improvement. They have counseling for anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. These can be an essential part of recovery, especially for someone like Kristine, who was kidnapped and raped at only 8 years old. The abuse therapy, Kristine said, "takes away the eternal - --- MAP posted-by: Derek