AMADOR'S METH POPULATION GROWING (PART 3 OF 3)

There are many treatment options for methamphetamine addiction.
Pictured is Changing Echoes, a chemical dependency facility in Angels
Camp offering inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation as well as
aftercare programs and an annual alumni picnic.Photo by: Courtesy to
the Ledger DispatchAn interior view of the women's dorm at Changing
Echoes, a chemical dependency facility in Angels Camp.Photo by:
Courtesy to the Ledger DispatchEditor's note: This is the last of a
three-part series examining the local impact of methamphetamine. Part
three reveals the prevalence of the problem and explores treatment
options for methamphetamine addiction.

Methamphetamine use is an issue that impacts many facets of Amador
County. It is a scourge on local communities and affects the lives of
virtually all county residents, as well as the entire nation.

"It's the worst drug out there," said Amador County District Attorney
Todd Riebe. "Unfortunately, it's one of the more common drugs.

"It's not just a crime," he said, "it impacts one's professional
life, personal life - it shreds families, rips them apart."

A Growing Problem

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration,
methamphetamine is second only to alcohol and marijuana as the drug
used most frequently in many Western and Midwestern states.

A 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that nearly 12
million Americans have tried methamphetamine.

Even children are using methamphetamine in record numbers. This is
reflected in surveys that collect drug-related data about children in
middle and high school.

The biennial California Student Survey of 11th graders found that 6.8
percent of students had tried methamphetamine in the past six months
in 1991. Eight years later, that number had increased to 9.9 percent.

According to Jerry Evans, director of Amador County Alcohol and Drug
Services, methamphetamine has been a problem in the county for a long
time, but is only now being recognized by society.

"It's the acute drug of the moment," he said.

Approximately 80 percent of the clients seen by alcohol and drug
services are seeking treatment for methamphetamine addiction, Evans
said. Last year, 231 people went through the treatment program. An
estimated 185 of those sought treatment for meth addiction. There are
approximately 20 new referrals to the program each month.

Treatment

Methamphetamine addiction is difficult to break, but there are a
number of treatment options available to addicts. They fall into two
general categories: inpatient and outpatient treatment programs.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, inpatient
treatment includes short- and long-term residential treatment, where
care is given 24 hours a day.

Outpatient treatments are less expensive and might be more convenient
for those who are employed, but require increased social support of
the recovering addict. Often group counseling is emphasized.

While the county currently offers only intensive outpatient services,
alcohol and drug services does have contracts with two inpatient
facilities, Progress House in El Dorado County and Changing Echoes in
Calaveras County. There is no detox facility in Amador.

The cost to send addicts to inpatient programs is substantial, and
funding cuts have resulted in fewer individuals being able to utilize
such services. The county pays a reduced rate, but the impact is
still $2,500 per month per client. Currently, eight individuals in
the behavioral health program are residing in inpatient programs.

As Evans pointed out, inpatient treatment is not the quick fix it is
often made out to be.

"Only about one in 20 makes it, recovers," he said. And those that do
complete an inpatient program must still follow up with outpatient treatment.

While some of the clients seen by alcohol and drug services enter
treatment voluntarily, many were referred through court-ordered
treatment, a direct result of Proposition 36, passed by voters about
six years ago. Prop. 36, designed to alleviate overcrowding in the
state's prison system, sends non violent drug offenders arrested for
first- and second-time possession charges to treatment rather than jail.

"It costs seven times as much to incarcerate a person as it does to
treat them," said Bryce Stein, coordinator of counseling for women
and children at alcohol and drug services. A study conducted by the
University of California at Los Angeles showed that within five
years, Prop. 36 saved the state nearly $900 million.

Recovery is by no means a quick process. The Behavioral Health
Substance Abuse Program consists of one year of treatment and six
months of aftercare. Between 35 to 38 clients graduate from the
program every 18 months.

"We're tied for second in 58 counties for completion of the Prop 36
program," Evans said.

And once an addict has recovered, the process is by no means over.
They must find a job, car, childcare, safe housing - "In that
situation, how do we expect them to fully engage in recovery?" Evans asked.

Such challenges face any recovering addict. Background checks can
sully job interviews; unreliable transportation can lead to
termination if they do get a job. Often, they are also ordered to
take parenting and anger management classes, and community service.

"We load their plate up so heavy and then we wonder why they fail," Evans said.

Recovery is even more difficult for drug addicts also suffering from
mental disorders or other trauma. Stein listed sexual abuse, domestic
violence, prostitution, homelessness and abandonment as possible
sources of trauma.

Often, trauma contributed to addiction in the first place.

"We're never surprised to hear that a client has come from either an
alcoholic household or one where meth was used," said Robert
Chandler, coordinator of men's treatment at Alcohol and Drug
Services. "Quite a few are second generation addicts."

But there is hope. "We see people get their lives together, get their
families back, get involved in the community," Evans said.

One Man's Story

John, who agreed to talk to the Ledger Dispatch on the condition that
his identity not be revealed, is a recovered methamphetamine addict.

In a 12-year period, John went to four different treatment programs.

"My longest abstinence was about nine months," he said. "I always
ended up in a relapse far worse than the time before."

It took a robbery, high speed chase and suicide attempt to get him to
commit fully to recovery. While in prison, John began the Alcoholics
Anonymous program. He had a cosponsor and 12-step meetings while
incarcerated and was released on parole after a year.

"When I got out, I made the commitment that every minute of every day
of my life I was committed to doing something positive," he said.
John went back to school, receiving an associate's degree from
Modesto Junior College in 1998. He is now a drug and alcohol
counselor working at a local treatment facility.

Since recovery, John has gotten married and repaired other
relationships damaged by his addiction.

"I am in a very positive relationship with my children, four
stepchildren and eight grand-stepchildren," he said. "It's been
almost 13 years since my recovery. Everything is just very wonderful."

But John must always be wary of a relapse, as methamphetamine
addiction is a lifelong disease.

"It's one day at a time," he said. "I know what it's like to be
without, I know where the disease has taken me. The only way I can
keep what I have is to give it away. That's why this job is so
fulfilling: I get to help others who would have to go through it."