WITH SUPPORT, TEENS BEAT ADDICTIONS

Local Youths Tell Stories Of Success In Starting Over

One year ago, 18-year-old Eddie Valdez was feeding his drug addiction
by dealing methamphetamine to anyone willing to pay the price.

Now, one year older and 11 months sober, Valdez is starting up his own
car-detailing business.

Alex Elhof, now 17, spent a good part of 2004 smoking $100 worth of
marijuana a day and downing up to 22 shots of hard liquor in a single
night. With a wake-up call in the form of an arrest in early November
and weekly drug classes at The Center, Elhof has traded drugs and
alcohol for the dream of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger.

Paige Shaw, once a 14-year-old runaway smoking pot in a car stolen by
her 18-year-old boyfriend, is now a 15-year-old high school student
reunited with her family and aspiring to become an automotive and
diesel mechanic.

Three teens with two things in common - drug abuse and success stories
about kicking the habit. Valdez, Elhof and Shaw say they're reason
enough not to give up on teens with addictions.

The three teens, who are now in various stages of educational classes
about drug abuse at The Center in Old Town, said the harsh reality of
jail, their decision to change their lives and the support of
counselors and friends have helped them get clean.

"I realized what life can give me," said Valdez, who after nine months
of weekly classes at The Center recently attended his final class.

"Today's my last day here, and I'm kind of proud of accomplishing
that. I think I've come a long way."

Valdez said freeing himself from the grip of methamphetamine is the
hardest thing he's ever done.

With a family history of meth abuse, Valdez said the

drug permeated every aspect of his life until he began rehab and set a
goal to fill the void once taken up by being high.

"They told me when you're down, think about your business," he said.
"The only way I could achieve my goal was without drugs."

Valdez said deciding to give up meth also meant giving up friends who
were part of that way of life.

"It was hard not to be around it," Valdez said. "Staying away from the
people who I used to sell to, the next thing I knew I didn't have no
friends."

That didn't last long, however. Valdez soon joined a church where he
met people who he said genuinely care about him. He said he also found
support in his girlfriend, who bailed him out of jail and has stuck by
him through his recovery.

"People believed in me," Valdez said, noting that all his life people
had expected him to be nothing more than an addict and a dealer.

A former athlete who gave up sports because of drugs, Elhof also found
that a change of scenery and a change of heart helped him kick his
habit.

"I came out of jail, and I looked at my friends, and I decided I
needed new friends and a goal," said Elhof, who plans to leave this
summer for Army boot camp. The 17-year-old said he's replaced his old
friends with new ones from The Center, many of whom have been
drug-free for some time.

While he attributes a small portion of his success to the classes he's
had to attend, Elhof said his mother's support and honesty about her
own experiences with drugs and a shift in how he views "having a good
time" have played the biggest part in straightening him out.

A month and a half on house arrest hasn't hurt either, he said, noting
that being in trouble made him realize that drugs were getting in the
way of his goals.

Laurie Klith, executive director of The Center, said at a time when
the problems with drugs and alcohol are so noticeable, it's important
for the community to realize that there are kids who are overcoming
those issues.

"There isn't a child here who gets up every morning and says, 'I want
to fail,' " Klith said. "They want to be the best they can be. The
reason they make it is because they want to be good people."

Klith said mentors, whether inside The Center or out , are an
essential part of getting kids back on track after they've become
mixed up with drugs or alcohol.

"We have to be strong advocates for these people; someone did it for
us. Every one of us has had a mentor in our life," she said, noting
that - drugs or no drugs - today's teens are the adults of the future,
and with a little help, they will be the leaders of the future.

"It's a disease, and it's something that when they have the education
they can maintain," Klith said. "I think a lot of kids come in here
and think, 'I made some bad choices; I'm being judged.' I think this
community, now more than ever, needs to rally around them."

Nearing the end of her session at The Center, Shaw, who has been
smoking marijuana since seventh grade, said she plans to keep
attending drug classes voluntarily.

"They really helped me," she said. "I just figure if I keep going to
them, it might help me not to get in trouble."

Shaw began experimenting with marijuana as a way to deal with
depression and stress caused by school and family problems. She said
she had an all-out addiction when she began drug classes at The Center.

"I realized the bad things drugs can do. The health issues, the
trouble you can get in, losing friends and family," she said. "Life's
just easier without it."

Shaw said before going to jail she didn't believe anyone could help
her, but she's since realized there are a lot of resources out there.

"There's so many places you can go, so many people you can talk to,"
she said, describing the help she's received from programs and
counselors at The Center and from attending 12-step programs.

Leaning on the support of her family and her friends at The Center who
she says "are on the same level," Shaw said she's gained
self-confidence and has become happier and more responsible.

"I spend more time with my family. I like to go see movies with my
dad," she said, adding that she realizes she has parents, siblings and
friends whom she could have turned to rather than drugs.

All three teens said their lives are better without drugs and
encouraged their peers to learn from their mistakes by practicing
abstinence, or at the very least, moderation.

"It's not the way to go," Valdez said. "Think twice. Think about your
future."