RECOVERING METH ADDICTS START SUPPORT GROUP

EDMONTON -- Crystal meth took everything away from Trish Dunn.

Her friends, family, job, home, money and even her young daughter were all
lost while the addictive drug held her in its grasp.

It was only after she suffered a stroke last February that she decided she
needed to kick her habit -- for good. "The stroke is where I finally had my
awakening," says the 29-year-old, who holds a degree in marketing and
management.

Clean for three months, Dunn and another recovering addict are starting
Crystal Meth Anonymous in Edmonton to share their experiences and advice
with other addicts. Dunn says the drug has complete control over users.
"Crystal meth is becoming an epidemic, and it's killing them, literally,"
she says.

Dunn would know. Her one year of meth use cost her everything she had,
driving her to commit small crimes and even landing her in jail.

When her daughter, now three, was taken away from her "I went full-fledged
(into drug use)," she says. "I had nothing."

The support group will be just the second of its kind in Canada, with
Vancouver being the first.

It's the latest in a list of support groups to use a 12-step process
similar to the one created by Alcoholics Anonymous. But most importantly,
Dunn says, the sessions will tell users what they need to hear.

"It won't get them off it that day," she says.

"But it's going to give them insight into future usage."

Meth, short for methamphetamines, is a mix of more than 15 substances that
range from paint thinner to ether. It is produced in illegal laboratories
and stimulates the central nervous system.

But its biggest appeal to addicts lies in its low cost and high return,
says Sgt. Ian Sanderson, head of the RMCP's locally based drug awareness
service.

Meth, at $50 to $70 a gram, provides a high about four times as long as the
more expensive cocaine.

That combination has led to the rapid spread of crystal meth across
Alberta, especially in northern parts of the province.

"Provincially, we've seen a rise in the use of it in the last five years,"
Sanderson says.

Last year, RCMP laid 260 charges of meth possession in Alberta. That number
dropped slightly from 2002, says Sanderson, but only because of some key
arrests.

Between September 2002 and last January, police broke up 13 labs in the
Edmonton area, two of which were "super labs" capable of cooking $1 million
worth of meth in 24 hours.

The ripple effect of increased use has been an increase in property theft,
police say. The euphoria effect of crystal meth combined with users' need
for drug money often drives them to find illegal sources of cash.

Until now, meth users looking for help were forced to sit in on other drug
support groups such as Cocaine Anonymous. But the new group gives addicts
something that speaks directly to them.

"I think for individuals seeking recovery ... it makes it more specific to
them," says Gary Boucher, a counsellor with the Alberta Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Commission.

Boucher says AADAC does not have the resources to launch its own crystal
meth program, making this group that much more valuable. The sessions do
not even need any funding, thanks to the Keep It Simple Club's offer of a
free meeting room.

Dunn has been working to start the sessions for more than a year, but her
plans were interrupted by a lapse last year. At the same time, she was
fighting to gain custody of her daughter. Two weeks ago, she got her wish.

"She's become my addiction," Dunn says. "I've got to do this for her now."

Dunn knows it's a long, hard road to a full recovery. And while she knows
no instant solution exists, she's hoping the group will give addicts the
support they need to quit for good.

"We'll let them know that we are there to help, we're there to share," she
says.

"Get off it because it will kill you."