BREAKING METH'S GRIP

"It was my life," is how one former methamphetamine addict described
his craving for a drug he used for decades.

Carl Kelly, who now works for New Frontier Treatment Center, said he
started using alcohol at the age of 13 before turning to meth four years later.

"It was the drug of choice. I did it everyday," he said, adding he
knew he knew there was a problem the first time he used it.

"There was no turning back," he remembered. "I kept doing it for 25 years."

Kelly was arrested in 2004 on drug charges, and he said it was a huge
blessing in disguise since he was given no other choice but to kick
the addiction. He did so by attending the drug court program and
becoming a patient at New Frontier.

"I knew of no other way of life," Kelly said. "I had no concept of
any other life."

Bill Raymond, another former meth addict, begin using marijuana at
the age of 14 and found a job afterward so he could afford meth.

For 19 years, Raymond used the drug daily. He said the addiction
concerned him because he needed to use it everyday and remembers not
sleeping for 17 days straight and then "crashing" for four to five days.

"The only time I had a problem was when I ran out," he said.

Being sent to prison for theft to feed his habit may have save his
life. While in prison a physician told him he was extremely close to
death because of the abuse he put on his liver and body.

Statistics in Churchill County

The Churchill Community Coalition reports that meth is still the No.
1 illegal drug in the surrounding area. According to the Youth Risk
Behavior Survey, almost 7 percent of Churchill County High School
students have used meth, and anecdotal data puts that percentage
closer to 15 percent.

The Churchill County District Attorney's Office reports that 75
percent of drug crimes directly involve meth, and 90 percent have
some connection. The juvenile probation office said apprehensions for
meth increased from 4.5 percent in 2000 to 25.9 in 2005.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Lane Mills concurred that meth is
still the most popular illegal drug among addicts, though he said
heroin use is increasing, too.

Law enforcement's role

District Attorney Art Mallory said the meth issue is a nationwide
problem, not just a Churchill County one. He said homes where meth is
cooked are now in low numbers in the county.

He said the problem differs depending on the community and the
resources given to fight the drug trade.

"It is not one size fits all." Mallory said. "Have we solved the
problem? No, but we are not going to ignore it."

He said success stories like Kelly and Raymond are what his office
wants to hear and also offers proof there is assistance for those wanting it.

He said fighting the drug issue through the courts can be problematic
if the crimes are not fully enforced.

"We have an established clearing house of information," Mallory said.

Probation is mandatory the first two times a person is convicted of
using or possessing meth or another narcotic. Mallory said his office
can ask for a prison sentence for a third offense.

Churchill County Sheriff Rich Ingram does not believe the use of meth
use is declining in Churchill County.

"I do not agree it is decreasing. It ebbs and flows on availability.
When enforcement is stepped up, availability becomes more difficult.
I am not saying it goes away. It's just not as accessible."

He said users and addicts might be able to find the drug with one
phone call because they know the dealers.

Related costs

Ingram said meth has criminal impacts and noncriminal impacts where
resources must be spent to fight the use and dealing of the drug.

"People have to have the money to buy it," Ingram said. "They have to
find that money somewhere. They turn to thefts, larcenies and
burglaries to feed their habit."

The CCSO sheriff said he also thinks the use of the drug has a
tremendous influence on domestic abuse and battery.

"It's not a victimless crime. It truly impacts others," he said,
adding recent arrests indicate children were being endangered.

When homeowners file claims with their insurance companies after
burglaries, the likelihood is premiums increase. Because a user has
trouble finding steady employment, he or she turn to these type of crimes.

He said there are related costs to consider, too, including funds for
investigating the crimes, the courts, Parole and Probation and incarcerations.

The sheriff added the drug use significantly drains resources that
social service entities have at their disposal.

Affording the drug

Kelly said he was a dealer for many years who usually sold larger
quantities of meth to support his lifestyle. He estimates selling 3
to 5 pounds of the drug everyday.

"I was a street pharmacist for 12 years, and I had no other job
skills," he said. "This was my life."

He stressed he did not sell smaller quantities and instead left that
to his buyers.

When finally arrested, Kelly said he was fortunate to have only 20.5
grams of the drug with him.

"When you are dealing that much you can't get out of it," he said.
"Meth was a way of life. I did what I had to do to support my habit."

At the height of his addiction, Kelly weighed 510 pounds. He now
weighs 175 pounds.

Raymond, who was sent to prison for stealing items to support his
habit, said most users start dealing when they become unemployable.
Unlike Kelly, his weight plummeted during his addiction, going from
175 to 127 pounds.

The grip

Kelly and Raymond agree addiction is the lifestyle they lived and
added using was what was needed to start the day.

"Hey, the drug was the big thing," Raymond said. "The drug was my
God. When you get up (in the morning), it's right there."

Raymond said the drug usage was something he used with his wife and
said being in prison with the possibility of losing his son was
something he could not bear.

Both also said the drug is readily available in Churchill County - if
one knows where to look. Raymond said people looking for meth could
find a dealer within 10 minutes of standing at any gas station in town.

Holding up his phone, Raymond said he could make a 20-second call and
have meth delivered to him in minutes.

Even with that said, Raymond admits the with people he associated now
try to avoid him, and that it was not much of a problem to surround
himself with new friends.

Delusions and thoughts

Raymond said what may seem like a reality while on the drug could be
nothing farther from the truth.

"It makes you think wrong," he said. "It makes you paranoid."

He discounted the theory of gateway drugs because he thinks any drug
eventually leads a person to the drug of choice.

"The obsession of getting and using meth outweighs everything else,"
he said. "You can't have a nice car if you are using meth."

He said personal hygiene and cleanliness take a back seat to the addiction.

Treatment and fighting the addiction

Raymond was in jail awaiting sentencing on theft charges when his
public defender advised him to seek treatment. While in prison, he
decided to change something in his life.

He said being sent to prison does not stop the flow of drugs because
there are just as many drugs in there that are on the outside.

Kelly was faced with two options - seek treatment and become clean or
go to prison. He said drug court was not something he wanted to
attend and did not think it would work, but he added he no longer had options.

Kelly has been clean and sober since Jan. 2, 2005, and Raymond's
clean date is Aug. 17, 2004.

Now that both have been clean for more than four years, they want to
give back to the community they so badly hurt.

Raymond said he and Kelly are proof there is hope for addicts when
they admit the problem. He said people with addictions do not have to
hit rock bottom before seeking help.

Churchill Community Coalition Executive Director Dennis Lee said he
thinks the public awareness campaigns in the community on the dangers
of meth use are working. He said the percentage of cases of those
being prosecuted in District Court for using or being in possession
of the drug is down.

"The community is well aware of it," Lee said, adding the public now
knows the signs and symptoms of users.

However, he said there is nothing to deter a person who is intent on
acquiring the drug.

"If someone is interested in getting it, that can get it," he said.

Mandy Rigsby, program director for the residential center at New
Frontier, said the facility sees a mix of clients - some are court
ordered and others come in on their own for a variety of substances.

"We see a lot of meth use, heroin and opiate use and of course a lot
of alcohol." she said. "We see a myriad of everything. It all goes together."

To receive help with addictions, people can call New Frontier at
423-1412, the substance abuse help line at (775)825-4357 and the
crisis call center at 1-800-992-5757.