METH CENTER GIVES ADDICTS A HELPING HAND

The Cheyenne-Laramie County Meth Resource Center offers a place for
addicts, friends and family members to find treatment resources.

CHEYENNE - After more than three years of preparation, the
Cheyenne-Laramie County Meth Resource Center opened its doors Friday.

Cheyenne-Laramie County Meth coordinator Lisa Scholz said the office
located within Cheyenne Regional Medical Center's East Building is
not a place for addicts to get treatment or counseling. Instead, it
is a site to get information about methamphetamine and the resources
to get help.

She said the effects of the drug are far-reaching.

"It can destroy every aspect of your life," Scholz
added.

It also pulls friends and family members into the problem.
Grandparents may be forced to care for their grandchildren.
Meth-addicted parents may lose their family health insurance, default
on their car payments or become homeless.

Scholz said inside the center, people can find information on health
clinics with sliding fee scales, options for transportation,
prescription drug assistance and treatment. Since methamphetamine
causes fits of aggravation, domestic violence tends to increase. She
said the resource center has brochures on how to leave a dangerous
situation and locate shelters like Safehouse-Sexual Assault Services.

Kurt Zunker, president of the Cheyenne-Laramie County Meth
Initiative, said there is information on what methamphetamine looks
like and the signs of abuse.

"Meth is everywhere," he said. "If you're not seeing it, it's because
you are not looking for it."

Scholz said the goal for the center is to remove the stigma of abuse.
People can change their lives, and there are resources to help. She
added that anyone can seek assistance anonymously.

"Their confidentiality will remain intact," Scholz said. "What is
said here stays here."

Councilwoman Georgia Broyles said the impacts of methamphetamine have
overcrowded Laramie County's jails and overwhelmed its hospitals. The
state's Department of Family Services struggles to find safe havens
for the children removed from homes tainted by methamphetamine.

She said since 2003, the jail population has increased 144 percent.
Seventy percent of burglaries are meth-related. The number of addicts
seeking treatment for methamphetamine increased nearly 200 percent.

"While prevention is key, we're all aware that treatment is
critical," Broyles said.

Sharon Cashman said when she became one of the founding members of
the Cheyenne-Laramie County Meth Initiative, she didn't know much
about methamphetamine. But the team agreed that the community needed
a way to reach those affected by the drug. The center also serves as
a way to educate other residents about a problem that knows no boundaries.

Cashman said today more and more women are becoming hooked on the
drug, whether it is teenagers hoping to lose weight or soccer moms
eager to keep up with the kids. Scholz said these users may not
display the telltale signs of abuse, but their growing addiction
will create new stresses for the entire family.

She added that the Cheyenne-Laramie County Meth Resource Center is a
way to be proactive, intervening with assistance now.