MEYER MET METH HEAD-ON

In our Oct. 31 and Nov. 4, 2005 issue, we featured a two-part series
on Carla Meyer, a young woman overcoming crystal meth addiction on the
eve of going into a recovery program. Earlier this month, she got out.

Carla Meyer has just finished the most difficult three months of her
life and probably the three most important.

Earlier this month, the 19-year-old finished a recovery program where
she tackled her addiction to crystal meth, attending the 90-day
program at Burnaby's Charlford House to confront her demons and put
the past few years behind her.

"It's the hardest thing I've ever done," she says.

She started using drugs at 15 after her boyfriend and others
introduced her, first to crack then crystal meth. Last fall, she'd
finally had enough and started on the road to recovery, first spending
nine days in detox.

When she turned 19 in November, she was slated to enter a recovery
house in Maple Ridge, a stay that ended abruptly, though the reason
was not due to drugs but to the fact she violated house rules by using
the phone.

This turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Meyer because she
ended up at Charlford in a program that offered her more time, though
she admits that she was a bit 'loopy' and 'confused' at first.

"I had to start over in a new atmosphere," she says.

Her days typically started at 7 a.m. with aerobics followed by chores.
Group sessions would follow from 9 a.m. to noon, and work on her
12-step program from 1 to 3 p.m. After an early dinner, there would be
evening meetings.

"You have to go to meetings to stay clean," she says.

The house was an eye-opener, with women from all backgrounds with
different addictions. She was the only one coming off crystal meth.
She also found she was the youngest; her roommate, for example, was
55.

Of the people in the house, 10 of their contacts outside died during
the duration of Meyer's stay, and for some, the lure of going back
proved too much as they left and began using again. In all, 32 people
went through while she was at Charlford. About half left or 'got
loaded' and were forced out.

Not everything at Charlford was rosy and she found herself packing up
her stuff at one point.

"There was a couple of times I wanted to leave."

For Carla one of the toughest points came at Christmas, as she was not
at home with her family. While she admits if she had still been on
meth, she would not likely have been with them anyway, but the
realization was still upsetting. While her parents saw her every few
weeks, the Christmas lights were a reminder of what she was missing.
"I cried for like six hours straight."

The stay in the city also provided her a chance to see the Downtown
Eastside first hand for the first time. She doesn't doubt for a second
that if she continued using she would end up there. It was an
experience that continues to motivate her.

"I wish I could go out there and save everybody."

If life at Charlford provided some pain, there were also positive,
life-changing experiences. She describes 'little miracles' like when
she was describing a rainbow one day to one of the other women in the
house who had been blindfolded as part of her treatment. Then, three
months to the day, they went out and another rainbow appeared before
their eyes.

For Meyer, the program was about getting in tune with spiritual
matters. The concept of God can mean different things for different
people, she says. For one person, it was a dog that had died. Whatever
the source, the process is ultimately about acknowledging a higher
power.

"You've got to live spiritually," she says.

Through the 12 steps, the people in the program have to look at what
they have done, whom they have hurt and how they can change. For
Meyer, this meant pulling up a lot of childhood issues as well as her
life with the old boyfriend she was with when she started using drugs.

"We're so used to playing the victim. It's so easy."

Another important moment for her came in late January, when Charlford
held a big alumni meeting of 150 of the women who had gone through the
program. Meyer was impressed by the fact some had been clean for a
decade.

Simply being in the city away from her past provided a 'clean slate'
for Meyer, and now back in Chilliwack she has to focus more, to avoid
the temptation to succumb to the habit, especially with old friends
still using that are not far at hand.

"Everywhere I look here is memories," she says, adding, "I know
there's a Main and Hastings in everybody's mind."

Meyer wants to get her Grade 12 and later look for a job. She would
also like to help others as a motivational speaker or perhaps work
with those in the criminal justice system battling some of the same
addictions. The key, she says, is to live by example rather than by
forcing things on people needing help.

Just as important is sending the message to the broader community
about people in her situation.

"We're just sick people trying to get well. We're not bad people
trying to get good."

Meyer admits her parents have her on a short leash while she is at
home. She attends meetings and support group social events. She works
on attributes such as patience and talks with God and with her
sponsor, and she knows everybody from her support group is just a
phone call away. One of the big victories from the experience, she
says, is that she is no longer unhappy with the person she is. For
Meyer, life now has to be as simple as taking each day one at a time.

"As the day goes, little miracles happen," she says. "This is a clean
slate and I'm not willing to mess it up."