CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

Addiction & Recovery Looks At The Experiences Of A Young Person
Getting Off Of Crystal Meth. This Is The Second Of Two Parts.

As an 18 year old, Carla Meyer is at an awkward age, particularly for
someone addicted to crystal meth.

When it comes to getting help to get off the drug, she is too old to
go through one government department and too young for another.

"When you want help, you want it ASAP," she says. "I'm in the grey
area of being 18."

She'll be 19 on Nov. 10 and has been told she must wait to qualify for
assistance to get into a recovery house. It's been a waiting game the
last few weeks.

The catalyst for Meyer to finally quit was when the house she was
living in was condemned, though she does not think such dramatic moves
are the ultimate answer. She would like to see support for addicts in
the form of more resources, specifically food at food banks, detox and
recovery centres, and youth shelters. She would also like to see the
process of getting help become easier.

For someone in normal circumstances, the red tape is intimidating but
when you throw in an addiction, it is virtually impossible.

She contacted MLA John Les's office and got some assistance from his
staff on what was available and how she could get access to these services.

When Carla wanted to go through detox last month, there were delays to
get in locally. She ended up going through a facility called Maple
Cottage in the Lower Mainland on Oct. 9, the day before Thanksgiving,
and stayed there for nine days.

"Detox was really good," she says. "It became a real family.
Everyone's there to support you."

The process was not without some difficulties. The third and fourth
days were particularly tough, especially day three when she punched a
hole in the wall. However, she was given phenobarb to help with
withdrawal symptoms, and after beginning to eat normally, she gained
11 pounds.

The staff in detox also gave her some creams to take care of the sores
on her face, a result of the constant picking common to meth addicts.

Even after detox, she still feels the drug hasn't entirely cleared her
system and knows that the temptation is there.

"My body still aches today and I'm 13 days clean," she says. (Carla
said this on Oct. 21, the day the Times interviewed her.)

Detox is just phase one of getting clean. Recovery is the longer term
treatment. Meyer will be going to Hannah House, a 20-bed facility in
Maple Ridge. The process usually lasts anywhere from three to nine
months. Meyer expects to be there about five.

The first month will be a big challenge, as Carla is not allowed to
have any outside contact. The process also uses the buddy system so
that people going through recovery have someone to fall back on. It
also incorporates the 12-step approach, and meetings throughout the
day are part of the treatment. All in all, it will provide her with a
supportive group of people with similar backgrounds who have left the
drugs behind.

"The recovery's going to be so rewarding," she says.

Already, Carla is feeling the effects of a clear mind. She is enjoying
little things that eluded her the past three years, during the blur of
meth addiction: She recalls sitting on a rope swing while at the
leisure centre and just being able to appreciate the colours of her
surroundings; she has been able to sit down at home and watch TV for
the first time in three years; she goes to bed and wakes up at normal
hours now, instead of staying up for days at a time; she makes her bed
right away and gets herself ready for the day ahead.

"You feel good when you've got energy in your body, proper energy,"
Meyer says.

Part of getting clean for Carla is coming clean. She is more than
willing to open about the last three very difficult years and says
going public will put some extra pressure on her to stay away from
meth.

She knows it won't be easy, as people can suffer relapses when trying
to quit, but she is confident, with the help of her loved ones and
support from the recovery house, she can kick it.

"This drug is hard to kick by yourself," she says. "You've got to keep
it out of sight, out of mind."

One key ingredient will be her family. For a photo shoot for this
story, she is running a bit late getting home. Her mom admits it's
been a roller coaster ride the last few years with Carla. She says the
experience has been a shock in that she used to have stereotypes about
who uses drugs like meth and what their backgrounds are. Carla herself
describes her family as normal and loving; she got into meth through
friends who began using it.

Carla's delay for the photo shoot is no real cause for concern. She
had said she might be a few minutes late because of an appointment
with an income assistance worker; she ends up coming in pretty much
when expected. As well, for her initial interview she had been right
on time. These might not seem like huge accomplishments but for
someone who regularly missed engagements and basically lost track of
time the last three years the significance cannot be ignored.

Her family is happy to have her back and they're there for her to fall
back on. Her mom and sister even agree, with a little urging, to take
part in the photo shoot. With the smell of fresh banana chocolate chip
muffins wafting through the air, it makes for an altogether domestic
scene, and it's easy to forget this is a story about drug abuse.

However, it is just as much a story about family and what they can
mean to a young person like Carla Meyer who wants to kick the meth
habit-for however many reasons.

"At first I did it for them but now I'm pretty happy," she says. "I
pushed my whole family away....I'm getting my family back."

u Carla has agreed to document her experiences in recovery in a
journal, which we will be publishing exclusively on our website. We
will let readers know when we start posting these. Our website is
found at www.chilliwacktimes.com.