TEEN SPEAKS OUT ABOUT METH ADDICTION

As the scourge of methamphetamine abuse rages across the country, survivors
of the debilitating drug are speaking out in hopes of saving others from
the pain and suffering they have fought to overcome.

One who has struggled through the addiction is 18-year-old Randy Bennett, a
Deming High School student, who is now speaking out to his fellow teens and
their parents in hopes of raising awareness about the dangers of meth.

"If you're thinking about trying meth, don't," Bennett said. "And if you're
using meth, quit. It will take you places you don't want to go."

Bennett first tried meth at 13 when it was given to him as a birthday
"present." Since then he has suffered through attempted suicides and
incarceration and witnessed the death of a friend who fell from a truck
while using meth.

Now Bennett is part of a bilingual awareness campaign, run through Border
Area Mental Health Services, that is designed to remind parents of how
important it is that they be involved in their children's lives.

"Research shows that children whose parents talk to them about the risks
associated with drug use are 50 percent less likely to use drugs," Jim
Helgert, Intensive Family Support supervisor for BAMHS, said. "Parents
sometimes forget how much influence they really have with their children."

Bennett said he estimates that one in three of his peers are using the drug
and said that it is family support that can help teens get clean and stay
clean.

"Parents who want to protect their children from meth or any other drug
need to get involved in their lives," Bennett said. "Spend time with them.
Find some way to connect." According to the World Health Organization,
methamphetamine is second only to marijuana as the most widely used illicit
drug in the world and its abuse is particularly prevalent in the western
United States.

It is estimated that nearly nine million Americans have tried meth at least
once, including nearly 10 percent of high school seniors.

Bennett said he credits his recovery to his grandmother in particular, who
has gone as far as to listen to heavy metal music with him.

"She's there for me and that makes a big difference," he said.

Helgert said children begin using drugs for many reasons. He said young
girls often use the drug to lose weight and athletes are tempted by it for
the feelings of increased energy and enhanced performance it offers.

"What parents need to understand is that Randy Bennett could be anyone's
child, and that they need to beware of the power of their own denial,"
Helgert said. "Meth use is epidemic in this region and we're hoping that
parents will monitor their children, get involved in their lives and get
help if they need it."

Bennett is now being featured in a series of 30-second radio spots
currently airing on stations throughout Catron, Luna, Grant and Hidalgo
counties and is even appearing in a 30-second TV ad on MTV, Lifetime, ESPN
and the local Community Access Television Station.

The campaign is produced by Lisa Jimenez, president of BlueSky Strategic
Group, a Silver City strategic communications firm. Jimenez said Bennett is
the second former meth user to be featured in one of the campaigns, which
are funded by a three-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration, a part of the U.S. Department of Health.

"This is designed to reach parents who are in denial about their own
child's use and help them learn the signs and give them the information to
help them prevent their child from using meth," Jimenez said.

Jimenez said people need to understand that meth abuse does not just impact
the user and the family, but everyone in the community.

"This is a large problem and we are all affected," Jimenez said. "We are
looking at the cost of lives, people who are unable to be productive in
society and we haven't even begin to fathom the long-term effects of child
abuse and neglect and children born with drug addiction."

Jimenez said the campaign also includes a 1-800 number to make it easier
and more affordable for people to access services. Also BAMHS and Gila
Regional Medical Center recently received a $1.5 million grant to provide
treatment services to people addicted to meth in the four-county area.

Known as the "Kokopelli Program," it provides intensive outpatient
treatment services, nine hours per week for 16 weeks. The program is open
to any adult who uses meth or other drugs.

For more information, call 1-800-956-METH. All services are confidential.