RALLY OFFERS CHRIST AS SOLUTION TO METHAMPHETAMINE ADDICTION

The only hope to successfully overcome a drug addiction is through the
power of Jesus Christ. That was the solution offered by methamphetamine
addiction victors who spoke Saturday at the Cleveland/Bradley Meth
Awareness Rally at Westwood Baptist Church.

Stories of heartbreak and devastation - and victory - from those affected
by meth were shared with more than 100 members for the rally, sponsored by
Mothers Against Meth-Amphetamine support group.

Brittany Bowman, president of the Cleveland MAMa chapter and rally
organizer, opened with her testimony. She has been clean from the drug for
15 months, and the life change made possible by a relationship with Jesus.

"If someone would have told me I'd be doing this today, I probably would
have yelled and cursed at them," she said. "... Meth took me right to the
gates of hell, but God saw right past the drug use. ... He had a plan for me."

The plan included starting the prayer support group. "God is in the
restoration business," she said. "He's answered so many prayers right
before our eyes.

"It's time to wake up, Cleveland ... we need to reach out to these families
(affected by meth) and encourage them," Bowman added.

Her parents, Mickey and Joan Bowman, know from experience the turmoil
families face when a loved one is under the control of meth. They gathered
with family many nights for prayer on their daughter's behalf, and
encouraged those at the rally facing the same situation to remain steadfast.

"God is faithful ... so I say to all you family members, don't give up,"
Mickey Bowman said. "You feel hopeless, you don't know what to do, but look
to the Lord. That's where you get strength."

Joan Bowman encouraged parents to continue to pray for their addicted
children and not to give up. Even though she couldn't see how, she said she
knew God did have a plan for Brittany.

Dr. Mary Holley, founder of the national MAMa organization, was the
featured guest speaker at the event. Her brother committed suicide after
abusing meth for years. In a mission to educate the public on the dangers
of the drug, she founded the support group and travels across the country
spreading the word.

"The high is a lie," Holley told rally attendees. "When someone is seduced
into trying meth for the very first time, it damages the self-control tract
of the brain. ... And when those cells are dead, it controls you. ... You
make a mistake with meth, and you pay for it with brain cells."

Holley discussed the physical affects of meth from a physician's
perspective, including the damage the drug does to the pleasure center of
the brain, and the paranoia, anxiety and loss of control users experience.

"You will sacrifice everything you are on the altar" for meth, she said.

She also warned parents what to look for if they suspect their child is
using drugs, and offered encouragement to those facing the challenge.

"No matter how bad it gets or how ugly it looks, don't ever quit praying
for that kid," she said. Noting the beating the addiction is a life-long
struggle, Holley added the only way to change an addict is to "put God in
the center" of the struggle.

"God is the only way to stay off. It requires discipline, courage and
strength of character," she said.

Two ex-addicts also spoke at the rally, each giving moving testimonies of
how giving addiction completely to God was they only way they could overcome.

Former addict Jason Cope came to tears as he told how a letter from his
grandmother pleading for him to change helped turn his life around. After
losing his home, wife and two children because of drug abuse, he gave his
life - and addiction - to the Lord.

"I was addicted to drugs all my life, but I'm addicted to Jesus now," he
said. "The Lord can do the same thing for you, your children or someone you
know."

Cope and his wife were married for four years and divorced because of his
addiction. After a year apart, and after he quit using, they remarried on
May 19 this year.

Vickie Lee, whose son was murdered by a stranger high on meth, also gave a
testimony at the event.

"I was a 'mother against meth' long before there was ever a group," she
said. "... The day Allen died, a part of me died too. It changed my entire
life."

Lee's 23-year-old newly married son was shot in the face in June 1997 by a
man who was on a three-day meth high. He had stolen a car from a Georgia
wildlife agency and stopped at Allen's house demanding to know where his
children were. Allen had never seen the man before and knew nothing about
his children.

In honor of her son, Lee keeps his memory alive by working as a Tennessee
contact for the Parents of Murdered Children group and a volunteer for the
Champions for Life in Chattanooga.

In contrast to the personal side of the effects of meth, several speakers
were on hand to present the legal and law enforcement perspective of the
meth problem.

Detective Ed Choate of the Bradley County Sheriff's Office Drug Enforcement
Unit gave a K-9 demonstration with his partner, Titan, on how police dogs
help officers locate drugs during busts.

He demonstrated several tools of the trade that help him in detecting the
presence of drugs during traffic stops on the interstate, including a spy
stick and other devices officers use to check gas tanks, tires and other
areas in a vehicle where drugs might be stored.

Choate also commended Bowman for her success at quitting meth.

"I've seen a lot of people who've been on it, and 95 percent of those who
complete rehab go back to using," he said. "I'm proud of Brittany - it's by
the grace of God that she's done it."

BCSO Chief Bill Griffith addressed the aggressive attack law enforcement
has made on the problem of meth in the area - and the difference it's made.

"Bradley County has closed out more meth labs than any other in the state,"
he said. "And that's not necessarily because there are more here, but
because we've set an aggressive tone in removing them in the area."

Using an acronym for METH, Griffith suggested things citizens could do to
help in the fight, including:

Making yourself aware of your neighborhood;

Educating yourself about the problem;

Telling about the dangers of the drug; and

Helping law enforcement make the community as safe as possible by reporting
suspicious activity.

Eric Watson, the BCSO's team leader for criminal warrants, and Assistant
District Attorney Sandra Donaghy discussed work in the courts to combat the
problem of meth.

Donaghy - who said an estimated one in seven high school students will try
meth - said the goal is to educate youth on the dangers before they use the
drug. She added that the faith-based community is an important weapon in
winning the war on drugs.

For more information about the MAMa support group, which meets every other
Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Westwood Baptist Church in the fellowship hall,
contact Bowman by e-mail at Forgivenblb509@yahoo.com. The group's next
meeting is Aug. 23.