METH USE ON THE RISE

Battery acid. Farm fertilizer. Over-the-counter cold medication. Paint thinner.

Any or all of these ingredients can be found in crystal methamphetamine.
Despite the toxic contents, over the last two years addiction counsellors
at Stratford's Choices for Change have seen the number of methamphetamine
users increase.

"In 2003, we had 58 people present (with methamphetamine use)," said
Catherine Hardman, executive director of Choices for Change. "In 2004, we
had 83 individuals."

Methamphetamine - also known as meth, crystal, speed, crank and ice - is a
stimulant that affects the nervous system, causing heart rate to increase
and blood pressure to rise. It can be eaten, snorted or smoked. With
long-term use, meth can lead to amphetamine psychosis, causing paranoia,
strange and violent behaviour and hallucinations.

And it is increasingly being found on the streets and in our schools.

The number of users seeking help for meth addictions has certainly
increased. But not all of them have been committed enough to walk the road
to recovery.

Actual admission to Choices for Change's addictions program - by those who
identify methamphetamine as a drug of choice - have only increased two per
cent.

"Absolutely there are people who will come for a period of time and then
think they're doing OK or they've made a decision to not quit or cut down
at this time," said Hardman.

When Hardman started her career at the agency 15 years ago, she often
treated people battling addictions to booze and marijuana. She would see
the occasional case of speed and heroin abuse.

"Alcohol has always been our primary substance and cannabis has been, and
still is, second," she explained.

"It was rare to see anything else...definitely not the complexity we see
today."

In today's drug culture, counsellors are sometimes disturbed by the number
of youth streaming through their doors, experimenting or hooked on much
harder drugs than ever before.

"For the most part, in the past, it was kids who were grabbing a case of
beer and drinking," she said. "We're getting calls from parents saying 'My
15-year-old daughter has been in a crackhouse for a week, what do I do?'

"It's completely different and it has changed significantly."

Considering the shift, it's not surprising that, of those seeking help
locally for meth addictions, the number one age range was 16-24. Ten
clients were under the age of 16. Local schools continue to be one of their
top referrers to recovery programs.

However, Hardman is quick to point out methamphetamine is not usually the
only drug taken by regular users.

"People do usually present with more than one substance," she said.

"Typically they've used more than one drug. But some make the leap sooner
than others and sooner than we've seen in the past."

Most people find their way to Choices for Change after schools, doctors,
psychiatrists, employers or family members give them the push. The
Children's Aid Society and the courts often refer those with problems.

While recovering, many face tough issues, like broken relationships and
troubles at work, along with financial and legal problems.

"We sometimes see people facing legal charges after turning to crime to
support their habits," Hardman said.

"But there isn't one specific issue everyone faces, though most of the time
their physical health has been compromised by not taking care of themselves."

Getting over a methamphetamine addiction is no walk in the park. Aside from
the typical withdrawal symptoms regular users face - stomach pain,
headache, hunger, depression, fatigue and shortness of breath - getting
over the addiction requires a complete turn around.

"It's a complete lifestyle change. Often when someone is addicted it takes
over their life and becomes their primary relationship," said Hardman.
"Often people have to change friends, find a new job and learn coping skills."

Hardman has heard reports of meth gaining popularity amongst housewives and
with more youth coming in with tales of hard-drug trips, she said her peers
are often left shaking their heads.

"Sometimes you kind of wonder what has happened," she said. "Attitudes
toward drugs are different than they used to be."

And when it comes to methamphetamine, she said some are convinced the drug
will not hurt them.

"People don't see methamphetamine as a dangerous drug," she said. "One of
our counsellors said we should just put a big ingredient list on the wall."

With Health Canada often referring to Perth County as one of the province's
biggest suppliers of methamphetamine, it's no coincidence the drug is
finding its way into the pockets of local residents.

"There is no question that methamphetamine use is on the increase and
continues to increase in Stratford," said Insp. John Roper, of the
Stratford Police Service.

Over a dozen methamphetamine labs have been discovered in Stratford and the
surrounding area over the past few years. Though most labs are found in
rural areas throughout the county, Roper said the drug is working its way
back within city limits.

"We might have people manufacturing in the county but often it is people
from Stratford doing it, who bring the drug back into Stratford. The end
result is that it whittles its way back."

It would be impossible for police to pinpoint the number of people who use
the drug, but based on the number of complaints to police from residents
and schools - along with what officers are discovering - there is no doubt
it is a drug rising in popularity.

"Police would honestly say the drug situation is getting no better," said
Roper. "We try to combat it."

Often, like prostitution, drug enforcement merely pushes the problem
underground or to another area.

"You do a good job in one spot, it gets moved on somewhere else," said
Roper. "We can do our very best to curtail it within Stratford but then
they move."

And it has. A week ago, Peel Regional Police discovered 29 kilograms of
crystal methamphetamine aboard a plane in Hamilton, destined for the
Toronto area. It had taken off from Vancouver.

Local counsellors know those between the ages of 16 and 24 are the top
group seeking help for methamphetamine addiction and Roper said the police
are finding more and more students are using meth.

"It's finding it's way into the schools," he said. "Within the last year,
information is that it is increasing amongst students."

While the affect the drug has on users' health is certainly an issue, the
addiction itself concerns police more as many turn to crime to support
their habits.

"This can happen with any drug, any addiction...alcohol or illegal drugs,"
said Roper. "They do not have money for that habit and it can result in
break and enters, thefts from autos, anything they can grab and sell."

But methamphetamine is not the only up-and-coming drug. Police are seeing
more OxyContin on the streets, a prescription narcotic many abuse to
achieve a heroin-like high. In the last month, a methadone clinic has
opened nearby in downtown Woodstock, dealing primarily with OxyContin
addiction.

With labs churning out methamphetamine made from a variety of harmful
chemicals, Roper said the drug's draw still stumps police.

"When you see what is contained within methamphetamine, it's shocking to
think that people want to put that into their body."