NEXT DRUG MIRACLE COULD BE WAITING IN A LINE

I felt compelled to write this in response to those who don't believe
that recovery from addiction is possible - to those who would say that
if Lovett Recovery Center really worked, then [accused murderer] Scott
Krause wouldn't have started using methamphetamines again, ultimately
ending the life of an innocent man. To those who believe that all meth
users should be locked away and forgotten, and that there is no chance
we'd ever stop using or ripping off our families.

I am here to disprove the notion that there is no saving a meth
addict. I am one. For the last 11 months, I have been clean off meth.
To those who knew me, my recovery is nothing short of a miracle. I am
in awe daily of the life that I now lead. I have begun to regain all
that I lost to 13 years of methamphetamine use.

The cornerstone of my recovery is the Lovett Recovery Center. I
graduated in October 2003 after completing a 180-day residential
treatment program. Just weeks after I left, Scott Krause also
graduated. I was given the same guidance, counseling and education
that Scott received.

Unfortunately, the odds are not in our favor. The statistics show that
only one in 10 clients who complete a residential program actually
stay clean and sober. Scott was part of the 90 percent who don't.
Scott yielded to this disease, costing the life of [UPS driver] Drew
Reynolds as well as his own. He is part of the sad majority who
squandered the opportunity they were given to recover from this deadly
disease.

Now, before you go and assume that recovery programs are a huge waste
of time and taxpayers' money, take a moment to consider the success
stories. I've seen lives transformed, my own included, because of the
Lovett program and others like it that are in place here to help the
chemically dependent in our community.

What is really sad to me is that it isn't enough. The drug addicts and
alcoholics out there who need and want the help far outnumber the
amount of beds available in our local treatment facilities. Add to
that a community blissfully ignorant of the severity of the problem -
people who would rather give up on a loved one with a drug problem,
and pretend it will go away. This arrogant, self-serving attitude only
stands to worsen the drug problem we do have in Nevada County. You can
lock them out of your home, turn a deaf ear to their cries for help.
Is that what it comes down to?

If my family had ignored my problem, if our judicial system didn't
hear my cries for help, I can't tell you where I'd be today. Probably
in jail. But I'm not. Today I am a productive member of society. I am
employed by someone who was willing to take a chance on me despite my
past. I am a decent, law abiding, trustworthy, honest and truly
grateful person today. All because I wasn't given up on.

The same compassionate souls that helped me on my way were the same
people who tried to help Scott Krause. Some of us have to go further
down before we get it. Some never do. But for those who do make it,
their lives are forever changed. Families are reunited. Dignity, hope,
self-esteem and self-worth are restored. Lives are saved. Recovery
works just like anything else. You get out of it what you put into
it.

So, the next time you read about a meth addict who stole something,
hurt someone, or wrecked a stolen car; who took a life or was arrested
in a meth lab, think of those who are working tirelessly to end this
kind of madness. Remember for a moment that the people who are
committing these crimes are just that. People. They are the ones that
someone gave up on. They are scared, lonely, hurting. They are,
however, people who, if given the chance, may just turn their lives
around. People just like me.

If you don't like what's going on in our town, then do something about
it. The problem isn't going to go away. The people who recognize this
are the ones making a difference. The dedication and selflessness of
the people who work at such places as Lovett, Hope House, CORR and
drug court is beyond compare. They ought to be commended, but instead
some of them are losing their jobs when Lovett closes its doors this
year.

To me this is a gigantic step backwards in our war on drugs. Where
else can indigent and often desperate people get the help they are
seeking once Lovett's doors are locked? How many more lives will be
lost? I am one of the fortunate ones. I got help before it was too
late. What about those behind me? Where is their hope?

Instead of cutting back on these types of programs, we as a community
have a responsibility to see that places such as Lovett remain open
and accessible to anyone seeking their services. The next miracle may
be on a waiting list as we speak. It may be your son or daughter, your
friend or co-worker. The next miracle may even be you.

Amy Tennies is a resident of Grass Valley.