STUDENTS GET THE FACTS ON METH

Former Loveland Resident Educates Teens On Drug

Just as Wayde Krueger predicted, the high school students fidgeted
during a meth-amphetamine video he showed, but they listened intently
as he told the story of how his brother, a meth addict, stabbed his
mother to death. Krueger, formerly of Loveland and now living in Grand
Junction, told his story recently to students at Loveland, Mountain
View and Thompson Valley high schools.

Studies show that not many high schoolers are hooked on the highly
addictive drug, but the number of addicts escalates dramatically for
people just out of high school.

As the head of RAGE (Resour-ces and Guidance Education), an
organization fighting meth-amphetamine, Krueger wants to get the
message out to people before they start the drug.

"We want to educate the high school students, because we believe that
if they know what meth does to the human brain, it will help them stay
away from it," said Krueger.

The video showed a doctor -- whose brother Jim was a meth addict --
explaining how methamphetamine affects the brain, health and
personality of an addict. She described how meth is made and some of
the ingredients people often use -- antifreeze, kerosene, camp fuel and
lye.

She told Jim's story along the way, interspersing parts of a home
video of a rehabilitated, but brain-damaged Jim. A tag at the end of
the doctor's video explained that six months after the home video was
made, "Jim found a gun at his uncle's house, and he (committed suicide)."

Krueger then told his own story, about his brother Solomon.

"Solomon was a very, very good kid -- you guys would have enjoyed
hanging out with him," said Krueger. "He was very polite, he was kind,
he was encouraging ... but when he got on the drug, he was a thief, he
was a liar, he was mean, he would torment people. You just couldn't
imagine that split personality all in that same person."

Solomon told Krueger he didn't intend to try meth -- he was at a party,
already getting high on booze and marijuana, and someone passed a
pipe, telling him he'd like it, but not explaining what it was.

"So he hit it," said Krueger.

"He didn't know what was in it -- he wasn't privy to the information we
just saw -- where 98 percent of the people who try it get addicted to it."

Solomon was in and out of rehabilitation for years, doing well for
short periods, then lapsing back into addiction.

Throughout it all, Solomon's mother helped him and believed in him,
said Krueger, who warned her that Solomon could be dangerous.

"He ended up getting in an argument with her," said Krueger, his voice
tempered with emotion, even 31/2 years later. "He stabbed her in the
neck and she bled to death."

Krueger ended his presentation by encouraging the students to use what
they'd learned to avoid using.

"I know that when you get out of high school, you're going to be at a
party, or you're going to be somewhere, and somebody's going to offer
it to you," said Krueger. "I hope that you're educated enough where
you can say, 'I know what that stuff does -- forget it.'"

He also warned the students to stay away from meth
addicts.

"If you're around somebody doing the drug, you can't trust them. Their
brain is really fried. ... If you're at a party where they're breaking
stuff out, you can't afford to be there, because you don't know what
they're going to break out next -- they're irresponsible, they don't
care, and they're very violent."

As a former Loveland resident, Krueger volunteered his time and money
to make the presentations at the local high schools.

He would like to take the program to all Colorado high schools, but
would need a sponsor or grants to do so, which he is working on.

"We want to gather people who have been affected by meth, and show
them how to tell their stories to educate others," said Krueger. "If
we can increase community awareness, we can get ahead of the problem."

ON THE NET: For more information, go to www.rageagainstmeth.com

Meth Facts

For some people, methamphetamine is addictive after only one use.

A meth high lasts 12-20 hours; the crash can last for 7-14 days,
during which addicts feel achy, depressed, grouchy, tired and
intensely anxious. The depression can last for 12-18 months after a
person quits using meth.

Alcohol can kill cells in the brain's self-control area in about
6-12 months of use; methamphetamine can kill those cells in one night.

It takes 12-18 months of complete abstinence from methamphetamine
for brain cells to heal, allowing a person to return to fairly normal
behavior.