Pubdate: Tue, 10 Jan 2006
Source: Black Hills Pioneer, The (SD)
Copyright: The Black Hills Pioneer, Newspapers 2006
Contact: 
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=29038&BRD=1300&PAGF1&dept-id=156921&rf
Website: http://www.bhpioneer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3570
Author: Wendy Pitlick
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

METH: A DRUG LIKE NO OTHER

Realtors Against Meth (RAM) is sponsoring meth awareness 
presentations throughout the Northern Hills which will begin this 
week in Spearfish.

SPEARFISH: A community leaders' luncheon will be held in Spearfish at 
11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11, in the Northern Hills Holiday Inn 
and then at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday a parents' and adults' session 
will be held at the high school.

STURGIS: Then on Tuesday, Jan. 17, presentations will begin in 
Sturgis at 9 a.m. in the Sturgis Middle School and at 1:30 p.m. at 
the high school. At 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, there will be a 
no-host community luncheon at the Sturgis Armory and then at 6:30 
p.m. there will be a parents' and community session at the Sturgis 
Community Center Theater.

LEAD-DEADWOOD: Finally, the presentations will move to the 
Lead-Deadwood area beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 24 in Lead with the 
fifth through eighth grade presentation at 10:30 a.m., in the 
Lead-Deadwood High School auditorium. The high school session will 
also be in the auditorium at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24. At 11:30 
a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, RAM will host a community leader luncheon 
at First Gold Hotel and Gaming in Deadwood (attendees for this 
luncheon must RSVP to Terri Keehn at 717-1544 no later than 10 a.m. 
Jan. 20.). At 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, a parents' session 
will be held in the Lead-Deadwood High School auditorium.

SPEARFISH - Methamphetamine is a drug that is unlike any other drug 
in the world, according to recent reports from drug educators, law 
enforcement officials, social workers and other people who maintain a 
daily mission to fight the war on drugs nationwide.

"One of the things that meth does is it gives you that immediate 
high, that huge rush," said Robert Nickisch, meth educator for 
Sturgis' Action for the Betterment of our Community. "And after that 
you never feel quite the same again and your normal is lower than it 
ever has been. So the more meth you use the lower and lower your 
normal is and the less and less you can feel any pleasure. So, you 
try and take more and more meth (to get the original high.)"

According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, some physical 
effects of meth use include hypothermia, convulsions, and 
cardiovascular collapse. Long term effects can also include kidney 
complications, lung disorders, brain and liver damage, and blood clots.

Additionally, the National Drug Intelligence Center reports that 
since meth is such a powerful stimulant that affects the central 
nervous system, the drug can cause insomnia, anxiety, paranoia, mood 
swings, hallucinations, delusions and violent behavior. It is during 
the "tweaking" stage, when the user is more prone to hallucinations 
and paranoia, when thought patterns can become particularly 
dangerous, sometimes leading to homicidal or suicidal tendencies.

The tweaking phase is the "down side" of meth use when the user 
cannot seem to satisfy the need for more meth no matter how much they may take.

According to reports from Northern Hills Alcohol and Drug Services in 
Spearfish and Sturgis, meth is manufactured using highly toxic 
chemicals such as freon, anhydrous ammonia, and sulphuric acid, and 
the drug is classified as a psychostimulant.

Much like cocaine, which has the same classification, meth causes the 
body to accumulate massive amounts of the neurotransmitter dopamine, 
producing an euphoric high for the user.

However, unlike cocaine, which is produced from all natural 
materials, the chemical makeup of methamphetamine creates a longer 
effect on the body. According to official published reports from 
Northern Hills Alcohol and Drug Services, while cocaine has a 
half-life of about one hour in the body, meth's half-life can be 12 hours.

"Cocaine is based on a natural product and is metabolized fairly 
quickly in the user's body. As a natural product, cocaine use will 
send strong abuse and withdrawal signals back to the user. 
Methamphetamine is a chemical compound and is metabolized very 
slowly. Methamphetamine sends very little abuse and withdrawal 
signals back to the user (in the beginning); yet the internal damage 
it does to the user's brain and internal organs is almost immediate," 
stated one report produced by Alcohol and Drug Services for the 
Northern Black Hills Association of Realtors. The report is entitled 
"Methamphetamine: The ugliest drug in the world."

According to officials from Northern Hills Alcohol and Drug Services, 
the extended period of time that meth stays in the body combined with 
the chemical damage caused to internal organs is one of the main 
reasons the drug is so addictive. As one of the most addictive drugs 
in the world, meth educators said studies have shown that nine out of 
10 people who use methamphetamine are addicted the first time.

Further, Deb Hughes of the Lawrence County Department of Social 
Services said the damage to the brain is permanent the first time 
someone uses meth, or is directly exposed to its by-products. Changes 
to brain function and to the user's ability to handle normal life 
functions may be alarming.

Both local and national experts agree on the real danger to and from 
meth addicts in the "tweaking" phase.

"During the tweaking stage a methamphetamine user often has not slept 
for days and consequently is extremely irritable," one report from 
the National Drug Intelligence Center states. "The tweaker also 
craves more methamphetamine, which results in frustration and 
contributes to anxiety and restlessness. In this stage the tweaker 
does not need a confrontation or provocation to become violent."

In fact, according to Nickisch, some of the most heinous, violent 
crimes committed are commonly linked to methamphetamine use. 
According to Northern Hills Alcohol and Drug statistics, 89.4 percent 
of violent crimes in South Dakota are meth related. That, Nickisch 
said, includes everything from domestic crimes, to sexually based 
offenses and homicides.

"Meth is much more violent," Nickisch said. "You're in danger every 
time you walk by a meth user. There is a particular stage in meth use 
called tweaking when they are the most violent. You could go from 
sitting across the table being a nice person to being a deadly enemy 
in the snap of a finger. That's what it does."

In addition to the violent tendencies that can result from long-term 
usage, police and other drug educators say due to the long period of 
time the drug is in the body, and the permanent damage the drug 
causes, addiction treatment can take significantly longer compared to 
treatments for other drugs and alcohol. The standard 30 to 90-day 
treatment model simply does not work for meth addicts, who often 
require between 12 to 18 months of intensive in-patient rehabilitation.

"(That's) to even have a little chance," said Dale McCabe, of the 
S.D. Division of Criminal Investigation in Rapid City.

This treatment, officials say, is often paid for with tax dollars 
since many rehabilitation facilities receive funding from the state.

"You are paying more and more for treatment of meth related addiction 
because the standard 30 day model for coke addiction and so forth, it 
doesn't work," Nickisch said. And even after an intensive treatment 
period, Nickisch and McCabe said due to the heavy hold the drug has 
on the body, the user still may not be able to kick the habit.

This, officials say, can affect everything from tax payer's dollars 
allocated to state-run treatment facilities, to families that are 
broken up while a meth user is in treatment.

Overall, drug enforcement and education officials said the long and 
short-term physical and social effects of methamphetamine are the 
biggest reason members of the community should stand up and take 
notice of an ever-growing drug problem. The fact that the drug has 
the potential to affect even non-users through violent tendencies, 
tax dollars, negative influences and other aspects makes 
methamphetamine one of the most dangerous drugs around, officials say.

"We simply cannot allow the community to develop a tolerance for meth 
like we have tolerated alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and in some 
cases, even cocaine," Nickisch said. "Meth is much more dangerous."
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman