Pubdate: Sat, 03 Nov 2007
Source: Wyoming Tribune-Eagle (WY)
Copyright: 2007 The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
Contact:  http://www.wyomingnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1217
Author: Michelle Dynes
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

METH CENTER GIVES ADDICTS A HELPING HAND

The Cheyenne-Laramie County Meth Resource Center offers  a place for
addicts, friends and family members to find  treatment resources.

CHEYENNE - After more than three years of preparation,  the
Cheyenne-Laramie County Meth Resource Center opened  its doors Friday.

Cheyenne-Laramie County Meth coordinator Lisa Scholz  said the office
located within Cheyenne Regional  Medical Center's East Building is
not a place for  addicts to get treatment or counseling. Instead, it
is  a site to get information about methamphetamine and the  resources
to get help.

She said the effects of the drug are far-reaching.

"It can destroy every aspect of your life," Scholz
added.

It also pulls friends and family members into the  problem.
Grandparents may be forced to care for their  grandchildren.
Meth-addicted parents may lose their  family health insurance, default
on their car payments  or become homeless.

Scholz said inside the center, people can find  information on health
clinics with sliding fee scales,  options for transportation,
prescription drug  assistance and treatment. Since methamphetamine
causes  fits of aggravation, domestic violence tends to  increase. She
said the resource center has brochures on  how to leave a dangerous
situation and locate shelters  like Safehouse-Sexual Assault Services.

Kurt Zunker, president of the Cheyenne-Laramie County  Meth
Initiative, said there is information on what  methamphetamine looks
like and the signs of abuse.

"Meth is everywhere," he said. "If you're not seeing  it, it's because
you are not looking for it."

Scholz said the goal for the center is to remove the  stigma of abuse.
People can change their lives, and  there are resources to help. She
added that anyone can  seek assistance anonymously.

"Their confidentiality will remain intact," Scholz  said. "What is
said here stays here."

Councilwoman Georgia Broyles said the impacts of  methamphetamine have
overcrowded Laramie County's jails  and overwhelmed its hospitals. The
state's Department  of Family Services struggles to find safe havens
for  the children removed from homes tainted by  methamphetamine.

She said since 2003, the jail population has increased  144 percent.
Seventy percent of burglaries are  meth-related. The number of addicts
seeking treatment  for methamphetamine increased nearly 200 percent.

"While prevention is key, we're all aware that  treatment is
critical," Broyles said.

Sharon Cashman said when she became one of the founding  members of
the Cheyenne-Laramie County Meth Initiative,  she didn't know much
about methamphetamine. But the  team agreed that the community needed
a way to reach  those affected by the drug. The center also serves as
a  way to educate other residents about a problem that  knows no boundaries.

Cashman said today more and more women are becoming  hooked on the
drug, whether it is teenagers hoping to  lose weight or soccer moms
eager to keep up with the  kids. Scholz said these users may not
display the  telltale signs of abuse, but their growing addiction
will create new stresses for the entire family.

She added that the Cheyenne-Laramie County Meth  Resource Center is a
way to be proactive, intervening  with assistance now.
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MAP posted-by: Derek