Pubdate: Sun, 04 Nov 2007
Source: Sun, The (Yuma, AZ)
Copyright: 2007 The Sun
Contact: http://yumasun.com/opinion/sendletter.php
Website: http://www.yumasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1258
Author: Jennifer Lovell, Special To The Sun
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

FORMER METH ADDICT SPEAK AT SUMMIT

For one young woman the simple word "yes" would change  her life 
forever. Growing up in Sun Valley Idaho, Amber  Nelson went through 
the D.A.R.E. program. She was told  that drugs were bad for her, and 
to say no to them if  she was offered any. However, Nelson had a 
question:  "Why are drugs bad to use?" She didn't understand why  or 
how they could harm her.

So, she decided that she would say yes to them instead.  She did not 
know that this simple word, "yes," would  send her down a path that 
would lead to methamphetamine  addiction and life on the streets. 
Nelson's story was  told at the Second Annual Meth Summit, which took 
place  in Yuma on Saturday at Martin Luther King, Jr. Center.  Here 
the public was educated and informed about meth,  how to fight it, 
and how to get help.

Former meth addicts gave testimonials about their days  as meth users 
and how they overcame their addictions.  Nelson explained that seven 
years ago she came to live  in Yuma and started attending Kofa High 
School. During  this time, she felt alone and didn't know how to make 
friends. "Then I found meth and I fell in love" she  said.

Nelson was only 16 when she first used meth, and she  felt she could 
do anything. Two weeks later she dropped  out of high school and 
started stealing from her mom to  pay for the drugs, she recounted. 
As a result, her mom  kicked her out and she lived on the streets. 
She eventually began to sell her body for money. Yet Nelson  was 
saved from this life when her mom caught her taking  clothes from 
their apartment. Her mother called the  police and she was sent to a 
nine-month program of  Juvenile Drug Court. Today, Nelson has been 
sober for  three years, and speaks about her experience throughout 
Yuma. "I want to dedicate my life to recovery. I don't  want anyone 
to go through the suffering I went  through," she said.

Nelson also wants people who are thinking of trying  meth to know 
that "it is not all fun. It's an  aggressive disease that will end 
you up in one of three  places: jail, institutions, or death. Don't try it."

Also speaking at the summit was retired Yuma Police  Officer Greg 
Fell, who explained the dangers of meth  addiction. As a former 
detective, D.A.R.E. officer, and  school resource officer, Fell spent 
twenty-eight years  patrolling the Yuma streets. He has seen the 
effects of  meth, and he had this warning: "Don't ever try 
it.  People use it and it makes them feel good. It's like  the zipper 
ride at the Yuma fair. They keep wanting to  go on the ride. They 
think they are not hurting  anyone."

Nonetheless, the speakers said there is hope for meth  addicts. They 
recommend asking for help from family  members who care about them. 
Help can also be found at  drug treatment programs in the Yuma area. 
For more  information go to arizonamethproject.org and Narcotics 
Anonymous at (928) 783-5999.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman