Our Newsroom section contains articles published in our newsletter, Willamette Family News.
To read an article, click on its headline.
"Meth abuse is leading to more crime in Oregon and across the country. Gov. Ted Kulongoski recently said that meth is a "factor in over 85 percent of property and identity theft crimes in Oregon" and experts believe meth abuse to be the principle cause of more than half of the state's new foster care cases." *
Meth, Meth, Meth...that's all one seems to hear or read about these days, and with good reason...Methamphetamine addiction is absolutely devastating with consequences that affect each and everyone of us.
Yet, there is a lot of misleading or downright false information about meth and what can be done about it. One of the most troubling misperceptions is that meth addicts cannot be successfully treated. How this rumor got started is unclear, but it has lead to more funding for the criminal justice system and less funding going for treatment and prevention. There is no doubt that the criminal justice system needs proper funding and we are in full support of this, but not at the cost of adequate treatment funding, because meth addicts can be successfully treated, and there is ample evidence to support this.
In a special series by Oregon Public Broadcasting, METH: the Oregon Front, one of the featured panelists, Jay Wurscher, the Oregon Child Welfare Alcohol & Drug Services Coordinator, said the following: "It is inaccurate, and unethical, to operate as if meth is somehow so diabolical that people can't recover from addiction to it. They can and do. The answer is not to pit treatment against criminal prosecution and decide which to fund. As it always has been, the answer is to save money by funding both, but demanding their integration."
And, from the Methamphetamine Treatment Project (MTP), a multi-site initiative to study the treatment of methamphetamine dependence, jointly implemented by the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (ISAP), and the Matrix Institute on Addictions: "According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the most effective treatments for methamphetamine addiction are cognitive behavioral interventions. These approaches are designed to help modify the patient's thinking, expectancies, and behaviors and to increase skills in coping with various life stressors. Methamphetamine recovery support groups also appear to be effective adjuncts to behavioral interventions that can lead to long-term drug-free recovery."
In simpler terms, professionals in the treatment of alcohol and drug addiction know how to treat meth addicts, just like they know how to treat alcoholics, or those addicted to other drugs, whether it be cocaine, amphetamines or diet pills. There is nothing out of the ordinary about methamphetamine use that precludes if from being effectively dealt with by treatment professionals.
Treatment by qualified professionals does work and we must insure that proper funding be allotted so that treatment can actually take place.
_________________________
* Fight Crime: Invest in Kids-News Releases: April 17, 2006, Meth Abuse Threatens More Crime in Rural Oregon