Losing the Battle: Meth Addicts Struggle to Recover
May 04, 2010
Sheriff Wally George has watched meth use swell in Missouri’s Saline County over his 31-year tenure. For George, the toll of methamphetamine is personal—he arrested his own son, who had a meth lab in his house. Meth is a mistake people cannot afford to make, George said. "You take a bite of that meth one time, it’s going to bite back and never let go," he said. According to a 2006 report by the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare, 50% of meth users relapse, 36% of those within the first six months of treatment. Unlike medicinal treatment for heroin, treatments for meth addiction are extremely limited, and only behavioral therapies have shown to be effective, according to a report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Education, education, education," George said. "That's the only way we're going to win this problem over." The Marshall School District provides prevention programs from kindergarten through 12th grade. Through the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, courses in health, social studies, and science explain the effects of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco on the body. The schools also mark a "Red Ribbon Week" that highlights drug prevention.
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Source
Columbia Missourian