A blond girl getting ready for a night out recoils in terror as she sees an image of herself as a bruised, bleeding addict huddled on the shower floor.
An agitated boy runs through a laundry facility, attacking people and demanding money, when he encounters his former self and screams, "This wasn't supposed to happen!"
These are just some of the graphic images that are part of an ad campaign hitting the airwaves, billboards and newspapers today to show the real-life horrors of methamphetamine use.
The campaign, called the Arizona Meth Project, is a collaborative effort among 10 counties to saturate the media with startling anti-meth messages that authorities hope will convince teens not to try the drug -- "not even once."
"I think it could have an impact. This is more honest and more effective. Instead of just saying 'don't,' it shows what will happen," said 14-year-old Daniel Williams, who was one of 28 Scottsdale middle-school students allowed to preview the ads Tuesday.
The graphic ads got their start as part of the Montana Meth Project, an in-your-face campaign launched two years ago. Organizers in Montana say the media and educational blitz has dramatically reduced meth-related crime and changed attitudes.
Some experts believe meth is the most addictive drug available. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it takes the human body about 12 hours to remove about 50 percent of the methamphetamine, compared with only one hour for cocaine.
Meth use and distribution touch nearly every segment of society.
More than half of domestic-violence cases involve meth, and the drug is present in two-thirds of cases in which Arizona children are abused or neglected. Seventy percent of Arizona counties report that robberies and burglaries have increased because of meth use.
More than half of the youths jailed by the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections have a history of meth use. Among users, 84 percent said they regularly did meth and half were under the influence of it when they committed their crimes.
In Arizona, marijuana and alcohol remain, by far, the drugs of choice for youths. But 4.3 percent of teens ages 13 to 17 said they've tried meth, according to the 2006 Arizona Youth Survey. That's double the national average.
"Methamphetamine is the most serious threat to your safety," Attorney General Terry Goddard told Cocopah Middle School students on Tuesday. "It's out there; it's causing a lot of problems for us, and we need your help to stop it. We know we already have a problem that's bordering on getting out of control."
Arizona Meth Project ads will air between 7 p.m. and midnight on stations that cater to younger audiences, including CW, MTV and Comedy Central. On radio airwaves, Arizona young people will share their addiction and recovery stories during peak drive times and on weekends.
Strong reactions to the ads have played out in Montana, according to its attorney general's 2007 Trends and Impact Report. For the first time, meth use and associated crime in Montana had declined. Law enforcement and workplace drug-testing data showed a 41 percent decrease in criminals testing positive for meth and a 70 percent drop in workers testing positive for it.
The report also showed that 93 percent of teens said meth carried a greater risk than any other drug if used just once.
Melissa, 24, knows the pull of meth. She first tried it on her 18th birthday and dropped out of school within six months because "it became more important for me to stay home and get high."
Her experience will likely be broadcast in the second series of radio ads for the Arizona Meth Project.
Hers is a story of stops and starts, like an on-again/off-again relationship. But the cycle stopped when, instead of snorting or eating it, she started to smoke meth.
"That's when I got hooked," she said. "I lost my house. I lost my car. I lost my family. I lost everything."
Melissa spent the next three years living on the streets or with friends when she wasn't in jail for shoplifting, identity theft or car theft.
In that time, she got close to a dealer and stayed in an abusive relationship to ride the high.
"It grabs you and takes you down," Melissa said. "They don't call it the devil's drug for nothing."
Her parents intervened in May 2005 by helping get her into a four-month rehab in Oklahoma and another four-month stint in Pennsylvania.
She now is clean, living in Casa Grande, and studying psychology at Central Arizona College with plans to transfer to Northern Arizona University.
Melissa says her path may have been different if she had known about the effects of meth six years ago.
"I went through D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education program). I knew drugs were bad for you, but I didn't think it would be me," she said.
"The ads are so blunt, and they're just out there and really hard to ignore."
METHAMPHETAMINE EFFECTS, TREATMENT
Question: Why is meth so addictive?
Answer: Methamphetamine causes chemical reactions in the brain that trick the body into believing it has unlimited energy supplies. That, in turn, drains energy reserves needed for other parts of the body. This causes meth addicts to stay awake for long periods until they crash from exhaustion.
Meth also reduces the level of dopamine, a chemical produced by the brain that causes feelings of pleasure. When the user stops taking the drug, the brain is unable to function normally, sometimes up to months.
Q: Can meth addiction be treated?
A: Yes. But because the effects of meth linger longer than for drugs such as cocaine and heroin, treatment can take more time. Some even say that the greatest indicator of success is how many times a person has tried to quit before.
Jeff Taylor of the Phoenix Rescue Mission, which runs a one-year inpatient drug-rehabilitation program, said addicts need at least 60 days and as long as a year in a residential program, followed by a transitional program, where they move into a halfway house, get a job, pay rent and continue to attend therapy.
Q: What treatments are effective for meth abusers?
A: The most effective treatments are cognitive behavioral interventions. Such approaches help modify an addict's thinking, expectations and behavior to increase skills in coping with life's stresses. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which focuses on how we think, helps addicts identify and plan for the triggers associated with drug use.
Q: What else works?
A: Research shows that effective programs incorporate relapse prevention and provide access to education, vocational and employment opportunities. Programs such as random drug tests, random home visits and electronic monitoring also can help hold recovering addicts accountable.
Support groups, as well as faith-based programs, appear to be effective.
"Where the trouble comes in is how to cope again," Taylor said. "How do you react to the world without getting loaded? How do you react to the jerk of a boss? How do you react to the wife that leaves you? How do you react to the father that dies? You have to start to face life's difficulties."
Q: Where can I learn about meth treatment programs?
A: Call Community Information and Referral in Maricopa County at (602) 263-8856 or outside the county at 1-800-352-3792. You also can find information at www.cir.org .
Sources: Arizona Attorney General's Office, Illinois Attorney General's Office, National Institute on Drug Abuse
KIDS AND METH
One of the keys to drug prevention is communication. It's never too early to start talking about drugs. Here are some tips for starting conversations.
Preschoolers
* Talk about what it means to keep your body healthy, including healthful food, exercise, etc.
* Point out dangerous household chemicals and medications, and introduce the "poison" idea.
Elementary school age
* Explain the idea of addiction, that drug use can become a bad habit and harm the body.
* Explain how foods, poisons, medicines, alcohol and illegal drugs differ. Tell your child that adults drink, but children may not drink, even in small amounts because it's harmful to developing brains and bodies.
Preteens
* Begin to rehearse scenarios in which friends offer drugs. Talk specifically about peer pressure in all areas of the child's life.
* Make it clear that you are on their side.
* Get your child involved in activities outside school.
Early teens
* Arrange to have your child looked after and engaged from 3 to 5 p.m. This is a time when children are most likely to be exposed to drugs or alcohol.
* Call parents whose home is to be used for a party. Set curfews and enforce them.
* Make it easy for your child to leave a place where substances are being used.
* Act on your suspicions. If you sense your child is using drugs, seek help immediately.
Older teens
* Talk frankly about the deadly effects of combining drugs, how addiction can hit anybody and the link of violence with drug use.
* Help your teen understand that you will be there for him to talk about his own potential use or that of a friend. |
