New meth facility offers treatment for free
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Centerstone, a not-for-profit organization, has opened a free meth treatment facility in Tullahoma that provides an intensive, four-month outpatient program. State and federal grants cover all costs for treatment.
?Our focus is to get people back to the point where they can enjoy a productive life,? said Centerstone community liaison Carrie Hawk.
The four-month program is much longer than traditional 30-day rehab programs because meth is a powerfully addictive drug that?s one of the toughest dependencies to break. Classes take place three days a week and last two-and-a-half hours.
?For people who have used meth pretty regularly, it affects the part of their brain that makes dopamine,? said Hawk, referring to a chemical in the brain that?s crucial for stable mental health. ?People can be pretty successful staying off meth for about 40 days, but after going without dopamine for so long they hit a wall. What usually happens then is they start using again.?
Hawk said the ?wall? feeling can last anywhere from five to 30 days which is why it?s so vital meth treatment continues for several months.
Warren County is just one of six counties eligible for the new treatment facility. Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Lincoln and Moore counties are the other five.
In addition to providing treatment at no charge, Warren County residents can also get transportation to Tullahoma if needed.
?We are here to offer support,? said Hawk. ?We had a case worker drive to McMinnville and back just the other day to make sure that person made it to treatment.?
Hawk said the Tullahoma facility is currently serving a couple Warren County residents. People can either enroll in the program voluntarily or be sentenced through the courts.
?I know the folks at Centerstone and it?s great they have gotten that facility up and running,? said state Rep. Judd Matheny, who has made fighting meth one of his top priorities. ?As you know, I?m pushing for such a facility at the state level for the Department of Corrections to operate. As it stands now, the state has no tools for dealing with meth addiction and we?re held captive by the very, very high prices of the private sector.?
The local meth problem has been well documented. In Warren County alone, the number of meth labs seized by local authorities increased from three in 1999 to 43 in 2003. It is ?the most dangerous drug problem of small-town America,? according to a report in 2004 by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
Meth production, trafficking, and abuse are creating environmental and health hazards ? and these hazards affect more than just meth users. In 2003, more than 700 children were found at meth labs and were placed in protective custody in Tennessee.
Centerstone expects to treat more than 180 adults over the next three years. For information about this program, call Centerstone at (931) 461-1360.