June 28, 2006

By STEVE BOGA
FOR THE ARGUS-COURIER

(Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series examining methamphetamine use in the Petaluma area.)

If marijuana was the street drug of choice in the '60s, and cocaine in the '70s and early '80s, it's methamphetamine today -- by a landslide, according to both law-enforcement personnel and rehab counselors.

"Meth is the No. 1 drug problem around here -- by far," says Sgt. Jim Stevenson of the Petaluma Police Department. He estimates that on average two of the 15 or so weekly drug arrests in Petaluma are meth-related.

The progression in popularity from marijuana to cocaine to methamphetamine is disturbing. We're not talking flower children smoking joints and blowing soap bubbles in the park. Smoking meth crystals offers most users a bigger, longer-lasting, more euphoric jolt than cocaine. Users frequently invoke the word "invincible" to describe how the drug makes them feel. But that rush of energetic confidence can morph into extreme paranoia.

"The paranoia on meth is unbelievable," says Stevenson. "We stop someone high on meth and they think we're out to kill them. It happens a lot."

The biggest meth-driven problem in Petaluma, Stevenson contends, is burglary. Since few heavy meth users have gainful employment, they often steal. "I'll bet that well over 90 percent of the car and home burglaries in Petaluma are meth-related," he says.

At Turning Point, the largest residential treatment facility in Sonoma County, 60 percent of the 129 beds are usually taken by people with serious meth problems. Executive director Michael Spielman says, "I've been doing this work for 26 years, and for the past 20 years, meth has been the biggest problem."

What's striking about meth is how swiftly it destroys lives. Someone with a serious drinking problem may function relatively well for 20 years. For a crank addict, the decline can be rapid, a plummet. Says Spielman, "With meth, things can change quickly. I've worked with clients who lost their car, house, wife and kids, and ruined their health -- all in one year."

The good news: Studies repeatedly show that treatment works. The bad news: You may have to commit a crime to qualify for it. In Sonoma County, about 150 funded treatment beds are reserved for criminal justice clients. Only four such beds are specifically funded for non-criminal justice clients -- that is, for poor people, street people or anyone without insurance who wakes up one day and declares, "I have a problem; I need help."

Rehab professionals are naturally pleased that the county recognizes the efficacy of treatment and makes it available to drug offenders as an alternative to jail. (In fact, Sonoma County, unlike many other California counties, supplements its state and federal money with millions of dollars in county funds.) But they also lament that so few people (read: politicians) recognize the critical need to make treatment available to people on demand -- that is, before they commit a crime.

Despite Sonoma County's relatively enlightened stance on drug rehab, treatment on demand does not exist here, at least for poor people. In a typical week, Turning Point refuses three to five people seeking treatment. Spielman estimates that every week 10 such people are turned away countywide.

That begs the question: turned away to do what? For people in both law enforcement and treatment, the answer is obvious. They return to using. And if they use long enough, they get caught. Whereupon they are back in the same place, knocking on the door of some recovery center, often many years later, having now committed a crime and wrecked lives in the process.

Spielman is confident that many meth addicts can be saved. "Turning Point turns lives around," he says. "Treatment works." He cites a study by California Drug and Alcohol Treatment Assessment. "It was conclusive. Every dollar spent on drug treatment saves seven dollars in related medical, legal and social costs. Treatment not only works, it saves money."

For Stevenson, the high recidivism rate he sees for meth users tempers his enthusiasm for most rehab programs. "In my opinion, short-term rehab doesn't work," he says. "Typically, users go in for 30 to 90 days, they come out, they get back with their user friends, they get caught again. We see the same people over and over. On the other hand, I do believe long-term residential treatment works."

Treatment for meth users ranges from outpatient counseling to residential treatment for nine months or longer. Residential treatment focuses on replacing old habits with new ones. Residents at Turning Point maintain an ordered routine. They go to bed at 11 p.m. and get up at 6:30, and every hour of the day is scheduled. In the mornings, residents work as a group to clean the house; in the afternoon, they attend classes. They also spend at least 20 hours a week in group and individual counseling. Family members may be brought in.

Turning Point residents learn skills to boost their chances of success on the outside. Classes include personal hygiene, living skills, relapse prevention, anger management and psychological health. "We have a big focus on vocational goals," Spielman says. "Residents have to get a job before they can graduate from Turning Point.

"We guide them through the job search, hold training workshops, help them with resumes. Then they go out and distribute those resumes. It usually takes two to four weeks to land a job. To help them through this important transition, they remain in treatment for three months after landing the job."

Meth use appears to be increasing. Turning Point asks all clients and prospective clients, "What is your primary drug of use?" For many years about 8 percent of kids under age 18 answered methamphetamine. Recently that figured has soared to 13 percent. Not incidentally, 55 percent of adults say meth is their primary drug of use.

Stevenson admits he has no innovative solution to the meth problem. Rehab professionals continue to press for treatment on demand. That means anyone seeking help for a meth problem will receive that help.

(Contact Steve Boga at argus@arguscourier.com)

TREATMENT CENTERS

This is a partial list of treatment centers and services for persons with methamphetamine addiction in Sonoma County:

Alcohol and other drug services