- This is the first of a series of "reality"
journalism stories that will chronicle the efforts of a determined 20 year
old to rescue her best friend from meth addiction. The 20 year old is my
youngest daughter Rachel. I consider her best friend, Lindsey, the meth
addict, like a daughter.
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- Here is our story. Portland, Oregon June 23, 2005
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- It all started three weeks ago with a phone call from
my 22 year old son, Ostan. "I found Lindsey with a bubble the other
night," he said. A bubble is a glass pipe used to smoke methamphetamine
in powder form. He caught his girlfriend of five years doing meth in their
living room. He broke the pipe, got the meth, put it in the mail box and
called the cops, telling them where it was. The Medford Police responded
and ticketed Lindsey with felony possession.
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- Talk about tough love.
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- His sister, Rachel, my youngest daughter, heard his pain
and she headed down to Medford from Portland, Oregon a week after he called
to console and support him for a few days.
-
- Lindsey has been part of our family since she and Rachel
met in eighth grade at the bus stop on Rachel's first day at Hedrick Middle
School. They became best friends and have been through a lot together the
past seven years. Then Ostan and Lindsey became boyfriend/girlfriend and
have been so for the past five years.
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- After Rachel graduated from North Medford High School
in 2003, her dad/my husband, Keith, got a job on Guam at Anderson Air Force
Base. We flew out that September and began our new empty nest lives on
a tropical island far, far away. I moved here to Portland after nearly
two years on Guam last April and am staying with Rachel till Keith flies
back to the states after his contract expires.
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- Guam is a small island in the Northern Marianas that
is an eight plus hour flight east of Hawaii and is a strategic military
outpost for the U.S. military as it's a U.S. territory near Asia. There
was a huge "War on Ice" campaign on Guam to combat the same thing,
meth addiction, so I learned of its deadly dangers half way around the
world.
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- Since I've been staying with Rachel, we've spent so much
great time reconnecting not only as Mother and daughter, but like friends
and sisters. We fulfilled one of her greatest dreams this past weekend
when I wore a white tee shirt with "Mom's Pride Shirt" on the
front as we headed to PRIDE which is a celebration for those who are gay,
lesbian, bi, transgender, etc. It was a busy weekend as I spent two days
at PRIDE and Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Pow Wow out at East Delta
Park.
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- I took her out to the Pow Wow on Sunday right after the
PRIDE parade. I am part Athabascan or Alaska Native and it was exciting
as I found Rachel next to me dancing to the inter-tribal offerings from
the different drum groups. It was her first time dancing at a Pow Wow and
was meaningful as we danced for our Dads on Father's day. Both these events
seemed to strengthen us.
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- Since I have returned from Guam, she confessed to me
that when she was in high school, she was "doing dope." I had
no idea but we, her parents, wondered why our movies and other things went
missing. Rachel confessed that she,d been stealing things to pay for the
meth. She and Lindsey cleaned up three years ago. Then Lindsey started
doing it again about five weeks ago. I grew up in the 60's up in Seattle
and besides alcohol, haven't had any other addictive drugs adversely affect
our family. Till now.
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- So what is the state of meth addiction here in Oregon?
In 1992, Oregon had the highest population nationwide of those in meth
treatment.
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- According to the Corvallis Gazette Times:
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- Department of Human Services statistics report that the
number of treatment admissions for girls ages 17 and under has jumped 57
percent since 1999. And it's grown steadily among boys in the same age
group. Last year (2004), more than 1,700 children were treated for methamphetamine
abuse in Oregon, according to the state Office of Mental Health and Addiction
Services. More than 1,000 were girls " up from around 630 in 1999.
Meth treatment for boys rose from about 600 to 742. Now, methamphetamine
has surpassed alcohol and trails only marijuana as the most-treated drug
addiction in the state's residential care programs for children younger
than 17.For many of Oregon's juvenile meth users, the habit begins in middle
school, authorities say. And the illicit drug seems to be losing its stigma
among teens, mainly because they have discovered that it can be taken without
a needle. But methamphetamine addiction can be especially devastating on
minds and bodies that are still trying to grow, treatment providers say.
Over time, as addiction causes molecular changes in the brain, meth amplifies
pre-existing problems, such as low self-esteem, stress or depression. By
the time teens need treatment, they have lost a significant chunk of their
body weight. They're often anxious and sweating, battling body aches, looking
confused and sometimes suffering from open sores after hours of scratching
imaginary "meth bugs."
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- Meth has a history dating back to the early 1900's when
it was developed in Germany and Japan. In the United States in the 1950s,
legally manufactured tablets of both amphetamine (Dexedrine) and methamphetamine
(Methedrine) were used by students, housewives and truckers.
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- From methamphetimineaddiction.com:
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- During World War II, amphetamines were widely used to
keep the fighting men going (during the Vietnam war, American soldiers
used more amphetamines than the rest of the world did during WWII). In
Japan, intravenous methamphetamine abuse reached epidemic proportions immediately
after World War II, when supplies stored for military use became available
to the public.
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- Talk on the street is that Medford is the meth capital
of the west coast. We lived there seven years after Keith, my husband,
got a job there as an automation engineer.
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- Today, the emotional wreckage after Ostan caught Lindsey
forced him to move from their place and stay with the parents of one of
his friend's. He has a five year old daughter in Medford, so he lives there
to be near her. He got caught up in teen parenthood and didn't finish his
North Medford High School diploma work. He cooks at the local strip club
and a bar around the corner. Today is his 22nd birthday. I don't have a
number to call him to wish him a happy birthday. Maybe he can call us.
This past week, Rachel had been talking about going down to Medford to
"get" Lindsey. Yesterday, full of resolve and driven to help
her best friend, she headed down to Medford, not sure if she,d find Lindsey
or if she found her, if Lindsey would want to come back up to Portland
so we can get her help.
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- She called me a few hours ago. "Mom, I got her,"
Rachel said. "I talked with her parents last night. We,re coming up
and will be home tomorrow."
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- I am a recovering alcoholic with nearly 24 years sobriety.
Rachel's well intended intervention needed resources so we could get Lindsey
the help she will so desperately need once she gets here. I called Alcoholics
Anonymous to get the phone numbers for the Alcohol and Drug crisis line.
After explaining the situation, the lady on the line suggested that I call
"Change Point," a place that offers free out patient treatment
for meth addicts. I called them, got the address and learned that we needed
to get Lindsey there before 5pm tomorrow to get her on the waiting list
for treatment.
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- I then called Narcotics Anonymous and found out that
their meeting schedule is online. The volunteer NAer was very understanding
and suggested a few meetings not only for Lindsey but for me and Rachel.
Al-Anon is the companion program for the family members and those concerned
for the alcoholic/addict so they can live with them in their lives without
enabling their addictive behavior. There is an online resource for Crystal
Meth Anonymous and there are meetings in Portland.
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- I'm not sure how bad Lindsey's withdrawl will be. In
the mean time, I,ll do internet research, call a girl friend who is a naturopath
to see if she can recommend some natural things to help alleviate the symptoms
and be ready to do what we can.
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- Like the Serenity Prayer says,
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- "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things
I cannot change,
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- The courage to change the things I can
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- And the wisdom to know the difference."
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- Cassandra "Sandy" Frost is an award winning
print and E-journalist, editor and author of "Perceptions: Articles
on Intuition, Remote Viewing and Consciousness from a Native American Point
of View" which will be published by the end of the year. She lives
in Portland with her youngest daughter, Rachel, who recently graduated
from the Western Culinary Institute and is a full time baker.
-
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- Diary of a Meth Rescue, Part 2
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- By Cassandra 'Sandy' Frost
Portland, Oregon
June 24, 2005
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- Rachel and Lindsey got here about an hour and forty five
minutes ago. I was chatting with my husband Keith on Yahoo Msgr and told
him I thought I heard the car door slam shut outside.
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- "Marco," said Rachel as she came through the
door.
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- "Polo," I answered back.
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- "We have an extra visitor," she said.
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- In came Rachel with Lindsey's pet cockatiel other wise
named "Hair-do." Don't ask.
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- Then in walked Lindsey. I smiled and hugged her and she
hugged me, saying how glad she was that we cared enough to help her. She
is about 5'9", thin, blonde and pretty. She has a sweet spirit and
is a giver. When we hugged, she started crying. I did too a little bit.
We hugged for a long time. Rachel and I were the only ones in her world
to try to save her from her habit. She said she was so thankful for us.
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- Lindsey is a founding member of the Piranah Clan. When
she met my youngest daughter seven years ago, they and their little friends
would swoop through the kitchen at night and eat and drink everything in
sight so Keith named them the Piranah Clan. I,d cook huge pots of food,
pizza up on pizza, pans of lasagna, fried chickens and they,d wash it all
down with gallons of milk. They,d have cereal for dessert.
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- So, let the PIranah Clan tradition continue. Lindsey
turned 21 last April and Rachel will be 21 this up coming September. Lindsey's
been clean from meth for two days and slept most of the way up from Medford
to Portland as Rachel drove. Thank the gods we had some burritos to nuke
when they got here.
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- I typed back to Keith that the girls were here and I
needed to go.
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- "You know, Lindsey," I said, "I quit drinking
for the first time when I was 21." I started when I was 13 and was
a full blown alcoholic by the time I was 16. She turned 21 last month and
here she was in our little kitchen, two days clean. Yesterday I sent an
email to KPTV Channel 12 because they have a "Meth Watch" section
that covers Portland's meth epidemic. I told them about how a twenty year
old girl had driven all the way from Portland down to Medford to rescue
her best friend from meth addiction. The producer called, I explained the
story and got the green light so the girls could tell their stories on
the Friday night news.
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- He woke me up this morning to find out where the girls
were so he could schedule the camera man and reporter's evening. After
the girls walked in, I called the newsroom and made arrangements with the
reporter to come over and talk with them. Rachel will do it. So will Lindsey.
They want to help others in the same situation.
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- When Rachel went down to Medford to see her brother two
weeks ago, she spent some time with Lindsey. She had three or four friends
over. Rachel hasn't smoked meth for two years. She and Lindsey had both
done it when they were in high school. They both quit at the same time.
Rachel has stayed clean. Lindsey had started after two years or about five
weeks ago. Rachel told me that she was so proud when Lindsey handed her
the meth pipe she didn't hit it. She said she held it for a minute and
gave it back to Lindsey, finding the strength to "Just say No."
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- After the girls settled in, I asked Lindsey, "What
is smoking meth like?" "I don't know how to describe it,"
she answered. She laid back and curled up on her bed on the floor to watch
"The Last Boy Scout" with us. She has a bad, hacking cough. Her
face is kind of thin. She is eating a lot; actually has eaten non-stop
since she's been here. She has dark circles under her eyes. She's smoking
quite a bit.
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- Lindsey called her Mom when she got here. She got a bit
weepy. Her parents have their own health challenges and aren't in a position
to really help her. Lindsey needs to make arrangements for her folks to
get her things from her apartment. Lindsey has always spoken fast and has
kind of mumbled sometimes. But today she's harder than ever to understand.
I have to look at Rachel so she can tell me what Lindsey has said. In the
mean time, Rachel made a little bed for Lindsey and moved in her chest
of drawers. We talked about N.A. meetings and what would take place over
the next few days. Lindsey is a hard worker and wants to get a job ASAP.
And she wants to get clean. She will need a few days to rest and get used
to being here. They are leaving now to go to 7-11 for cigarettes. The TV
people just called and they are on their way. As the girls came back, the
TV van drove up. The cameraman and reporter set things up to interview
Rachel first. She explained how she could feel Lindsey in pain, how she
had to get to Lindsey. When Lindsey was hooked up to the mic, she tried
to explain how she felt but cried a lot. The reporter was really sharp
and asked great questions. After the interview, the girls came in and went
to sleep. "Wake me up so I can see us on the news," asked Rachel.
Lindsey was snoring already. I watched the news and tried to wake Rachel
but she said she wanted to sleep.
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- This was the third meth related story in the hour long
ten o'clock news. The clip showed Rachel talking about how it's all about
love and helping those who need it if we can. Lindsey was shown crying,
wiping her eyes, trying to tell the camera how grateful she was that someone
cared to help her and how she wanted to get clean.
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- We've gotten some feed back from those who know Rachel
as she is well known among those in the Hawthorne district of Portland.
They are proud of and support her for bringing Lindsey here. And Lindsey
is glad she did.
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- More as things develop.
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- Cassandra "Sandy" Frost is an award winning
print and E-journalist, editor and author of "Perceptions: Articles
on Intuition, Remote Viewing and Consciousness from a Native American Point
of View" which will be published by the end of the year. She lives
in Portland with her youngest daughter, Rachel, who recently graduated
from the Western Culinary Institute and is a full time baker.
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