Hazelden leads methamphetamine initiative to promote awareness and action

Center City, Minn. (May 17, 2006) - The nonprofit Hazelden Foundation, a national leader in drug and alcohol addiction treatment, announced today it is launching the Meth: Our Nation's Crisis: Toolkit for Change, a national methamphetamine education product to inspire parents, schools, employers, health care professionals and community leaders to take action against meth use in their communities. Each kit contains a DVD with three documentaries about meth, and a CD-R with specific resources for each audience about the dangers and devastating effects of meth use, with detailed instruction on how they can fight this growing problem.

In 2004, an estimated 12 million people in the United States ages 12 and older had tried meth at least once, and 1.4 million of those had used it within the last year. In addition, law enforcement agencies nationwide ranked meth as one of the top drugs responsible for increasing violent crime rates in communities, according to a 2003 National Drug Intelligence Center survey.

"Methamphetamine abuse is changing the landscape of America," said Carol Falkowski, director of Research Communications at Hazelden. "In fact, 129,000 people nationwide entered treatment for methamphetamine addiction in 2004 alone, up from only 33,000 in 1994. The consequences of the growing meth problem affect individuals, families and entire communities. As such, there has never been a greater need for a tool like this -- with everything in one place to offer hope to our nation, one community at a time."

Hazelden's meth toolkit addresses this raging issue with a CD-R that includes seven comprehensive information and action guides for specific audiences, enabling them to work collaboratively and form coalitions to raise awareness and fight the meth epidemic in their communities:

• A Meth Primer - provides basic facts on meth, myths and truths about the drug, and offers examples and statistics showing that meth is a severe threat to the health and safety of communities.
• A Guide for Community Leaders - includes specific examples of what is working in other communities and steps to build a coalition to combat the meth issue, and identifies how to mobilize local resources and implement plans for meth prevention projects.
• A Guide for Schools - outlines the signs and symptoms of meth use and exposure, provides tips for school guidance counselors, nurses and administrators on how to help students who are using meth and other drugs, and provides five, 50-minute lesson plan examples that introduce the dangers of meth to students of all ages.
• A Guide for Parents - describes the signs and symptoms of meth use, gives tips for talking to children about meth and other drugs, explains reasons why adolescents use meth and provides specific examples of what parents can do to keep their children off meth.
• A Guide for Health Care Professionals - outlines the various medical complications of meth use, describes common emergency room treatment procedures for meth users, explains how first responders can help children who have who have been exposed to meth and gives example protocols for medical evaluation of children found at a meth lab.
• A Guide for Employers - includes statistics on the high cost of drug abuse and growing rate of meth use on the job, explains what to do if an employee is suspected of drug use on the job and provides instruction on how to develop a workplace policy that addresses drug addiction.
• A Campaign Resources Guide - provides sample cover letters to community members introducing a meth awareness campaign, three sample press releases to recruit community support and gain media attention, printable fact sheets about meth, four sample awareness posters and a meth resource directory.

The toolkit DVD also includes three documentary videos illustrating the devastating effects of meth from a broad range of perspectives. In the first video entitled Meth: Shadow Across America, law enforcement and treatment professionals discuss what meth is, the dangers of meth labs and addiction and possible solutions for this growing problem in communities. The second video, Life After Meth, presents the compelling stories of six individuals living in recovery from meth addiction, how the drug impacted their lives and families, and how they got and stayed sober. Also included is Hazelden's popular meth prevention video designed for teen audiences, Walking on Thin Ice, giving straight facts from teens, police and paramedics about meth's negative effects on the body, brain and behavior, covering refusal skills, and featuring advice from teens to teens.

"Meth is being introduced to a new generation of adolescents and use is rising in adults who don't know the lethal, addictive nature of the drug," said Nick Motu, senior vice president of Hazelden Publishing Services. "Collaborative action in communities is essential to prevent meth from devastating our work, school and home environments."

To order a copy of Meth: Our Nation's Crisis: Toolkit for Change, call 800-328-9000, or visit our online bookstore.