Day 126
The anti-meth campaign continues
July 31st, 2010
I'm walking across America.
That's the idea, at least. I'm walking westward from New York City for nine months or so. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be in Oregon when the clock runs out. If nothing goes according to plan, maybe I'll end up in Peru or Mongolia or Pennsylvania. You can read all about the details of my trip if you're so inclined.
Email me at matt@imjustwalkin.com
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Here's my progress so far:
with all the fishing, hunting, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, rafting, bird watching and climbing in the beautiful state of Montana it is hard to imagine that any one would have time to get involved with meth…………..choose life.
that is the point Blistery Bob.
Hard to imagine passing up bird watching to do Meth
The best birdwatching I have ever seen was a premature bald eagle that got a squirrel and was unable to fly away with it so it ate half of him to stop the squirming so he could fly away and eat in peace on a high perch on a tall Ponderosa Pine near by. The whole scene lasted four minutes but it is an image that is burned into the memory banks of my mind.
Easy first!
That car be ‘meth’d up’!
The letting lettering matches most of the signs… looks like the same artist did them all.
make/model of the vehicle….Chevy…….anyone?
Chevy Nova.
Looks like whoever parked that Nova wasn’t exactly sober.
What’s going on with the house in the background? Is it OFF its foundation?
It’s off it’s rocker! No doubt a meth explosion from the nearby trailer that’s for sale. Made the house tilt. ;)
:) Could be!
I saw some interesting stats on this anti-meth campaign recently. It was so successful in Montana, that Idaho decided to adopt a similar campaign. Since it’s start, the state governments in both states estimate meth use is down over 50%. There could be other factors in the decline, but would seem to be due, at least partly, to the campaign.
Meth is becoming more and more prevalent out here now. At least I’m hearing more about meth labs in the last 5-10 years it seems. Even more in the last 2. Rural areas around here seem to be springing up these labs. It’s a nasty drug.
If this gets the attention of young people (we all know young people like cars) then I am all for this. Meth is a nasty killer and ages people by 20-30 years when used.
I personally do not understand why people would do this to themselves. My own thought is that we have way to many young people growing up with one parent and maybe no role model and they do not see value in their life. It is so sad!
Don’t blame single parents — it’s more likely uninvolved parents. This single parent raised a really nice person who never thought about doing drugs because I made sure she had good role models and was involved in constructive activities.
Even involved religious families have their share of problems. Addiction knows no boundaries, races, creed, religion, socio economic background and the like. Addiction doesn’t care if you’re a lawyer, doctor, judge or a street bum. Addiction doesn’t care if you ‘re a good person or a bad person because there really is no such thing. We are all good people just some of us make some really poor choices. And we can make up for those poor choices all the time. Been there, done that. Recovery is always an option. Improvement is always there. Love the campaign, hate the drug. Never did it and pray never will. Alcohol is just as much an addiction as anything else. But this is some bad stuff from what I’ve read and heard. Anyone can be an addict. And addiction is not because of being in a poor situation.
Sadly, There are Many unknowns about why kids start, in my post below I stated that when I was a teen I used Meth for almost a year, I can say I was an addict and I can say I am one of the lucky ones. What I do know is for me, it was only one time and I was hooked, I was just experimenting with my friends, no big deal (or so we thought) coming down was horrid and it hurt so bad the only thing you can think is to get more and quick…that was after 1 time. It is a sad sad state of affairs.
METHMOBILE
“Not even once.” It IS the same campaign!
It’s sad but true, Most of the Meth users in Montana are young. It’s cheap, it’s almost readily available ( chemicals to make it are found in the grocery store AND in a very common Montana product… fertilizer).
I’m not proud to say it and more on the embarrassed side, But I used when I was 16 and 17 years old, I am proud to say that I have been clean since I was 17 that’s 15 years of touching nothing except a drink occasionally on a social level. When I was a kid and doing it, you wouldn’t believe how many other kids and how absolutely astoundingly young kids did it. There was a 13 and a 14 year old that I knew who did it. So many of them don’t make it out, thats why these ads are so prominent in Montana.
The Facts about Montana Meth.
* Use of Meth is drastically higher in Montana Youth then in other state in the union http://www.pplmontana.com/community/our+community/montana+meth+project.htm
* Treatment admissions rose 520% between 1992 and 2002
*1 in 10 youth in our state know someone or has used Meth.
* 33% of teens say it’s easy to get
*94% of Montanans agree that it’s the primary problem in Montana…THe single most focused on problem.. (in an agricultural state that’s saying something)
* More people are hospitalized from meth use then any other drug (including rx and rx narcotics)
*80-90% of children in Cascade county (great Falls) are there citing Meth related reasons)
http://www.montanameth.org/documents/Fact_Sheet_Meth%20_Impact.pdf
The facts above are as of 2007… But that’s where the Montana Meth Project comes in Thomas Seibel (multi billionaire rancher and business man) Created this project with his own Money and very quickly started curbing the problem.
Some state say our usage has dropped 48% while others state 62%
Current facts…53% of children are now in fostercare due to meth relations Down from 80-90%
Previously inmates in prisons were at a staggering 76% costing our state over 43 million a year..Now that # is 50%
While those numbers may still seem high, to us they show a decline they show hard work is paying off and that people are responding to the campaigns…
My son this year took part in Paint the state (which is what Matt is seeing here on his trip with signs, murals and cars) It is our way of showing our youth that there IS more then Meth in MT!
Last year the Montana Meth Project went National and is now helped by the Federal GVT.
Not sure if any of you have seen any of the not even once commercials but they can be found here…The laundry mat one I think was really impacting.
http://www.montanameth.org/View_Ads/index.php
Looks like someone on meth did the paint job…