Dear Friends,

Today is National Methamphetamine Awareness Day. With the growing epidemic of Methamphetamine in Northern Nevada and our nation Ridge House would like to take the opportunity to draw your attention to this problem in our community. We in the treatment field see and know everyday the effect methamphetamine has on our fellow Northern Nevadan's. For those of you that are not so intimately involved in this battle, it may not be as apparent. Methamphetamine effects our community and taxes our systems daily in numerous ways. Increased criminal justice expenses, law enforcement resources, treatment resources, lost productivity from our employees and our children's lost potential are all ways that Methamphetamine has taken our community hostage.

Ridge House has taken National Methamphetamine Day to participate in the Northern Nevada Methamphetamine Community Response Alliance
"one day meth count". During this count what we intrinsicly knew to be true was quantitatively validated. One example of this is that from July 1, 2006 to present Ridge House has admitted 236 clients, into various levels of treatment. Of those 236 admissions 152 listed methamphatamine as a substance they use regularly. This means 64% of Ridge House clients are here battling the stranglehold of methamphetamine.

We would like you to take National Methamphatamine Awareness Day as an opportunity to reflect on the significance of this epidemic. The Ridge House battles this problem on the front line daily through intensive treatment of addiction. This includes, but is not limited to, goal-oriented treatment planning, individual counseling, group therapy, educational lectures, relapse prevention groups and case management. As a community member you can do your part by supporting The Ridge house and treatment in general, writing your representatives in government and telling them how you feel about this epidemic and the actions you would like to see them take, and by visiting the National Methamphetamine Awareness Day website at www.usdoj.gov/methawareness. We also encourage you to pray for those who have not yet found the strength or courage to seek help in battling this disease.

Sincerely,

The Ridge House Management Team