An 86 Recovery Rate for Meth and Other Addictions



May 8, 2005 -- With more and more headlines heralding woes of a growing methamphetamine epidemic in our nation, one faith-based organization stands as a bright beacon of hope in more ways than one. Teen Challenge provides a safe, accountable residential program for men and women seeking freedom from addictive behaviors and destructive lifestyles. More than half of Teen Challenge "students" have meth-use as a major factor in their backgrounds.

Four independent studies have shown that Teen Challenge has a national recovery rate for meth and other addictions ranging from 70% to 86%. Success is measured by the rate of students who remain clean and sober at least five years after graduating from the 12-14 month residential program.

A recent UCLA study indicated that the physical erosion of brain tissues caused by methamphetamines can heal, but it takes at least a full year of complete abstinence. Jim Cottrell, founding director of the Portland, Oregon Teen Challenge center, believes it is no coincidence that the one-year residential program of Teen Challenge is so successful. Cottrell explains, "The [70-86%] success rate experienced by Teen Challenge graduates...doesn't come from physical healing alone. We work on the heart and soul of each individual. Students who embrace the responsibilities of community living, and the disciplines of study, worship and prayer begin to fill the emptiness they once numbed with drugs with the presence and love of God instead."

Cottrell explained that, with counseling, stable living conditions, work experience, and faith-based character building, Teen Challenge students experience liberty from their captivity to addictions, street life and other destructive life issues.

Teen Challenge of Portland is hosting their 4th Annual Spring Banquet at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Portland Airport (7900 NE 82nd Avenue), tonight (Friday, May 6, 2005) at 6:30 pm. The program will feature international speaker Ted Roberts, an author, veteran Marine Corps fighter pilot and senior pastor of East Hill Church, one of the largest congregations in the Portland Metropolitan area. The banquet will also feature testimonies of transformed lives by past and present students, a performance by the TC Choir, and a multi-media presentation about the Teen Challenge response to meth and other addictions.

Teen Challenge International is a residential recovery program with 178 centers nationwide and 250 internationally. It was started in 1958 by David Wilkerson, a New York pastor, to reach out to gang kids in Brooklyn. The story of Teen Challenge was later told in book and movie form as "The Cross and the Switchblade."

Teen Challenge is a source of positive, responsive information about addictions recovery. Students are available to give testimoniesFor more information or a tour of the facilities, contact Teen Challenge of Portland at (503) 230-1910. Administrative offices are located above the Teen Challenge Thrift Store at 3121 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, OR 97232. You can also learn more on the web at www.teenchallenge.com or www.portlandtc.com.





An 86 Recovery Rate for Meth and Other Addictions