Tuesday, Jul. 03, 2007
New therapy method takes rigorous approach
Matrix process includes multiple weekly sessions and random drug testing, plus extended care later
Comments (0) | 
E-Mail
Print
tool name
closeAs the number of local residents being treated for meth addiction increases, San Luis Obispo County has begun using a far more rigorous treatment to help them.
The new program -- endorsed by federal officials -- requires multiple counseling sessions weekly for about four months, random drug testing each week, plus nine more months of continuing care.
"Methamphetamine does so much brain damage that we have to force people to stay clean long enough to see that life can be better without it," said Linda Baker, director of the program called Matrix.
Before county officials began the Matrix process in August, clients attended counseling sessions and communitybased support groups as needed.
In Matrix, the intensive individual and group counseling is designed to teach clients timemanagement and scheduling skills, as well as how to live free of drug abuse. Families are invited to join the counseling sessions.
The classes are often repetitive, which works well for people recovering from meth, who often suffer from temporary short-term memory problems, Baker said.
What you should know about comments on SanLuisObispo.com
SanLuisObispo.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. See our full terms of service here.
Here are some rules of the road:
- Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
- Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
- Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
- Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and leave him a public message.
- Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
- Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
- Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
- Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
You should also know that The Tribune does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at webmaster@sanluisobispo.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the username of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to webmaster@sanluisobispo.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
About comments
Reader comments on SanLuisObispo.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Tribune. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.