TULSA CENTER OFFERS HOPE FOR ADDICTED WOMEN

TULSA -- Nine months pregnant, Angie Marshall is surrounded by "alligators." They stand between her drug addiction and the symbolic bridge to recovery, as dramatized in a role-playing exercise at the Tulsa Women and Children's Center.

The Tulsa Women and Children's Center is the only state-operated drug and alcohol treatment center that allows women to bring their children for inpatient services.  The center has 52 beds and serves women with children up to age 12.  Clients typically spend three or four months in the center, which opened last year.

Most women enter the center on referrals from the court system, physicians and the Department of Human Services.

Other clients at the inpatient center portray family members or represent Marshall's fear, anger and low self-esteem -- obstacles that are the "snapping gators" blocking her way to a drug-free life.

"You can't do it! You need me! You don't deserve any better!" the women shout, as Marshall summons the courage to murmur and then shout, "Shut up! I'm going to win this battle."

The exercise ends with hugs and tears.

Later, Marshall -- who has used drugs since she was 9 -- says she feels empowered to take back her life and raise her children in a safe, drug-free environment.

"I have a new baby coming, and I can't be scared," Marshall, 20, tells the group.  "I've got to be strong."

The Tulsa center, which allows clients to bring their children to inpatient treatment and specializes in helping pregnant women, is a leader in recovery centers for drug and alcohol addiction, said Terry Cline, commissioner of the state Mental Health Department.

"The prognosis is much better in terms of treatment when you keep the family together," Cline said.

Carla Triplett, 34, graduated from the program last week.  She plans to start a new life with her third child, an 11-month-old girl.

Triplett lost custody of two teen daughters during various drug-related prison stays the past decade.

Without the treatment center, Triplett said she would have gone back to jail and lost custody of her baby.

"I always thought I was ruined for life," Triplett said.  "I found out here that's not true.  With this child, I got a new beginning, another chance.  I want to do it right."

The road won't be an easy one, center director Regina Knell said.  Breaking lifelong habits -- and severing the relationships that foster them -- will be a daily battle for Triplett, who started drinking and using drugs at age 12.

Graduates of the program are required to attend after-care classes at the center or join support groups.

They only succeed when they surround themselves with supporters, Knell said.  Many women, at first guarded and withdrawn, develop deep bonds with other clients and vow to keep each other out of trouble.

Thinking about anything else is hard for Marshall, the pregnant mom.

Marshall is days away from her expected delivery but months from her expected release from the center.

Marshall dropped out of high school and has two toddlers her mother is raising.  Like Triplett, Marshall avoided jail time since she entered the treatment program.  She also may have saved her baby's life.

"I was doing drugs with this baby," said Marshall, who was hooked on methamphetamines.  "I felt bad about this and I'd cry 'Why can't I stop.  This baby is depending on me for everything and I just can't quit.'"

Kristie Wiginton, a registered nurse at the center, said getting early treatment is essential for moms.

"The quicker a mother gets clean, the better chances the baby is going to be healthier," Wiginton said.

Still, some clients' babies are born with fetal alcohol syndrome or addicted to drugs, requiring longer hospitalization.

After four months of treatment, Marshall said she has hope her baby will be healthy and that she'll stay off drugs and make better decisions with her life.

The "alligator" exercise forced her to face some fears, Marshall said.

"I can make it and not be scared any more" she said.  "I'm strong, and I'm learning to be stronger."