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mmudd@gcnewsgazette.com
O'Brien spoke July 19 at a meth watch forum in Leitchfield concerning his life-long battle with alcohol addiction and drug use. O'Brien is well known for his years of service in Breckinridge County as a veterinarian. The Hardinsburg Veterinarian Clinic is located at 504 Hooks Lane.
"I may offend people in saying this," said O'Brien. "But I feel the number one gateway drug is alcohol." He said alcohol was always accepted in his family. The more beer he got for his dad and his friends the more sips he could have.
O'Brien soon began to realize how much he loved the taste of beer, he was hooked. "I remember waking up at 2 a.m. in the morning on a horse and didn't know where I was at." explained O'Brien. It wasn't long after he got his license that he wrecked his dad's vehicle.
"I blacked out and wrecked my dad's station wagon," said O'Brien. "It didn't take me long to realize the money my father used to feed the family was now going to be used to fix his car." He said he was a firm believer that nothing happens in God's world by accident, everything happens for a reason.
The army is where he got hooked on smoking pot. In 1976 he had a moment of clarity. "I told my family that I wanted to go to vet school," said O'Brien. "My family laughed at me, I was bound and determined to prove them wrong." O'Brien went on to say he was a firm believer in not letting standardized tests prevent children from doing what they want to do.
He motivated himself in school in that every time he studied hard he would smoke a joint. "I made the Dean's list," mentioned O'Brien. "I learned that when you are on that list everyone leaves you alone." He said society accepts drinking but he still had to be quiet about his drug use.
O'Brien went to work for Dr. Don Wade in Breckinridge County after graduating from Auburn.
Not too long after that he took over for Dr. Wade and built a new building for his business called the Hardinsburg Veterinarian Clinic, he tried meth from a friend in Hardinsburg and loved it. "It got to where I couldn't get out of bed," explained O'Brien. "I had to have that drug to get me going for the day."
He said he lost clients and friends over the drug. "When you do meth there is not enough alcohol in-house to get you drunk," explained O'Brien. He later began having a meth user in his basement manufacturing meth for him. "I knew I was a good chef," said O'Brien. "I thought I would try my hand at cooking meth from info I had read about it in books."
In November 2003 his history of meth use came to an abrupt end. He pulled into the driveway at his home to find 13 policemen. His friend of many years Sheriff Todd Pate was the arresting officer. "They were tearing my house apart searching for signs of meth," said O'Brien. "My son was going to prison for manufacturing meth if I didn't confess soon."
The one thing O'Brien was surprised about was that this incident shocked his son clean. His son thought the police officers were coming after his little bag of pot in his room. O'Brien gave up everything just for a drug. "I gave up my farm, my practice, and my wife all for the drug," explained O'Brien. "Anyone who said you can quit on willpower is wrong, I always say try taking a box of Ex -Lax and practice will power, you just can't do it."
Upon being arrested he cried like a baby for quite some time. He prayed for God to save him. "It felt like taking a shot across the head with a 2x4 for God to set me straight." said O'Brien.
District Court Judge Shan Embry sent him to Mississippi for treatment for 90 days. Not to long after that he was sentenced to 10 years in the Kentucky State Penitentiary. He has been out jail for about a year now. His goal in life is to prevent children from making the same mistakes he did.
O'Brien went through plastic surgery to remove crank sores. They open wounds on your body from using meth. He still has a scar on his face though. "The scar on my face is an everyday reminder by God of what I did to my family and community, said O'Brien.
Plans are for his wife of 30 years to move back in and try to patch up what time they lost by O'Brien's drinking and using drugs.
Kentucky State Police Trooper Steve Pavey also spoke at the Middle School informing the public on the extremities of meth. Pavey is a 23-year-veteran of the force and has seen several cases involving meth over the years.
The powerpoint presentation consisted of signs of someone using, photos of meth site arrests, slang terms for the drug and side effects that occur after using for sometime.
Rotting teeth is also known as meth mouth. It also causes a loss of appetite. Pavey explained that is the reason a lot of girls use it. They have no desire to eat while using the drug. He said crank bugs cause an individual to feel like bugs are crawling all over them. Sores will also show up on the skin which is called metal poisoning. He said this is the body's way of releasing the toxins from the body.
When using there are five steps that one goes through. A rush of emotions and thrills goes through the body first. The natural high last for an hour later. Pavey said then an individual will binge themselves on taking nothing but meth. Then the user begins tweaking the intake of the drug into the body.
Finally the individual crashes for one to three days from using. He explained withdrawal from the drug causes severe depression and suicide. "One of the most common places in Kentucky for cooking meth is in motels," said Pavey. "Individuals check-in under an assumed name and pay cash for their visits, that way there is nothing connecting them in case something goes wrong."
"These individuals who manufacture meth are processing highly volatile chemicals," said Pavey. "Red phosphorous is the most flammable."
Several kids die each year due to meth labs exploding.
Sheriff Todd Pate from Breckinridge County explained about the arrest he made on Dr. Michael O'Brien. He said it was the hardest thing he ever did. "O'Brien didn't put up a fight," said Pate. "He knew he was caught, he even made us coffee while the police inspected his home."
Leitchfield Sheriff Rick Clemons discussed his experience on dealing with meth use in Grayson County. He explained during his 19.5 years working for the Leitchfield Police Department and about a year at the Sheriff's office that he didn't realize the extremity of meth in the county. He said law enforcement is working every day to breakdown the meth epidemic for people young and old in the community.
Some of the booths setup for the event was Boy's Haven, Social Services, Grayson County Detention Center, Leitchfield Police Department, Life-Line connections and several others. Food and Drinks were provided by Sav-A-Lot, Stacie Blain and family, Dale and Annette Geary, Sara Lee Bakery, Leitchfield Shell, and Dennery Enterprises.
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