Amphetazine 19.qxp - Project Neon

The new year has brought some exciting
changes and growth to NEON. “WHAT
CHANGES?” — you ask? Not to worry.
As always, Susan Kingston, James Fisher,
and Jason Naki, the Un-Usual Suspects,
will be on hand to keep NEON running
smoothly.
But Susan’s role in NEON is changing.
She’ll keep seeing her “regular” clients,
so don’t panic! But her position has
changed a bit. Now, in addition to her title
as AmphetaQueen, she’s taken the lofty
title of Prevention Director at Stonewall
Recovery Services. What does this
mean? Well, it means that Stonewall,
like NEON, is committed
to developing prevention
programming that is
more responsive to the
diverse needs of drug
users. “Twelve step
abstinence programs
aren’t the only answer.”
As many of you know,
Susan feels strongly
about offering “harm
reduction options” for those who just ain’t
ready or don’t want to quit using drugs.
Susan will still spend a great deal of her
time with NEON but she will be a little
more behind the scenes. She’ll be sort
of like the Wizard from the Wizard of Oz.
Like the Wiz, she’ll be “behind the
curtain” helping keep the program
running smoothly and helping NEON
grow in new directions.
Susan wants to let everyone know that
she’s not leaving NEON. Nor is she
abandoning any of her loyal subjects.
Her door’s still open for walk-ins, and
one-on-one chats with clients.
10
Well, Toto,
there’s a new
sheriff in Oz,
and he looks
pretty cute in
those Ruby
Slippers!
Okay. So, back to the Wizard of Oz. You
might ask, “Who’s gonna wear Susan’s
beautiful Ruby Slippers?” Well, Toto,
there’s a new sheriff in Oz, and he looks
pretty cute in those Ruby Slippers! His
name is D.L. Scott and you can tell by the
way he walks that this ain’t the first time
he’s worn a pair of heels!
Scott will be taking over Susan’s Support
and Recovery Groups and he’ll see most
of the new one-on-one clients. He’ll also
work with James and NEON’s fantastic
staff of Peer Educators to make sure that
we are spreading NEON’s good word about
safer sex & safer shooting to gay and bi
guys who party with Crissy.
So, who is the man wearing
Susan’s Ruby Slippers? Well,
believe you and me, he’s
someone you’ll want to get
to know. What poise — what
grace! And hand picked by
her Royal Highness, Susan.
“When the AmphetaQueen
asked me to join the NEON
team, I jumped at that chance,”
says DL Scott. “A program like NEON
offers me the chance to bring my skills
and passion for harm reduction principles
to a community that I deeply care about.”
“NEON fits with my view of drug treatment.
People do not get strung out on a drug
over night. And they usually don’t quit
over night, either. Being a Crystal Meth
Counselor allows me the chance to offer
choices and options to gay and bisexual
men who use meth. My goal is to help
a client to explore ways of getting from
where they are to where they want to
go. And I try help them do this on their
own time line.”
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