Run Like Hell from Meth                                  

There’s no need to try poison to know it will kill you.

Meth is a poisoned mercurial salesman lying through his teeth selling you promises. But what is actually delivered is a heart-suck, followed by a mind, body, face, teeth and soul-suck. Meth users experience an ever-increasing desire for the drug with less pleasure each time, even with larger doses. Meth doesn’t fulfill what it promised upon that first handshake, in fact, it comes back with a full-on face slap and fills recipients with the loneliest emptiness I’ve ever heard of.

Meth turns meditators into knife bearers. Yes, meth draws the sensitive ones into its smoking, blackened, cloudy, unpredictable cave-realm. Meth’s twisting fingers ring out the nice personalities of your loved ones, and it leaves them on the ground gasping for air in the muck. Meth unravels our caring, vulnerable, fun-loving, empathic openminded friends and loved ones into unscrupulous schemers, who will weave us into their dark, backstreet tapestry completely unaware we’re being used. Another version of our beloved emerges, compulsively lying, stealing and manipulating us and others to fulfill the insatiable cravings for the drug. Hooked, our friends believe the untruths meth tells them, while simultaneously they try to run the other direction, not wanting to be dependent, but are caught and tethered. It’s too late. It’s too too late.

Meth’s whispering voice tells smiling, perfectly crafted, convincing tales which addicts believe thoroughly: that they need it. That they can’t handle things without it. And those lies are then audio-played through the mouths of our dear ones: they need help with rent, or gas, or someone stole their iPad and they need to borrow $800 just until their next paycheck…. but, three weeks later, we realize we were played. I know, it happened to me. Over and over, and I fell for it every time.
Meth is a lure on a fishhook that rips one’s cheek off when they bite the bait. 

My young adult sons both became meth addicts.

Though it’s hard for me to talk about, it’s been more horrific to watch them lose their lives in desperation for weeks, months and even years at a time, then try to find them again. Lost, thin, and without a dime. Car accident shrapnel. Knifed necks, beat up faces. Bloodied beds. And much worse. After the highs, confusion and psychosis, I’ve repeatedly walked alongside them towards help. They’re gradually finding strength, clarity, and some freedom. They truly want to be released from meth’s evil grip. They’ve worked hard at their bumpy recovery. So, I never give up. It’s been a rubber band-like process.

Pass the word on. You probably know someone too. Maybe you love them.

Maybe you are them. Tell people to never try meth. With meth, there is no “try.” There is only DO. Help them find other answers, before they ever start. Go hiking with them. Meditate or do yoga with them. Play music with them. Dance. Sing. Watch funny YouTubes. Be completely silly with them, without using any substances. Show or remind them that you and they can have meaningful conversations and simple fun without drugs. Connect. Really, truly engage and be present. 

It’s not as simple as “just say no.”

There are myriad paths that lead to solutions. Addiction and dependency are family issues, so everyone in the family system needs to change, healing from codependency, from enabling and caretaking. It’s hard, crucial emotional work.

Talk about it. Ask questions.

Research meth while with these compulsive, anxious people you care about and are frustrated by. Spend time you don’t feel you have. That’s one sacrifice in loving someone who has this predisposition, a disease you didn’t get stuck with. Ask them to look at their beliefs. To check out the facts about using meth. To read about the effects of people taking stimulants, and how addictive they are. 

It’s not just meth. It’s all stimulants.

Adderall. Vyvanse. Ritalin. Kratom. College students and 20-somethings especially believe these are brain candy. They trade and abuse these drugs to study, or just get high. But they’re all wicked substitutes for developing mind power through enough sleep and focused attention, for conscious breathing, for meditation. For self-soothing, which is a better long-term skill for managing anxiety.
My sons started out on prescriptions for these due to their ADHD, but were soon doubling their doses and abusing them, before trying meth.

Resources for Understanding

Bring up National Geographic’s 2017 Special Edition on Addiction, and how mindfulness has been found more effective than the twelve-step approach in recovery.

Watch the film and/or read the book Beautiful Boy, by David Sheff. Steve Carell plays the father of his son Nicolas, addicted to meth. It’s not half as scary as what actually happens in real life, I promise you. It’s accurate, and everyone should see the film for meth awareness and drug education. The film is mild compared to what my sons and I have been through and what I have seen and know about drug dealers, violence & scare tactics.

View YouTubes together, watching Russell Brand and his real & raw offerings.
Tune into Ted Talks, like Johann Hari’s, and his viral YouTube, “Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong.” Check out their stories and research the truth about addiction.

Additional Reading: 

Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction, by Maia Szalavitz

Rewired: A Bold New Approach to Addiction and Recovery, by Erica Spiegelman