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All About...

Let me begin by telling you a little bit about me. I am a housewife from a small midwestern town. I have no type of degree, other than from the school of hard knocks. I have a great husband, two exceptional teenagers still at home, and between my husband and I, (this is a combined family),5 other older children, 3 grandchildren, and a fairly quiet life. I have loving parents, one sister and one brother. I used to have two brothers, but one died from a meth related accident in 1988. Even though I was familiar with drugs and had done drugs, I had become a tee-totaler by this time, and I was so busy trying to be" good", that I wasn't even aware that "crank" even existed. When my brother died, and the details of the accident. came to light, I was full of so many emotions. I had always thought that we were a close bunch of siblings, but here was this horrible truth staring me in the face. He died of a gunshot wound after injecting meth that morning. He had been using for at least a year, and although I had noticed something different about his attitude, I just never, ever, expected to learn that he had been injecting drugs. That was just something that always happened somewhere else, in big cities, not in small, midwestern towns. The other truth that I had to face was that my other brother and my sister, and my sister-in-law were also using. What was this stuff?, and what had ever possessed these otherwise extremely average people to stick needles into their bodies? There was definitely some truth going on here, so I started my quest for education. I read, I asked questions, I grieved over my loss, I watched, and I learned. I want to tell anyone who will listen, the truth as I perceive it, from this research, observations and dealings with my living, meth addictied brother. Again, I am in no way an expert or trained in any way, but I am compelled to tell you what I have learned and I pray that you are spared the grief that my family has endured. So, without further delay, I present to you, the truth as I know it.The truth about the drug called meth, is that it will kill you. Maybe you or your loved one won't die from an overdose, or from a reaction to a bad batch, but sooner or later, somehow, death will be the end result of continued use. Again, simply stated, METH KILLS.

Now, I'd like for you to humor me for a moment while I try to define things in my own mind. If living means loving, learning, growing, and maturing, and death means ( not only defined by physical terms), the absence of the critical facets of living, then I can absolutely say that yes, meth will kill you. I know people who have been using meth for what I would call a long time. These people, are people that I have known for years. They are no longer, normally functioning people. They are thin and gaunt, all of them have varying degrees of dental disease or have no teeth at all. Their problem solving skills are impaired , they don't seem to have an accurate grasp on reality and most of them suffer from paranoia in varying degrees. Their relationships with friends, families, community and spouses are strained at best or non-existent, and the biggest concern in

their lives revolves around the ritual of use and obtaining more meth to sustain their habit. To sum it up, they love only meth, learning has ceased, growing and maturing has ceased, and they have suffered a death worse than death itself, they have suffered the loss of living without physical death, bound to a life of addiction.

The truth is, meth is a very dangerous drug. The chemicals used to make meth, ( concrete

cleaner, fertilizer, denatured alcohol, acetone; just to mention a few), are toxic, and the effects on the human

body are devestating. The people that I have spoken to, who have used meth, report a euphoric sensation

from the drug. After studying how meth is manufactured and having a novice understanding of the brain's

reaction to this substance, it is apparent that this drug replaces our body's natural endorphin reward system.

When we do something good, and we are proud of our accomplishment, that sense of well being and pride

is because our brain has caused the release of endorphins. This is our reward. When a person uses meth,

they get the sensation of reward without the work involved to obtain this response. This is an artificial reward

system which the body becomes accustomed to, quite rapidly, often after only one time use. In other words,

meth is highly addictive. Another truth about meth is that it has no prejudices toward race, social status, age,

gender, intellectual or acacemic levels or socio-economic standings. It is an equal opportunity drug and recognizes absolutely no boundaries. It is a fallacy to believe that one would be able to determine , based on

any of the above criteria, who would, and who would not become addicted. Possibly the hardest truth that one

may have to face about meth, is the possibility that you may have a loved one who has become addicted to

meth. Some things to be concerned about are: Weight loss, nervousness, fidgeting, irritability, sleeplessness,

sniffing, decline in personal hygiene,loss of appetite,repetitive activities, more severe symptoms (indicating more prolonged use) such as sores, tooth decay, hair that has a dull,dry appearance, self mutilation like continually picking at sores or other, (possibly imagined) irritants, an unusual "twisted' sort of posture, which

could indicate neurological damage. (Note, although it may be available, I found no conclusive reports or evidence which indicated whether or not there is permanent neurological damage associated with prolonged use of meth. These types of studies do require time, and if I find future reports on this, I will present them.)

If an older person, absence, or isolation. Eventually, theft is likely to be involved,sometimes just small things,

sometimes things of consequence, and there will probably be some degree of involvement with law enforcement agencies. Victims suffering the influence of meth are usually prone to become involved in various other, illegal activities. (ie. domestic violence, various misdemeanor offenses, motor vehicle offenses, possession of other controlled substances). Many meth users in my area use xanax and oxycontin to manage the symptoms they experience when coming down from the high. These are prescription drugs used for anxiety disorders and for chronic pain management. These are excellent medications when used for their intended purpose. My mother-in-law was prescribed oxycontin to help manage pain caused by terminal lung cancer. It worked very well, and provided her relief from pain that otherwise would have been disabling. Unfortunately, the meth society has discovered that these drugs enable them to sleep, eat and suffer fewer of the "coming down" symptoms that are extremely uncomfortable. It is positively perplexing to a normally functioning mind as to why anyone would put themselves in such physical and emotional turmoil, so it is paramount when you are learning about meth to remember that it is highly addictive and addiction is what you're dealing with. It is powerful, consuming and controlling, and to watch anyone suffer from the grasp of this drug is, to me, indescribably sorrowful. I personally find all of this to be a source of monumental sadness,

and social concern, but this is the most honest representation, based on my own personal observations and

some research, that I can give you, and the truth about meth as I know it, is that meth destroys life. Period.


	Truth about Meth \| home All About... \| My Family \| Hope \| Help \| Love \| Favorite Links \| Contact Me \| Other \| Christian Support \| Christian Support All About... Let me begin by telling you a little bit about me. I am a housewife from a small midwestern town. I have no type of degree, other than from the school of hard knocks. I have a great husband, two exceptional teenagers still at home, and between my husband and I, (this is a combined family),5 other older children, 3 grandchildren, and a fairly quiet life. I have loving parents, one sister and one brother. I used to have two brothers, but one died from a meth related accident in 1988. Even though I was familiar with drugs and had done drugs, I had become a tee-totaler by this time, and I was so busy trying to be" good", that I wasn't even aware that "crank" even existed. When my brother died, and the details of the accident. came to light, I was full of so many emotions. I had always thought that we were a close bunch of siblings, but here was this horrible truth staring me in the face. He died of a gunshot wound after injecting meth that morning. He had been using for at least a year, and although I had noticed something different about his attitude, I just never, ever, expected to learn that he had been injecting drugs. That was just something that always happened somewhere else, in big cities, not in small, midwestern towns. The other truth that I had to face was that my other brother and my sister, and my sister-in-law were also using. What was this stuff?, and what had ever possessed these otherwise extremely average people to stick needles into their bodies? There was definitely some truth going on here, so I started my quest for education. I read, I asked questions, I grieved over my loss, I watched, and I learned. I want to tell anyone who will listen, the truth as I perceive it, from this research, observations and dealings with my living, meth addictied brother. Again, I am in no way an expert or trained in any way, but I am compelled to tell you what I have learned and I pray that you are spared the grief that my family has endured. So, without further delay, I present to you, the truth as I know it.The truth about the drug called meth, is that it will kill you. Maybe you or your loved one won't die from an overdose, or from a reaction to a bad batch, but sooner or later, somehow, death will be the end result of continued use. Again, simply stated, METH KILLS. Now, I'd like for you to humor me for a moment while I try to define things in my own mind. If living means loving, learning, growing, and maturing, and death means ( not only defined by physical terms), the absence of the critical facets of living, then I can absolutely say that yes, meth will kill you. I know people who have been using meth for what I would call a long time. These people, are people that I have known for years. They are no longer, normally functioning people. They are thin and gaunt, all of them have varying degrees of dental disease or have no teeth at all. Their problem solving skills are impaired , they don't seem to have an accurate grasp on reality and most of them suffer from paranoia in varying degrees. Their relationships with friends, families, community and spouses are strained at best or non-existent, and the biggest concern in their lives revolves around the ritual of use and obtaining more meth to sustain their habit. To sum it up, they love only meth, learning has ceased, growing and maturing has ceased, and they have suffered a death worse than death itself, they have suffered the loss of living without physical death, bound to a life of addiction. The truth is, meth is a very dangerous drug. The chemicals used to make meth, ( concrete cleaner, fertilizer, denatured alcohol, acetone; just to mention a few), are toxic, and the effects on the human body are devestating. The people that I have spoken to, who have used meth, report a euphoric sensation from the drug. After studying how meth is manufactured and having a novice understanding of the brain's reaction to this substance, it is apparent that this drug replaces our body's natural endorphin reward system. When we do something good, and we are proud of our accomplishment, that sense of well being and pride is because our brain has caused the release of endorphins. This is our reward. When a person uses meth, they get the sensation of reward without the work involved to obtain this response. This is an artificial reward system which the body becomes accustomed to, quite rapidly, often after only one time use. In other words, meth is highly addictive. Another truth about meth is that it has no prejudices toward race, social status, age, gender, intellectual or acacemic levels or socio-economic standings. It is an equal opportunity drug and recognizes absolutely no boundaries. It is a fallacy to believe that one would be able to determine , based on any of the above criteria, who would, and who would not become addicted. Possibly the hardest truth that one may have to face about meth, is the possibility that you may have a loved one who has become addicted to meth. Some things to be concerned about are: Weight loss, nervousness, fidgeting, irritability, sleeplessness, sniffing, decline in personal hygiene,loss of appetite,repetitive activities, more severe symptoms (indicating more prolonged use) such as sores, tooth decay, hair that has a dull,dry appearance, self mutilation like continually picking at sores or other, (possibly imagined) irritants, an unusual "twisted' sort of posture, which could indicate neurological damage. (Note, although it may be available, I found no conclusive reports or evidence which indicated whether or not there is permanent neurological damage associated with prolonged use of meth. These types of studies do require time, and if I find future reports on this, I will present them.) If an older person, absence, or isolation. Eventually, theft is likely to be involved,sometimes just small things, sometimes things of consequence, and there will probably be some degree of involvement with law enforcement agencies. Victims suffering the influence of meth are usually prone to become involved in various other, illegal activities. (ie. domestic violence, various misdemeanor offenses, motor vehicle offenses, possession of other controlled substances). Many meth users in my area use xanax and oxycontin to manage the symptoms they experience when coming down from the high. These are prescription drugs used for anxiety disorders and for chronic pain management. These are excellent medications when used for their intended purpose. My mother-in-law was prescribed oxycontin to help manage pain caused by terminal lung cancer. It worked very well, and provided her relief from pain that otherwise would have been disabling. Unfortunately, the meth society has discovered that these drugs enable them to sleep, eat and suffer fewer of the "coming down" symptoms that are extremely uncomfortable. It is positively perplexing to a normally functioning mind as to why anyone would put themselves in such physical and emotional turmoil, so it is paramount when you are learning about meth to remember that it is highly addictive and addiction is what you're dealing with. It is powerful, consuming and controlling, and to watch anyone suffer from the grasp of this drug is, to me, indescribably sorrowful. I personally find all of this to be a source of monumental sadness, and social concern, but this is the most honest representation, based on my own personal observations and some research, that I can give you, and the truth about meth as I know it, is that meth destroys life. Period.