REAL STORIES
"With chronic use, tolerance for meth can develop. In an effort to intensify the desired effects, users may take higher doses of the drug, take it more frequently, or change their method of drug intake."
National Drug Intelligence Center, U.S. Dept. of Justice
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Location: Vancouver, BC
"I was at a party with my best friend. We were 16 or 17 years old. This was the first time I had seen or heard of meth. I didn't try it, but my best friend did, and was immediately hooked. Over the course of one year, things changed drastically. She became so thin, her skin was hanging from her bones - I barely recognized her. I remember her telling me she had been living off of one jar of peanut butter for 3 months, spending the rest of her monthly government check on the drug. She didn't seem to care or notice that she had become a wreck and was dying. She became completely paranoid, and lashed out at people. She began seeing shadow people, and acting completely schizophrenic. She would cry all the time about the shadow people making fun of her. She became so depressed that she even cut her own wrists and was hospitalized, yet even all through that, she still did meth.
It wasn't until she overdosed that things changed for her. Someone found her in a bathroom somewhere, lying cold, unconscious, unmoving. She was rushed to the hospital and her heart had completely stopped. But a miracle happened and the doctors were able to resuscitate her. From what I've read about meth, death is almost the only way out. For my best friend, she was given a second chance at life, and now remains completely sober with a good job as a nurse. I am proud of her for turning around, but overwhelmed with grief that a near-death was the only wake-up call to her. Our relationship as best friends never fully rekindled."
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