In my six year love affair with Meth, I have seen this many times over & it is saddening. I believe it comes from not only the side effects of the chemicals themselves, but also from not eating for great periods. You get very skinny very quick. I went from 268 to 155, in the course of almost a year ) my skin sank and my eyes looked hollow but to me my distorted thinking told me I looked damn good. When I would eat it would be very little or next to nothing. Another factor is how much you actually use and how long you take breaks for, because if you think about it, my binges would go on for a week and a half before I would eat a single thing, all the while being awake and tweaking, doing extreme amounts at one time. It sure does make a beautiful person turn into a hideous monster. I look back and cannot believe I was like that for a little over 6 years, it makes me sick. Thankfully I have since recovered and have gained some of that weight back. Ok..maybe more than a little but we aren't telling anyone.
I do understand everything that you said. However, with all of the drug campaigns going on, you would think that people would resist the urge to try meth. The "Not Even Once" campaigns used to be all over TV, and now I do not even see them anymore. I guess people just need a better visualization of what that drug can do to a person.
One of the high schools that is local to me has/had a terrible meth problem. I had no idea about Hawaii having a meth issue. I knew that in rural areas that it was more common but I did not think that Hawaii was one of those places. I hope your family is doing better!
Man those peoples' faces are prime example as to why you should not get addicted to meth. One of the men who was using meth from 36 years old to 39 years old looks like he was about 60 years old. Even a 26 year old girl who abuse meth looked like she was 40.
I also think there's a misunderstanding amongst drug users about meth vs crystal meth, etc. I started by taking amphetamine (speed) when I was younger and was always under the impression that it was relatively safe due to the fact that it was a Class B drug in the UK at that time, which was in the same class as Marijuana. Marijuana was later declassified to a Class C drug for a while before then being changed back to a Class B drug again. At that time meth was not really heard of, at least not in the UK. When I first heard of 'crystal meth' I had no idea it was so closely related to amphetamines. I was always under the impression I was just taking speed but of different varieties. I later found out that I had also been taking meth (but not crystal meth and not by smoking or injecting it).
You would think those campaigns would discourage meth use. Still, it was a problem although those images were on television. These issues may be the same as those that apply to programs like D.A.R.E. Despite being informative and blunt, they still do not make a major difference.
Oh my goodness. The article is so heart breaking and eye opening at the same time. I didn't know meth had such effects on a person's physical being. The first photo of the woman is just unbelievable and the second series of pictures are even more disturbing. I hope people who use meth take this as a warning to change their ways.
The images themselves look photoshopped but the fact that they are published on dailymail makes me think that it is real. I have seen other pictures of meth addicts online, on papers, etc. and they do look horrible so those pictures might be more true than I thought. Anyway, I think the message is clear that using meth is not only detrimental to your inner health but also towards your outside appearance. I can't think of any reasons why people would start meth because these kinds of images have been circulating for a while so I think they still decided to take one despite knowing it would ruin their appearances.
I've seen a story about that first girl before. Her picture isn't photoshopped. She was in a meth lab explosion and those are scars from the burns all over her skin. Apparently almost dying wasn't enough to stop this girl from using meth, though :/
That is the whole issue about it which you should not use meth. Glad that you recovered within those six years.
It is shocking to see the changes a person can go through and end up looking like someone who is older or a uglier form of themselves which is not good. The person could be taking it to escape their problems, and when hooked on meth just decided to carry on and not think about anything else that happens around them. Maybe the girl did not think it would be this bad and may have seen people take it and not have any physical changes at all but it turned out to be a bad choice as she had bad changes to the body.
Meth is one hell of a drug and the effects are longterm. The faces that you see are just some of the most horrifying faces in the world. So that is why you should not do heroin.
WOW!!!! I really wanted to cry looking at those before, and after pictures. That is truly an evil drug how it robs it's victims. I hope each person that I saw is free of this killer. I fear that's not the case in fact I'd say it's probably safe to say some are even dead from it.
I had to visit my home town for a funeral this past week and I ran into some old drug buddies who I have LONG since cut ties with. I was crying because my grandma passed away and they happen to spot me at the store. They approached me and asked " Hey Man Do You Still Party? " and I instantly responded with no sorry guys I'm good and kept walking. I continued my shopping and then ran into them again at the check out lines. The one we shall call Ted said to me " hey man I got some stuff that won't make you sad anymore. " I knew what he was talking about since I grew up in Meth town. I told him again a little more forceful that I DO NOT do those kind of things anymore and went to a different line. Not only was I hurting but now I am forced with an addicts worst nightmare...Their old drug of choice. As soon as I made it out the door I made haste to my car and quickly got out of there. Thankfully, I called my family and told them I was sick and needed to go home so I could leave that horrible little town. I was not even in town 5 hours and was offered free meth. Sad I cannot even go home for a funeral without being wary of all who used to "know" me. I mean I tell NO one I cam coming to town when I go to visit family. I moved, changed my number and lost all contact with those people over 7 years ago now and I return for a few hours and see that not a darn thing has changed. It really is saddening that those people are what I call lifers... One can not begin to recover until they realize they have a problem. Sad part is that most of them think it is normal still after all this time, so I may be "Ye of little faith" but all of those people do not want to change. They are happy living the lie. I cannot be a hypocrite here because I was addicted for almost 6 years, but to see nothing at all has changed is depressing.
I wish it were that no one felt compelled to use meth, but some people's lives are so full of pain they will seek out any effective (for them) distraction. The long term consequences of their choices are less important to them than simply escaping the horror of their "now."
PrideKidd, congratulations on overcoming your addiction. That's inspiring. Would you mind sharing a bit about how you surmounted what I've read is one of the most difficult addictions to break free from? I'd also like to learn your perspective on what drives someone to try drugs in general, and meth in particular. Did you know about meth's dangers before trying it? Two more questions, if you don't mind them. You wrote that while using the drug you wouldn't eat for over a week. Did you feel no hunger pains at all? Were you so distracted that you couldn't sense physiological hunger? I hope my questions aren't offensive. In 2014 I lost a close acquaintance to meth, someone I'd gone to high school with, and since then I've not been able to overcome my fascination with meth's effects. Again, congratulations on overcoming the addiction. That's really phenomenal.
I know people who do speed regularly, but are not addicted to it. Many of them just stop doing it because they hate how unproductive and tired they get whenever the rush comes down. They also hate the lack of sleep and jitters that they get. How is the meth problem in the UK right now? Is it bad?
I used to keep using @Matthodge1 so I would have the energy and be more productive. It was only once I quit did I realize the full extent of the exhaustion it would cause. Again I used meth to not sleep so I could work longer without having to go to bed. It also helped me with my weight problem, so when I began using I did not see the dark future that was ahead of me. It was only when I stopped using did I see how much of a horrible person I actually was. Recovery thankfully was easier than I thought, once the shaking, sweating and the emotions got in check.
I am glad that you got through the recovery stages, because I have heard absolute horror stories about some of the experiences from rehabilitation. Many people do not see the issues with meth, but I feel like with all of the modern day campaigns that are leaning towards ending meth addiction, people should be able to see what the big deal is about this terrible drug.
No, it's not bad at all. It's actually quite rare in the UK. I think only about 17,000 people in the UK are known to have tried it. There were concerns, however, that meth was being mixed in with many other street drugs in the UK but people weren't aware of it. Mephedrone and synthetic Marijuana have become the popular drugs in the UK in recent times.