That is always good news to hear. I am glad that meth has not had the impact in the UK as it has in the southern, more rural part of the United States.
I've seen these photos too many times through my Internet experience, and every time I have the "pleasure" to "delight" myself with such horrendous pictures, I'm wondering why would people give up on their life principles for a few minutes worth of ephemeral joy? Is it really worthwhile to simply pretend you can vanish every single human relationship in the favour of this drug world? I strongly doubt it, and you can clearly see the consequences of their bad choices in the attached photos. Oh, my...
It did start to circulate around Scotland a few years ago but it didn't last long and it didn't really spread, like it has in the US. Mephedrone was the more popular choice, it was a lot cheaper and legal (at the time). Fair play though, the government managed to get the Meth problem under control pretty much straight away, aside from it being mixed with other street drugs. To be honest, I think they were expecting it and were prepared.
Meth really does have a massive effect once the person abuses it. Some of it's side effect is making your temper short. It makes you mad for the smallest reasons and you can't control it. It not only destroys you inside but also on the outside.
Those pictures are probably real. I know people who use Meth and the way they look at the present is way more different than their old appearance.
I am glad I made it too!! Without my husband I do not know if that would be true. I think if they really wanted to teach people about Meth, then let me take a video camera or cell phone into one of the many drug dens I used to frequent. You would see a filthy home, people who are pale, sunken eyes, cheeks, and chest. Hollow eyes, the needles, pill capsules, the glass pipes are everywhere. Home monitoring systems in place so the owner can "tweeker peek" outside. I could go on I really could but I am sure most of you get where I am going with this. That is what would scare a teenager or anyone else away. The "Real" side of it, not what TV and Movies portray. For Tv/Movies/Ad Campaigns they "glamor" it to spin it to their own liking, when in reality if you should them reality it is far scarier.
Those pictures are truly heartbreaking, and I assume it's especially so for the people who actually know those people and consider them a huge part of their own lives. I think people at that state just don't care much about their looks anymore and by the time they realize the damage they are doing it's too late.
For me, I was always the outcast, the extremely overweight child, and the towns "Token" gay kid. I lived in a rural part of pennsylvania so I'd imagine you can see how that would be bad. After years of physical abuse as well as mental abuse I suffered I found the drug crowd. Someone gave me some Meth and I was not only up for 4 days, I had lost nearly 6 pounds! I thought I had found a miracle cure for my weight issues so I kept doing it. Before long I found a sense of "belonging" with the drug crowd and therein lies a deadly combination. I was addicted for a little over six years before I realized the house I was crashing at was going to get raided for Manufacturing of Meth. I just had this feeling in the pit of my stomach one day and went home to see my family, a few days later the house was indeed raided and everyone went to jail. That was enough for me to ask for help, a lot of my "friends" are still in jail for this and probably will not be out for many years to come. It was not for a lack of caring on my family's part because they tried to do an intervention for me, I just laughed and walked out. I did not want the help then, and if I have learned few things In life I have learned this "You cannot help someone who does not want it." When I was finally ready I told my family everything and they all helped me get clean and stay clean.
These photos always make me cringe. I'm too scared of the effects to ever try it myself, but I never say never. I know how easily it is to slip into addiction, but knowing what can happen, I'll try my hardest to steer clear.
I am really sorry about your early struggles in your life. I, too, was an overweight child who had a self-image issue throughout my early days. I have noticed that meth is much more common around the rural areas of states rather than in the metro or urban areas. I am glad that you have found recovery and I hope that you stay clean for the sake of being good to yourself.
Can you educate me a little bit on Mephedrone? I don't believe that is an issue in the United States, so I am a little bit curious as to what that drug is/what it does. I am glad that you guys had a hand on the meth issue. I heard there is a bad heroin problem though, is that true?
Yes, it is true. There is quite a bad Heroin problem here, has been for quite a while as far as I can tell. There was a bit of a crack cocaine epidemic here a few years ago too, it seems to have faded away slowly but it's still around. Standard cocaine has become a lot more popular and Marijuana is rife. Heroin, amphetamine and mephedrone are the most popular choices in the UK at the moment. Mephedrone, also known as M-Cat or Meow Meow, was previously legal here and was commonly used either in or as plant fertilizer and therefore was already widely available legally. As soon as people started realizing the effects it has when consuming it, usually by snorting it, it was sold as a legal high but only on the streets as far as I am aware. At first it was practically being given away for free by the bucket-load, then people began to charge money for it and gradually the price went up. It's now illegal in the UK but there's still plenty of it around.
I found it VERY common in small towns all across the US. Well at least the few states I lived in. They were all rural areas, so yes I agree. I have been good for nearly 8 years now buy every day is a new journey. I hope I can remain as strong as I feel right now, for the rest of my life!
I forgot to mention that Mephedrone is also closely related to Amphetamine. That is, it derived from the same place which I believe is from the Khat plant. Khat is also quite common in this area, or at least it was a few years ago anyway. I haven't heard of much of it being around lately but that's not surprising considering how popular M-Cat and Amphetamine have become.
I've always thought the pictures of meth addicts were so intense. It was covered a fair bit in the media for a while there, and I remember seeing pictures of beautiful, vibrant looking people in the before pictures, reduced to shadows of their former selves, aging rapidly, scabs all over their faces from picking at their skin. I think just seeing those pictures is so confronting that I would never go near that drug.
I swear that Mephedrone has the dumbest nicknames haha. I saw that it is commonly known as meow meow, and if that is not the worst name for a drug, then I do not know what is.
They definitely shake me to my core, especially after knowing people who have/are struggling with this drug. It is so easy to slip into addiction and I do not think that people fully understand that whenever they see meth addicts.
It's extremely common in rural towns, I agree with that. All of the smaller towns that are somewhat country towns that are near where I live have had major issues that have all involved meth. I hope you stay strong!
I can not say I will be strong forever because no one knows the future, but at this moment in time I am 100% confident in myself I would never revert back into being an addict. There is hardly no temptation for me knowing who I was and what I did. I did not like that person one bit. I am a new "me" now just looking at those people when i visit that town are a stark enough reminder of why I stopped to begin with. *shudders*
It is so possible and it is so realistic. It happens whenever meth takes a hold of your life and does not ever loosen its' grip on you.