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More Than Misinforming - Damaging

The statements on the previous page exhibit what can only be described as a complete ignorance about methamphetamine - that's a given.  But they also display an enormous level of ignorance about the nature of addiction in general.  And while these statements might get people's attention, (for about a minute) not only are they not true (and simply ridiculous,) when we disseminate faulty information like this we lose credibility, and in particular, we lose it with kids - the most vulnerable demographic.  And some of these statements are dangerous too.

Do you really want a drug squad knocking down your neighbor's front door because they have duct tape in their garbage and you think they're running a meth lab?  Okay, but we hope you have a good lawyer that specializes in defamation if you're wrong.

Or do we really want to tell people using meth that they're permanently and irrevocably brain-damaged, or that there are no proven treatment programs for meth addiction?  Will that convince them to stop?  Will that help convince them to get treatment?  If they're already in treatment, will that help convince them to stay in treatment?   What kind of logic are we using?

Meth addiction, like any other addiction, is serious business.  Some would call it "life and death" business and we would agree, with one addition.  Most people don't die from their alcohol or drug addiction, they just live a type of life where they wish they were dead.  Trust us, we know.  We were there, that was our lives, and more often than we'd like to think, that was frequently what we wished for.  That we'd go to sleep, and just never wake up.

So when you hear a statement about methamphetamine that sounds shocking, maybe it's true, maybe it's not.  But put it to the test.  And here's how:

Facts About Methamphetamine?

Putting A So-Called "Fact" To The Test

Someone says, "90% of people who try meth more than once become addicted."  Now how do we know that statement is probably wrong?  Because:

• It assumes that everyone who tries meth once, tries meth of the identical purity.  Well clearly that can't be the case, meth purity varies from as low as 10% to virtually 100% pure.  So if purity doesn't matter, then either the meth molecule itself is addictive, or meth is simply magic.

• It assumes that everyone who tries meth once tries it with the identical method of ingestion.  Well that can't be true, because there are at least seven methods of ingestion, each with their own efficiency at delivering the drug into the system.

• It assumes that a huge percentage of people who try meth have a good experience with it.  That's also not been proven under clinical conditions.  There are many people we know who tried meth once and more than once who did not like it at all.

So given the above, how do they arrive at 90%?  And who are "they" and where did they conduct this "survey?"

Perhaps now you see what we mean.

Focus On What's Prevalent

Meth And Death - Death By Meth

There's "misinformation" about methamphetamine, and there's also "misplaced" information.  And one such example is using the "death tactic" when trying to dissuade kids away from meth.  We don't really understand why so many people feel compelled to try and scare kids away using the "meth can kill you" tactic as the main spearhead of their campaign.

Due to inherent feelings of immortality that are part and parcel of being young, kids are psychologically insulated from the concept of death.  In the ever-increasing immediacy of their world, they have a very fuzzy perception of tomorrow, or long-term consequences of actions taken today.  The truth is, while it's tragic that meth can and does kill people from overdose (see Hawaii), the number of cases where methamphetamine is the sole cause of someone's death is fairly small, especially when compared to substances like alcohol and tobacco.

If we want to talk about something that's prevalent with methamphetamine, let's talk about how many children end up in foster care, often the victims of neglect or physical, emotional and sexual abuse.  Or we could talk about the violence and crime that accompanies meth - the women filling up battered women's shelters, or the victims of robbery and assault connected to meth.

Or let's talk about how it turns some people into uncaring animals unable to experience pleasure - who will lie, cheat, steal or whore themselves to continue using.  Or let's talk about how many years in so many people's lives are wasted sitting in a jail cell because they were married to a meth pipe.  Now we're not talking about a handful of human beings, you're talking about tens of thousand of cases. The scary thing about meth isn't that it can kill you, the scary thing is that it creates an existence so horrific, you'll wish you were dead.  The point is, there are a hundred things more important and more relevant to talk about regarding methamphetamine than how many people die from using it.

And that could be said about almost any illicit drug.  As those of us in recovery from addiction know all too well, it's not the substance that kills you, it's the lifestyle you must adopt to continue using the substance that kills you, and a little piece of everyone around you.  For every hour you spend blissfully "high" on any drug, you're going to spend three hours in some pretty sickening places and scary situations trying to score that drug.  That, as they say, "comes with the territory."

The best way to reach young people is through other young people, because as soon as teenagers smell an "adult agenda" they recoil from it. Frankly, if you really want to tell some young kid today why to stay away from meth, and you feel that you have to scare them, you'd be better off telling them it will impair their ability to text message rather than telling them it will kill them.   

And There's More Misplaced Information

Perhaps you've heard of "The Faces Of Meth."  On the next page, we'll show you another version of "The Faces Of Meth" that you're probably not familiar with.  We think in its own way, it's just as effective as the original.  We'll also look at the concept of meth "registries."

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