Tina's Meth Story

I Am a Teacher!

I was an alcoholic for years but kept it well hidden. I had to because I was a teacher. My routine was set in stone and I prided myself on being able to do my job and then sit back and enjoy my beer on weekends. If I did not need a drink during the week, then I convinced myself I was not an alcoholic and did not have a problem. I didn’t think being in bed as early as 6 p.m. meant anything. I was just tired, you know?

However, as time went on, my credit card bills showed the truth. I was spending over $200.00 a month on vodka and drinking beer from the time I got off work Friday afternoon to Sunday. I woke up on the weekends needing a cup of coffee in one hand and a beer in the other. I used up my sick days and vacation days within the first two months of school starting.

My friends and family tried to talk to me about it but I thought they were nuts. I was not an alcoholic, I told them, because I could go days without a drink. I was deluding myself but not them. I stopped going anywhere except to work. My wife did all the errands. When she broke down on the road and I was too drunk to go get her, it was the final straw in her book. A couple of days later my family and friends put together an intervention for me. They were pretty brutal in the truth. Still, it took my wife looking me in the eye in front of them and saying she would leave me right then and take our kids with her if I did not check into a drug addiction rehab.

That was four years ago. Because I was able to check myself in without it affecting my students and my position in a negative way, I was able to retain my certification to teach. I am grateful because I really love teaching. With the help the successful drug rehab center, I was able to put my life back together and I have even helped a couple of students who were heading down the path of alcoholism.

Thank you, to the drug rehab professionals, for giving me what I needed to get away from that lifestyle. The money I used to spend on alcohol is being used for family vacations and bringing pleasure to my children. My wife is happier than I have seen her in years and I am grateful I got a second chance with her and them.

Top 10 Reasons People Use Drugs

This may seem like a no-brainer, but there are actually some surprising reasons why people may begin and continue to use drugs. It’s for the following reasons that anyone who is using or addicted to drugs not be judged, but helped. Here are some of the top ten reasons people use drugs.

1. They are legal: Yes, you read that right. Some of the drugs that have the most users are completely legal. Nicotine and alcohol are not illegal and yet they are highly addictive.

2. They are prescribed: There are many different medications, which are prescribed for a specific purpose, but because of the reaction of the brain to these medications, people easily become addicted. Some examples of these are pain medications, anti-anxiety meds, muscle relaxers and more.

3. Rebellion: Chances are many who are now adults did the same thing, but teenagers often begin using drugs as an act of rebellion or peer pressure. They experiment with drugs and alcohol. Some become addicted, some do not.

4. Self Medication: People live with varying degrees of stressors in their lives. There are times when instead of seeking the advice of a doctor, they begin to medicate themselves with marijuana, street drugs, or even perhaps alcohol.

5. Boredom: There are those that begin to experiment with drugs simply because they are bored or they feel emptiness in their lives. They are searching for something and mistakenly think that the answer is drugs or alcohol.

6. Peer Pressure: Not only teens, but many adults begin to experiment with drugs because their friends do. They begin casually at a gathering or a party, and continue on from there. Many times, this leads to addiction.

7. It Feels Good: If addictive drugs made people deathly ill every time they tried it, people probably would not become addicted. However, this is not what happens. Cocaine, Meth, Marijuana, and many other drugs make a person feel very, very good when they begin using them. This leads to drug addiction even though the good feelings get harder and harder to experience with time.

8. Curiosity: The power of curiosity should never be underestimated. Many people, young and old try drugs simply to see what will happen. They are curious as to the effects of the drug and start using for no other reason than to find out what it feels like.

9. Availability: Prescription drugs and street drugs are extremely accessible to anyone who wants to find them. They can be purchased on the street, through doctors, on-line pharmacies, and even through black market websites.

10. Enhancement: Drug use and abuse very often starts with people drinking alcohol. When the effects of the alcohol aren’t enough, they branch out into using other drugs as well to enhance the effects of the alcohol.

Of course, there are many other reasons why people may begin using drugs but the long and short of it is they like the way the drug makes them feel. The short-term effects for most drugs are extremely pleasant and that is what keeps the person going back for more.

Brook's Struggle With Meth

Brook Smith was a 16 year old girl that had everything going her way. She was being home schooled so she could complete her dream of being a top competitor in the world of rodeo. She had many friends and fans as well as people sponsoring her to travel all the miles. Her parents supported her. She was even asked to ride some of the top horses in the world in barrel racing. A picture perfect family you could say.

Drug Addiction Stories Brook Smith Things slowly started to go down hill when her parents started having problems and the word divorce started to float in the air. She was depressed and not getting to go as many places and she wanted a way out. About a month later she was at a friend’s house and telling her what all was going on. Her friend asked if she wanted a way out, a feel good. Brook thought for a moment about how she knew it’d hurt not only her but so many people and that it was wrong. But the little voice inside her said, “Just one time you won’t get hooked. Just to make you feel better.” So she took the Meth from her friend and smoked it. Her friend was right. She did feel better; as her family’s situation got worse she smoked more.

Brook’s father moved out and she knew it was final. They lost the ranch and almost all the horses and her dreams went down the drain. The two seventeen year old girls began selling meth for their supplier in order to pay the increasing costs of their growing habit. It was the same routine day after day sell and use; use and sell; and always watching your back. The girls lasted for nearly two years; and may have lasted longer, but Brook stole a horse from an old friend . When the police found her, she had just picked up more meth to sell from the dealer. Brook was alone when she was arrested, and she would not point any of the criminal acts toward her friend. After six months in jail, Brook was sent to an inpatient rehab for 45 days; then she was ordered to go to drug court, including all the meetings associated with it for another year. When Brook completed rehab, she moved into a half-way house where she was going through drug court and holding a job as well. Rehab, drug court, and the narcotics meetings taught Brook how to live and enjoy life without drugs.

Now Brook is twenty five. She and her husband own their own business and have two children. She has been drug-free for nearly five years and couldn’t be happier. She said “I forgot how happy you could be without the affects of drugs; life can be better than Meth’s high; without the crash!

What happened to Brooks friend while Brook was attending drug court? A highway patrol officer attempted to stop her for running a red light. She tried to outrun the patrolman, her car flipped four times before it stopped. Brooks friend was dead.

Credit to http://addiction.narcononrehab.com/

My Son is an Addict

My name is Sandy and my son is addicted to crack cocaine. My son started out smoking marijuana when he was 14 I didn't know at first because I didn't know anything about drugs then I noticed his eyes were red he was laughing a lot eating more than usual. We fought a lot Jon said oh mom everyone gets high its not bad. It then got to the point when he was getting high from the time he got up until he went to bed. When he was 16 he started smoking crack cocaine. That is when my hellish nightmare began crack is a highly addictive drug the first time you smoke crack they say its the highest high you can get its a 20 minute high and once you come down from it you want more and you cant stop. He only did it once in a while but then it got worse. I've had my son in 4 different rehabs and the list goes on. He started to steal out of the house I would cry every day I didn't know what to do. Rehab only works if you want the help it cant change you you have to want to change. My son is the kindest person and would do anything for anyone, he has a problem. "Mom I'm sorry I don't want to hurt you, I love you" he would say to me as he cried. Crack cocaine is a mental addiction but its always in the back of your mind to do. A person can be clean for 10 years and you could relapse at any time. Well at the age of 18 Jon decided to rob a store and the worker at the store new Jon for 8 years . He walked in and said to the clerk give me the money in the drawer the clerk looked at Jon and said "Get out of here Jon!" Jon ran out of the store, a few minutes after the state police called me and told me Jon tried to rob a convenient store. He went to jail and the judge released him. He had never been in trouble before. I could sit here and write a book, the bottom line is he ended up going to state prison for 2 years he didn't have to go but Jon kept violating his probation by failing his drug tests. Jon has been home since July but in October last year it started again. How can a person be clean for two years then start over again I asked myself? I told Jon you are either going to die or spend the rest of your life in jail. He tries so hard to stay clean, marijuana is a gate way drug. Jon and I are very close I love him more than anything I also have an 18 year old daughter who has never tried drugs and is a good girl and my 12 year old daughter is an honor roll student. What happened to Jon?

Doctors and lawyers and judges that have kids that are addicted to drugs its not always the parents fault. Just don"t turn your back and not believe your child could never be an addict you have to catch it right away before its to late. Talk to your child they need you, please don't be ashamed its not your fault. You can be the best parent in the world and don"t worry about what your friends will say, they can't judge you if they have anything to say about you or your family you don"t need them remember that. Yelling isn't the answer if you need to talk to someone please talk to me I can tell u a lot more help your child before its to late. This is just a little of what I've been through. I know the signs of what to look for and what to help you do to find out from your child on whats going on. you cant watch them 24 hours a day but you can notice if they"re behavior is changing a lot. They will also get angry when questioned if they are using, very defensive. Please talk to you child and help. Addiction is a disease.

Another Day, Another Dose

It wasn’t even my prescription. A friend asked me if I’d ever tried Oxycontin. I told her no and asked her what it was. She said it was a pain pill and gave an incredible high. I really didn’t hesitate to try it. After all, it was only going to be once, what was the big deal? She told me to chew it and not swallow it whole. Within just a couple of minutes I felt better than I had ever felt in my life. So warm, tingly, high and content. I felt so relaxed and yet so aware. Soon after that high hit, I knew I was going to want more of this stuff.

Drug Addiction Stories Another Day, Another Dose Part 1That’s how it started. I began slowly; only taking one or two pills a day. Then I had to up the dosage because I just wasn’t feeling the same great high I did the first few times. Then I went from once a day, to twice a day, to so many times I lost count. Once I had gotten past 3 pills a day, my friend started charging me for them. After all, I guess she had to buy them too. At first, I thought I could control it. When I started wanting to increase the number of pills, I started to wonder how I was going to pay for them. That wasn’t easy since I was getting really sick of my job. I’d rather be high and enjoying it than working anyway.

Somewhere along the line I did lose my job because I was missing so much work. It really bothered me but all I had to do was take a hit of Oxy and everything would be fine. Money started to become a real issue, though. I couldn’t pay the bills and I wasn’t working and most importantly, I needed my Oxycontin. That’s when I first decided to start having male “friends” over. They were decent enough guys, so it was really no big deal. The thing is, that made me enough for my fix but not enough for everything else. Hey, when you can have a fantastic high, who needs anything else? I moved out of that house and just got one of those little sleeping rooms. Next thing I had to do was get the word out about my “services”. I wasn’t really a hooker. I mean, I wasn’t walking the streets or anything.

Credit to http://addiction.narcononrehab.com/

Drew Barrymore Started to Abuse Drugs and Alcohol Early in Life

Drew Barrymore is one of the most well known and busy actors of the last twenty five years. Acting has truly been a lifelong career; nearly fifty films since she was five years old. She inherited two important legacies from her family - acting talent and drug addiction.

When it comes to drugs and rehab, it would be wise to take advice from a girl who has been through it all. Drew Barrymore, who has been to rehab several times starting at the age of 14, is offering some advice for the Young Hollywood party generation. "If you don’t pull it together for yourself, no one else will," She stated. Barrymore started drinking at the age of 9 and first tried cocaine at the age of 12. Drew Barrymore is certainly a celebrity, but she was once a young person with a lot of pain. Many drug addicts can relate to this.


Any normal nine year old girl is still playing with dolls. At 12 years old you are thinking about getting your first kiss. In Barrymore's case she was not a normal kid. My question is what kind of person dares and child to try alcohol and or do cocaine?

Requiem For A Dream Trailer

This movie was released in 2002. If you haven't seen it then you should rent it now.

Ellen Burstyn scored an Oscar nomination for her stunning performance as Sara Goldfarb, a widow whose growing dependence on amphetamines and the boob tube parallels that of her junkie son (Jared Leto), his gal pal (Jennifer Connelly) and his buddy (Marlon Wayans). An unnerving tour through the agonizing nature of addiction, this riveting indie drama also stars Christopher McDonald as the host of an odious self-help show.

Dr. Phil Helps Twins with Addiction to Heroine.

Janice Dickinson

As the child of a violent, pedophiliac father and a pill-popping mother, Janice Dickinson grew up hearing her father's "You'll never amount to nothing!" Determined to become a raging success, Dickinson went to New York City and began calling modeling agencies. It was the 1970s, and the ideal models were blond girl-next-door types like Cheryl Tiegs, but Dickinson was a self described "Polish-mutt nigger lips". She was turned down by Eileen Ford but ended up going to Paris after Lorraine Bracco told her photographer boyfriend that she liked Dickinson's look.

She became a huge success in Europe, and returned to New York City in 1978. It was the era of Studio 54 and Dickinson partied with the likes of Truman Capote, Andy Warhol, and John Belushi. She seduced the most famous ladies' men, drank every drink and snorted or inhaled every drug. While foggy headed, she fell off a catwalk and onto Sophia Loren. Dickinson took revenge on Ford by signing with her agency and then jumping ship to Elite when she became established in the US.

After the end of her marriage to Ninja Turtle producer Simon Fields, Dickinson celebrated, and nine months later had a daughter named Savannah. She was quoted as saying "In the week I conceived, I had made love with five different men." Savannah was the subject of a fierce paternity battle with Sylvester Stallone. He accepted that he was the father until he saw Savannah's coloring, and DNA testing proved that he was not the father.

My Life on Meth

Dawn and Fabian - Intervention

Dawn, 49, is a meth addict, suffering the extreme physical addition symptoms of the drug. She often hallucinates and imagines things, symptoms of meth psychosis. Dawn lives on the streets.


Fabian is addicted to Alcohol and Meth.

The Impact of Meth

Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant with a high potential for abuse and dependence. A synthetic drug, methamphetamine is closely related chemically to amphetamine, but produces greater effects on the central nervous system. The drug’s euphoric effects are similar to, but longer lasting than those of cocaine. It generally comes in three forms:

Powder: a white, odorless, and bitter-tasting crystalline powder, readily soluble in water or alcohol.

Crystal: Users smoke chunks of a very pure form of crystalline methamphetamine called “Ice”.

Rock: Big chunks of the drug, usually found in yellow, are usually ingested orally.

Methamphetamine can be smoked, injected intravenously, snorted, or ingested orally. The drug alters mood in different ways, depending on how it is taken. Immediately after smoking or intravenous injection, the user experiences an intense “rush” or “flash” that lasts only a few minutes and is described as extremely pleasurable. Smoking or injecting produces effects fastest - within 5 to 10 seconds. Snorting or ingesting orally produces euphoria - a high but not an intense rush. Snorting produces effects within 3 to 5 minutes, and ingesting orally produces effects within 15 to 20 minutes.

Why is it addictive?

Meth is a powerfully addictive stimulant that has a dramatic effect on the central nervous system. Essentially, meth tricks the brain and body into thinking that it has limitless stamina while in fact draining critical energy reserves needed to maintain the body's vital organs and functions. As a consequence, meth produces bursts of energy and euphoria but ultimately leads to severe depression, brain damage, physical deterioration, and – in some cases – violent paranoia.

Meth is a stimulant – a drug that increases the energy of the user. Caffeine is a very mild stimulant, while cocaine and methamphetamine are more intense, addictive, and dangerous stimulants. Stimulant drugs such as meth and cocaine may be contrasted with narcotic drugs like heroin and morphine, which do not stimulate the nervous system but instead tend to dull the senses and induce relaxation, stupor, and sleep.

Lindsey Lohan's Battle

The Battle Begins

Over the past two years I have been dealing with my boyfriend's drug addiction to painkillers of all sorts. First it started out just getting a couple pills here and there to deal with his neck and back pain, and then he went to the doctor to be treated. The doctor just filled him prescriptions of Tramadol (240 pills) and he would take 10-20 a day without my knowing. I knew something was up when he would tell me he needed to call the doctor to get more because he "lost" some or they "fell in the toilet" when he went pee or he gave some to "friends" at work, which of none I believed.

Then he lost his insurance, and since he was addicted he started buying them off the street. He would buy any painkiller he could get his hands on. I would get so mad because he was paying huge amounts of money on these damn things and we would let bills slide just to treat his need. I didn't understand how someone couldn't take just one or two pills for the day. We would literally get into bad arguments because of the loss of money and bills being behind because of this. He would tell me over and over "I need them," "you don't understand" and "you can't feel my pain," which would then make me feel bad and I'd end up giving in and let him buy more. He is very good at twisting things and getting what he wants.

It got so bad one time that he actually thought we had money in our walls. He attempted to rip the walls open, until I talked him out of it. He has had seizures, fell through windows, overdrawn our bank account a million times (it's still in the negative) wrecked my car and started fights with me for no reason.

I love him with everything I got and I couldn't stand to watch him kill himself. It wasn't until last week that we got into a huge fight because his "dealer" called trying to get him to buy more pills. I blew up! We had our fight, I threatened to leave and he then told me that he had a problem and wants to quit.

We are now working on his addiction. The pills that he has left I am holding and I only give one or just a half of one a day. He is doing really well and I am very proud of him. We just take one day at a time and I hope he can finally be done with the addiction soon.

A Little Help Along the Way

Oh, Not My Daughter!

On Her Way To Opiate Withdrawal
Darcy's Drug Addiction Story

Darcy’s father stood over her hospital bed, head bowed in silent prayer, asking God to help his 15 year-old daughter through withdrawal from her heroin addiction. He’s a good dad, loves his girl and can’t understand how such a young person, his child, could get into such deep trouble.

Heroin addicts aren’t high school students, they’re people who live on the streets and beg for change. Heroin addicts don’t have a 3.75 grade point average and apply for acceptance into the top colleges. Well adjusted teenage girls don’t attack their father with a golf club and curse him. How did it get so messed up?

Darcy had been using for nearly 18 months, not always regularly, but in recent weeks her appetite for heroin increased and dad discovered that his coin collection and jewelry were gone. Her allowance was generous, even by upper middle class standards, but once the addiction took over, it was insufficient to buy her the desired amount of the drug. She stole from her father, from her mother whom she lived with on alternative weekends, and from her older brothers and sisters.

Some of her grandmother’s possessions were missing, but she didn’t put two and two together and never suspected her granddaughter had ripper her off. As she increased her usage, Darcy discovered that not having enough drug was far worse than having the problem of addiction. Coming off heroin was difficult. Her body had become dependent upon the replenishment of the drug, as the heroin would attach itself to Opioid receptors in her brain and spinal chord.

Her body no longer produced its own natural chemicals to manage pain, so not having the heroin caused her to become “dope sick.” When the drug was not replenished, she went into withdrawal. She never experienced this before, because the withdrawal didn’t occur with occasional use, but after time, as she used more and more drug, and needed more and more drug, the abrupt removal of heroin was devastating.

How Drug Addiction Stories Start

She didn’t start out that way. When she was in eighth grade she and her friends were given marijuana to try. Most of the kids didn’t like it, because it either tasted terrible or they didn’t like the feeling they got when the effects kicked in. But it agreed with Darcy, who also began to raid the family liquor cabinet when she couldn’t buy grass.

One day, when she was just past her 14th birthday, she discovered some pain killers in her mother’s medicine cabinet. Her mom had a back surgery and was prescribed OxyContin, but only took a couple of them, leaving a nearly full prescription in the bathroom.

Even 14 year-old people can research on the internet and soon she learned that by grinding the drug and snorting it, the high was intense. The chances for addiction were also intense and it didn’t take long before Darcy was seeking that euphoric experience over and over.

It was the only time she felt good. She solicited her friends to steal drugs from their parents. Any kind of pain killer would do, but Vicodin and Oxy were preferred, and because they are prescribed so often, getting a supply wasn’t all that difficult. She also became rather cleaver, as each time she visited the house of a new “friend” she would secretly check out the medicine cabinets.

Drug Addiction Stories move to Heroin

Darcy soon realized that OxyContin was expensive, but heroin on the street was about a quarter the price, so see looked for suppliers. She didn’t have to search long.

Quitting heroin cold turkey is isn’t easy. Treatment centers will help addicts through the process often times by prescribing drugs like buprenorphine, which is FDA-approved for medical detox. Subutex or Suboxone are other drugs with smaller amounts of buprenorphine, and those are used to help the addict gradually descrease their physical dependence.

Clonidine is another drug used to treat the symptoms of withdrawal and may be prescribed rather than the buprenorphine. Methadone treatment is also common, but these are specific centers that use the drug, and the dosage of methadone is gradually reduced over time to help the addict’s body adjust. Unlike the other drugs, methadone treatment may be long-term.

The fact that a young girl can become addicted to opiates should not be a surprise. Take a look at the population in general. It is estimated that as many as 10% of Americans have at one time or another abused opiates. It could be as innocent an act as merely taking one too many pills, or taking your pills too often, but that is still abuse. Even when people follow their doctor’s prescription to the tee, their bodies can build up a tolerance to the drugs.

Even when the original injury is healed and there should not no further need for pain management, the body still thinks it needs the analgesic. Even people who were given pain meds in the hospital may experience withdrawal when they get home.

Darcy’s father had read someplace that some withdrawal treatment programs offered faster results. Rapid opiate detox involves putting the patient under anesthesia and injecting opiate-blocking drugs. The idea is that this treatment will speed the system to normal function, but there are cases in which the treatment actually made the withdrawal symptoms worse, or even caused deaths when the treatment was administered outside a hospital setting.

Darcy was hospitalized due to intense withdrawal and was receiving the best care. It was decided that she would not go under, mainly because opiate withdrawal causes vomiting, and that would increase the chances of death. Any rapid detox was ruled out in her case.

Her father stood there, feeling completely helpless. A nurse suggested he contact Narcotics Anonymous, or SMART Recovery, in an effort to learn how he can best help his daughter.

Moving forward, once she was released, and out of treatment, a support group would be a lifeline to help her rebuild her life and return to a healthy lifestyle. Some material from NA helped him understand that opiate withdrawal is painful, but not necessarily fatal.

While Darcy was receiving exceptional care, the biggest problem that she would face in the future, as her father learned, was relapse. Once the drug was out of her system, a return to the old dosage could be fatal. Over time her body built up a tolerance, so more and more drug was needed, but after detox and treatment, her body was getting back to normal.

The old amount was way too much and most overdoes occur right after treatment. She was going to need long-term treatment, so the group would be an important component to that. She would also need some additional medical testing, to check for depression or some other form of mental illness. Darcy may need the benefit of an antidepressant

This has a happy ending. Most Drug Addiction Stories Don't

Darcy was lucky. Treatment is more effective when the heroin addiction is identified early and having a father who was willing to be taught how to help his daughter was a plus.

This story is courtesy of Drug Addiction Support.org

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Ultrams and Vicodin

My husband is hooked on Ultrams (Generic Name: tramadol (TRAM a dol), and Vicodin. This is going on now for a few years and I've had enough. Whenever I confront him on this subject he'll just insist that he's taking them for his back pain. I know that there's got to be some other alternative then taking these meds for the rest of his life and being an addict. I'm scared for his life and our marriage. Anytime I try and talk to him about this, he raises his voice and threatens to leave. He says he knows he's got a problem and he's gonna try and quit on his own by weaning himself off. He says by doing it this way he should bypass the withdrawal part. I don't know how true that is. I suggested that I take him in to get detoxed, but he refuses to do that. he said either we'll do it his way or he's not gonna try and quit at all. He gave me all his pills. so now I have control over how many he gets to take per day. I just hope he really wants this. I don't want to have to leave him, but at the same time I don't want to have to watch him hurt himself anymore. I don't know what to do. I feel like a basket case!