Face of Meth: Former Abuser Warns Others

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | November 9, 2004 | JANET MIDWINTER

[PoliticalInsider]

For some reason, I can't post the photo, but you can view it via the link. No registration required. By the way, this woman was a grandmother at the age of 31. Yikes!

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

BEFORE                  AFTER

[Mikey_1962]

Meth is a really bad drug... been around since the 1930's.

Unfortunately it has become a blue collar working drug... at least around here it is...

[muawiyah]

Dope heads are all smarter than everybody else all the time ~ until they crap out.

Just ask them.

[Ueriah]

I concur. Meth is absolutely no good for you.

[FITZ]

We lived on welfare and handouts from George's parents.

Drugs are bad but handouts confiscated from the taxpayers make it all possible for these losers to live on drugs, never worry about working, and reproduce like cockroaches. I wonder how many of her children or grandchildren will ever work for a living.

[Amalie]

I once worked in a factory in Wilmington De., at night and some of these guys would be shooting this stuff up in the bathrooom; that was 20 years ago. Here in the South, it has become a big problem; people start cooking it up, something goes wrong, and they blow the house up. Remember the old 'speed kills' adage; it hasn't changed, has it?...

[Puppage]

DURNING

[smiley]

....sad and tragic story...the most this woman can do for herself and society, is to go from school to school...elementary, high school and college and tell her story.....this is what happens....when your whole life is nothing but one....big....party.......

[JFK_Lib]

On the two before/after pics; could that be before/after make-up removal just as well?

Heheh, j/k.

[Woogit]

It was a pretty big part of my life (not nearly as much as it was in hers!) for several years then one night 11 years ago I met JESUS and he set me free!!! My life is so good now and I can't even begin to put into words how grateful I am to be a Blood bought Child of Almighty GOD!!! There's nothing he can't do!

[rabidralph]

I'm glad you got yourself cleaned up. I hope God continues to bless your life.

[oceanperch]

Reminds me of the demons in the movie from Dusk till Dawn.

The article states it is afraid the drug will become epedimic....it already has long ago.

We just had our Summit in our community and the community is working hard to drive it out of here. It became a cooker haven just in the last few years. The cooks come here because no prison time, probation then they cook some more. Well the community has had enough and they are aware of tell tell signs of labs and we are closing them down. Of course the houses used are unlivable due to the hazardous chemical residue.

I think I saw her picture our local Meth Summit group is using it to promote ending the problem here.

[oceanperch]

Meth from the 1930's up untill the 70's was a whole different product then the poison the fly by nights are producing now.

This crap they make now is no where near a pharmacutical product it once was. Now it is cold tablets,battery acid, liqued fertilizer and other wonderful poisons.

[Law is not justice but process]

" she showed a framed photograph of herself aged 31 with her first grandchild,"

31 with her first grandchild? That is an average generation time of 15 and a half years, or average first pregnancy at 14!! Obviously her problems extend beyond meth.

[Skooz]

In 1984 I was one the biggest meth dealers in my city. I made a lot of money, and stayed so methed-out that my conscience was effectly numbed to the horror I was helping to visit on my friends and others who bought my product.

I knew dozens of people who went through the same process:

1. Relatively normal life with a job and spouse.
2. Tries meth
3. Starts doing meth regularly for days at a time
4. Loses job
5. Loses spouse
6. Loses home/apartment
7. Tells me "I don't have a drug problem," while fixing a shot by candlelight because the electric company has turned off the lights.

A girl named Sherri used to live next door when I was dealing meth. She sold it out of her home and we had a shared clientelle. Her decline was disturbing. She started off a very pretty blonde with an engaging and fun personality. Within two years, she was sullen, paranoid to the point of psychosis, and quite hard to look at.

Even after I stopped selling it (for reasons I can't remember), I could not stop shooting it into my veins. I hated it, and I loved it. But, I could not imagine life without it.

Then, in the summer of 1985, I accepted Jesus and He set me free. All I had to do was ask, and before I finished my prayer, the chains fell off and I have not had one nanosecond of temptation to ever go back.

[oceanperch]

Congrads you escaped death.

Sometimes if I go out shopping at night now, used to be ok, someone will pass me and I feel evil present and look up sure enough a tweeker has walked by.

I chose to be a single mom 25yrs ago because dad started using. We had no contact for 10yrs then he cleaned up and now he is back in with his original wife, attending church, and has been clean for 15yrs. He is also came see his son a few years ago and made amends. Thanking me for leaving the state to be rid of him as others around him weren't so lucky. One of his old doper girlfriends is still using homeless and a street walker.

I hate that he made the choice of meth over family but thank God he cleaned up and is living a good life now. I had so much love in my heart for him then he chose to do meth.

My advice to anyone who has a loved one doing this drug of the devil is shut them out of your life and make it clear why. If they clean up and I mean at least two years, you will know by the company they keep then and only then they can reunite family ties.

[magnumsgirl]

I have a younger sister who has been a meth addict for the last 15 years, I have seen her twice in that period and we used to be very close. She abandoned 2 young children. Her before/after pictures would be as shocking as the ones posted here. I cannot relate the horror my family has been through because of this drug. My best friend lost her son to a meth lab explosion, burned over 90% of his body, and he survived 3 days before dieing. I only wish they hadn't seen him in that condition, they can't get the pictures out of their minds. They will never recover from what they've been through. I don't know many families that have not been touched by this epidemic in our area.

[Woogit]

GOD IS SO GOOD ALL THE TIME!!! What an awesome testimony! I, thank God, never was totally strung out on it but it was always my party drug of choice and I partied allot! Like you, in an instant The Lord Jesus set me free and there is no looking back!!! PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME!!!

[lafroste]

Meth ravaged San Diego when I lived there in the mid to late 80's. I watched a good friend completely destroy himself, but the most pitiful thing I ever saw was a 14 YO pregnant girl emerge from behind a dumpster and offer a BJ for $10.00 to me and my friends one night when we were walking down the street. She needed money so she could go score. That event was life changing.