Pubdate: Wed, 17 Mar 2004
Source: Surrey Leader (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 Surrey Leader
Contact:  http://www.surreyleader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1236
Author: Julia Caranci
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

THE METH NIGHTMARE

At the age of 18, Jerry decided he wanted to try every drug at least once. 
He started with alcohol, pot and cocaine.

Then he found crystal meth.

"I remember thinking it was the best thing ever," said the Langley man. "I 
could talk and talk and talk - it was so cheap and a big bang for your buck."

Within a year, Jerry (not his real name) was using every day, and spending 
much of his free time at a "gack house" (meth users' equivalent of a crack 
cocaine house). He became a driver for dealers in return for free drugs and 
eventually turned to crime to support his habit.

Today he's a tall, stocky man, smartly dressed in black jeans and T-shirt, 
with short dark hair and a contagious laugh. But just four years ago he was 
pale and gaunt, having dropped 30 pounds in just a few weeks.

And then there was the paranoia.

He became convinced people wanted to kill him. He thought mini-cameras had 
been set up in his car and at his home. Once he filled a can with gasoline 
and was ready to fight back by burning his enemies and their homes.

He needed help, and he knew it.

"The day I asked mom to bring me to the doctor I told her Regis and 
Kathy-Lee (from the TV show) had been making fun of me for an hour," said 
Jerry. "I was just gone - crazy."

Jerry is one of the lucky ones - he broke free. But thousands of other, 
mostly young users remain in the vicious dance of highs, lows and crashes 
that can end in permanent brain damage.

Known on the street as crystal meth, crank, glass or zip, methamphetamine 
is a powerful drug that releases high levels of chemicals into areas of the 
brain that regulate feelings of pleasure. It increases wakefulness and 
physical activity, and decreases appetite.

Meth comes in many forms and can be snorted, swallowed, injected or smoked.

Crystal meth is cheap. A "point" (0.1 grams) of the drug costs under $20 
and the high lasts for hours. Users - commonly between the ages of 12 to 18 
- - can maintain a habit for as little as $5 a day.

Because the effects of meth last up to three days, during which time users 
often don't sleep or eat, it's particularly attractive to teenage girls who 
use it for weight control.

In just two years, crystal meth has overtaken cocaine as the third most 
popular drug (after alcohol and marijuana) in the Fraser Health Authority 
(FHA).

"We've seen an increase right across Fraser Health and in fact provincially 
in the use of crystal meth, particularly in youth. It's a very dangerous 
drug," said Sherry Mumford, addictions leader for the FHA.

"We're seeing an increasing number of people coming into addiction clinics 
telling workers crystal meth is their drug of choice."

A 2002 survey of close to 2,000 students in the Lower Mainland found 19 per 
cent had tried crystal meth. The same study found the average age for first 
use of the drug was just over 14. Most could obtain it in under 24 hours.

Annette Welsh, director of The Front Room, a drop-in homeless shelter in 
Whalley, has seen a marked increase in the use of methamphetamine among the 
homeless and transient.

"Crystal meth is everywhere now - a lot of our clients use it," said Welsh. 
"Like crack, it becomes a mental addiction."

Dave knows all about the attraction of meth. A 28-year-old, handsome and 
articulate young man with intense blue eyes, he's been hanging out at the 
Front Room for a year, and is self-professed speed junkie.

"I use it to be more social," said Dave. "It makes it easier for me."

He used to do cocaine but gave it up for crystal meth because he can stay 
high on it for about $15 a day. Coke was costing him $250.

Dave knows the risks.

Methamphetamine is exceptionally toxic. High doses can elevate body 
temperature to dangerous, even lethal levels, and can cause convulsions.

When long-term users - "tweakers" - try to kick the drug, they often 
experience depression, confusion, fatigue and aggression.

And that makes getting off crystal meth extremely difficult.

"It takes longer for their heads to clear - 30 days at least," said Ed 
Warnke, managing director for the Launching Pad, the South Surrey 
addictions recovery house where Jerry was treated.

"Then the nightmares start. The weird thing is, they share the same type of 
nightmares - bloodthirsty."

Many addicts learn to make the drug themselves. Some begin taking the 
ingredients without mixing them.

"They try using them separately, like ammonia, because it's part of crystal 
meth," said Warnke. "I've had to rush people to the hospital more than once."

He's also noticed crystal meth affects mental capacity more than other drugs.

"I've talked to people with a mental illness that have clearer thoughts 
than them," he said.

There is a unique danger in using crystal meth because it leads to 
psychosis in some users. This can take the form of paranoia, hallucinations 
and delusions, which in turn can lead to homicidal and suicidal thoughts.

Dr. Bill MacEwan, a psychiatrist with FHA's Early Psychosis Intervention 
program, treats drug-induced psychosis in crystal meth users.

It's not just street kids and transient adults using crystal meth, says 
MacEwan.

It's become popular with suburban kids who live at home, come from good 
families, attend school and wouldn't be pegged as drug users.

"It's really terrifying. It's a highly addictive substance," said MacEwan. 
"And when it grabs these kids, it's really hard for them to get away from it."

Some of his patients continue showing symptoms of psychosis three years 
after quitting meth.

Studies suggest the damage, in some cases, is permanent.

"It's stressing the person's brain to the point where not only do they have 
psychosis while they are using the drug, but it persists afterwards," said 
MacEwan.

Treatment includes counseling and the use of anti-psychotic medications.

For many, recovery is a long road.

As for Jerry, he's been clean for 18 months. Today he counsels kids in 
Grades 10 to 12 about the dangers of crystal meth.

And the voices that were in his head?

"On a bad day, they're still there," he said. "But now I don't run with it."

The FHA has formed a task force concerning crystal meth. The goal is to get 
the message out about how to identify meth users and how to help them.

The group will study intervention and treatment programs in other health 
authorities and learn from their initiatives.

There are no programs specific to crystal meth in the FHA, although there 
are addiction recovery services that help with meth and other addictions.

The task force will have its first meeting this month - there is no set end 
date.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager