Dear meth, you are not welcome here
Dear meth,
You are an insidious, noxious waste of time and energy. You are not wanted, nor were you ever invited. You are not welcome here. You creep into homes and wreak havoc on families. You weave a tangled thread of violence and transgression through the fabric of our society. You are the knot in the noose.
You are methamphetamine, ice, crystal, whatever you want to call yourself, and you will never be welcome here.
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An open letter to an addict I dealt with recently.
You won’t remember us, but today we watched as your strong, proud father reluctantly broke down, conceding defeat after a 25 year battle he waged for you; with you.
He took you in when you were drug-addled, paranoid, and so unnaturally euphoric you couldn’t sleep at all for days and days on end. Then, as you slept it off, he constantly checked on you, sometimes continuously for several days, to make sure you were still breathing.
He helplessly watched as medical staff de-fibrillated your lifeless body, resuscitated you and brought you back. More than once.
He listened to you scream behind closed doors as your body crashed, and you writhed as the cravings hit and withdrawals took hold.
He let you bathe repeatedly to wash away the stench of chemicals that seeped from your pores, and you scrubbed, clawing, to rid yourself of the bugs you believed were under your skin.
And when he finally lay down to rest his weary mind and body, you stole from him, and crept out to feed your demon again.
It’s a cycle, a ‘dance’ that you’ve both performed over and over for 25 years. His, a dance of unconditional love for you; yours, a dance of habit.
25 years…
But last night was different. You clasped your hands around his throat and squeezed, and although you stopped before physical damage was done, he decided in that moment, he will not dance for you anymore.
Last night the demon won, and you chose drugs over your Dad.
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If you think you can try meth once, just to see what it’s like, you’re very naive. You haven’t thought it through; you couldn’t have. Addicts often lose family, friends, careers, homes… hope.
Illicit drugs affect all corners of our community; don’t think it’s someone else’s problem. Many offences, particularly property offences, are drug-related crimes. Chances are you know someone who may have been the victim of a break and enter (burglary), steal from vehicles, fraud, theft, or maybe an assault.
If you or a loved one need help to break the cycle, the help is there. Reach for it and grab it with both hands. Visit the website here or call 1800 177 833.
