Faces of Meth: Before and After

Those pictures are so sad. No life in their eyes.

My mom was addicted to 'legal speed' for more than 30 years..prescription amphetamine pills. "Mother's Little Helper". She wasn't the same person on them. Aggressive, irritable, awake for days, picking fights, erratic..she's been off them for about 5 years now, thankfully.
 
I have a question -- Sorry i'm not that well educated on substance abuse.

But why do they have scabs , grazes all over their faces?

I've asked the same question. And the answer I got was that they pick at their faces obsessively for some reason while on this drug. I think the ingredients cause more skin eruptions or lack of healing and they pick at it....

Another common thing is meth mouth.......their teeth actually start falling out.

It is absolutely horrible.

I know a guy who got hooked on meth.......all of his teeth fell out ( he made an excuse for this) and he committed suicide.
 
That's what I was wondering also.
some have the scabs but some don't?

Alot of people get meth bumps. All that great ingredients DD just listed the skin is the way out for all that. Plus your body temperture goes way high so that messes with sweat and all. Thus the bumps.

Then you're delusional and you feel like you have bugs under your skin. So people pick at them. Ugly s*t that drug. Pick, pick, pick and then infection sets in alot. You have no vitamins or nutrition left. You're dehydrated. So, it all contributes I think.

I knew a chick got a huge lawsuit and got into meth. She spent a fortune on a fabulous, expensive bed room set. Expensive mattress. Next thing you know she's swearing this is how the "bugs" were getting under her skin.

The late 70's into early 80's here we were supposedly like the meth capital. Purest meth. I recall people talking about the poll cleaner P2P I think it's called. Oh and don't forget the danger posed to everyone around when they start cooking up.
 
Those pictures are so sad. No life in their eyes.

My mom was addicted to 'legal speed' for more than 30 years..prescription amphetamine pills. "Mother's Little Helper". She wasn't the same person on them. Aggressive, irritable, awake for days, picking fights, erratic..she's been off them for about 5 years now, thankfully.

That's great news, FYW. Bless your mom. That couldn't have been easy.

I'm also sorry. It couldn't have been easy for you.

I remember being little going with my mom to this Doc's office and there being a line of people out the door. They'd give ya a shot and then bags of pills. "Diet Drugs" they used to call them. ALOT of mom's back then did it. My friends mom's all went to this guy. Actually back then I don't even think the Doctor knew the true horros of those drugs.

Then when my mom would have the house cleaned, us sparkling, food shopping done, and up for two nights my dad threw them all down the toilet. He was like "that's poison. nobody runns around like that and then don't sleep".

FYW, again that's great for your mom and again I'm sure it was really difficult for you. Your a good daughter supporting her after all those horrors.
 
That's great news, FYW. Bless your mom. That couldn't have been easy.

I'm also sorry. It couldn't have been easy for you.

I remember being little going with my mom to this Doc's office and there being a line of people out the door. They'd give ya a shot and then bags of pills. "Diet Drugs" they used to call them. ALOT of mom's back then did it. My friends mom's all went to this guy. Actually back then I don't even think the Doctor knew the true horros of those drugs.

Then when my mom would have the house cleaned, us sparkling, food shopping done, and up for two nights my dad threw them all down the toilet. He was like "that's poison. nobody runns around like that and then don't sleep".

FYW, again that's great for your mom and again I'm sure it was really difficult for you. Your a good daughter supporting her after all those horrors.


Thanks so much. I'm very proud of her. She is feeling the effects now of all those years of using. She has osteoporosis and chronic fatigue, sleeps alot, has depression, anxiety. But..she's also not a maniac anymore :dance:
 
FROM A FORMER 2 YR METH USER:
You don't see meth "bugs" like I have heard of coke users seeing. Have never heard of worms...but then I have been clean for 4 yrs (yes I am bragging) so this may be something new, thought I doubt it.
What happens is all the bad things in meth make u break out, in all areas, and sometimes it makes you wanna dig...you don't see/feel bugs...it just makes u wanna dig. I guess I can't really explain better than that, just know it's not bugs. You just wanna pick, not that you see anything, sometimes, you just focus on a spot and just wanna pick.
In almost 2 yrs on meth I only had one small spot on my stomach I liked to dig at...yeah gross I know.
And even after 2 yrs of snorting and 4 yrs clean so 6 years, my teeth are 100% PERFECT...straight and white. All meth users are not the same...you can either choose to take care of yourself or not...I still brushed my teeth, it's really not that hard.
Some people (like) the ones you see on the poster just don't care.
And that's sad.
 
This is so heartbreaking.

You know drug addiction is a HUGE epidemic.

What really makes me angry are the judgemental people who think that people can pull themselves up and get well without help.

It can happen but it is rare. We are a compassionate people. We need to help drug addicts if we want to stop the addiction and all the crime that goes with it.

NOW, if someone commits a crime on drugs that is still no excuse and they need to be prosecuted strongly. The first thing we need is a safe society and society can't be safe if we are too soft on crime.

It just seems like we should be able to get help for people who have addiction problems. I am guessing the people in this picture do not have insurance to help them through this.

Drugs are always a symptom of something deeper.


Yep it CAN happen...I quit cold turkey, no help, basically no support. I guess I am a strong person.
 
Thanks for this, sad and shocking and a good reminder of what drugs can do. Was the high really worth it?

If you ever first do the drug and then look at the pics, you would say yes the high is worth it. It feels THAT good.
 
:eek: I just found this...The reason for the scabs and such are what they call Meth Mites. I had no idea about that at all, it will explain more at the link:

http://www.mappsd.org/Meth Mites.htm

The pictures may be disturbing for some people ....
 
If you ever first do the drug and then look at the pics, you would say yes the high is worth it. It feels THAT good.

Did you get a euphoric feeling or just stay up for days.......I guess that I'm confused at how those ingredients "hook" people on the drug.
 
Thanks so much. I'm very proud of her. She is feeling the effects now of all those years of using. She has osteoporosis and chronic fatigue, sleeps alot, has depression, anxiety. But..she's also not a maniac anymore :dance:

You hear so many people say that "I got clean and I fell apart. I never even had a cold when I was on drugs".

That's so good for you and her though, For! Really good.

White Rain, congrats, honey. You done good, girl.
 
You hear so many people say that "I got clean and I fell apart. I never even had a cold when I was on drugs".

That's so good for you and her though, For! Really good.

White Rain, congrats, honey. You done good, girl.

That's why so many people start using drugs to begin with. They are self medicating for whatever is troubling them. Sometimes they aren't even aware of it. Depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. When they aren't using any longer, they are faced with these things for the first time in a long while. That's why so many people relapse. Life is easier on drugs, or so it seems to them. And I bet they had colds while on drugs. They probably just didn't know it!
 
Here in Central Florida it was reported on the news yesterday that there were 2 raids on 2 different meth labs in houses where kids were present! There was also a lab found in a hotel room! The firemen and other law enforcement people that have to dismantle these labs are at great risk and will need to be de-toxed themselves if they are not careful.
There was a report about a year ago, can't remember if it was t.v. or print that warned people that use propane gas tanks for their home b-b-que grills. It warned that some of these meth lab cooks were using propane tanks that you buy at convience stores. The kind where you take your empty cannister and trade it in for a full one. Well, seems as though some of the cannisters being returned by people using them to cook their meth were not completely empty and I guess the stuff is somehow cooked in the cannisters. I am not sure just how they cook the stuff but it was mentioned that getting one of those cannisters would be a very dangerous thing. I wonder if this country will ever make a dent in the "war on drugs". We all pay thru the nose for the effects of illegal drug use.
 
Throughout the past 20 years, I have lost friends to this drug. Beautiful, intelligent, even college-educated friends. I make the point of educated because so many people are under the misconception that only stupid, 'low-life' people ever use meth- and that's just not true.

My friend Stephanie had everything going for her, and started doing meth to "help keep her weight down". When she started doing it, the 'Meth Awareness' campaign had yet to begin, and I don't think she even knew it as 'meth'- she only knew it was 'speed'. She was never arrested. She didn't have sores on her face. She was thin and beautiful, and she had been doing it for years. She still had a great career, and made lots of money. She actually almost convinced me to give it a try- but then she died from her meth use- had a massive coronary at the age of 36.

This past December, I decided to look up an old friend- (some of you may have read the thread I started about him)- named Marty. It turns out I was a bit late in trying to contact him, as he was sitting in jail awaiting trial for double homicide. He admitted to killing 2 men in a meth drug-deal-gone-bad, while under the influence of meth. He says he killed them in self-defense. He had shot the men 8 times each, and buried their bodies in a shallow grave, under a shed on his property. Their decomposing bodies were found 3 weeks later, by cadaver dogs. My friend, from all those years ago, could never have done something like that. But, meth could.

Above, I told of my first, and then latest, experiences with people I knew who were into meth. But they were not the only ones. Before meth, they were kind, loving, fun intelligent, wonderful people and friends.

Meth, in my opinion, is an evil drug. I don't believe that the people who use it are evil- that's not what I'm saying. What I mean is there is something about this particular drug, that empties the soul if given the chance. It robs. It steals children from parents, and it will steal parents from children. It is an 'equal opportunity destroyer'.

I think that anyone who tries it probably tells themselves they will just try it once, to see what it's like. Or just use it for a little bit, to help them lose weight. Nobody who tries it believes that they will get addicted to it by just trying it once. They underestimate meth's power.

Sometimes people even try it once, and think, "hey- I tried it, and I'm not addicted", so they do it again, and again. Because they don't feel addicted. So, they become addicted.

Meth does give the user a feeling of euphoria. Of course it does- what else would the initial draw be? It makes you feel good. It makes you feel that everything is finally alright. You can do anything. It makes you feel that everything will always be alright and wonderful- as long as you can just keep feeling this way.

And then it rips your soul out, just like a pitbull to the throat. Meth is an evil drug, in my opinion, sent up from the bowels of Hell.

Meth addicts need intensive treatment- not prison- the first time they are arrested.
Spend the money that would be spent on incarceration on preventive education first, and intensive long-term treatment. Then prison, if necessary.

But let's try to get these addicts some real help first, instead of shoving them into over-crowded prisons where they will get out without any treatment, and pick up where they left off.
 
Those pictures were so so sad, and I felt incredibly sad for all their families out there somewhere who most likely were forced to turn their backs on someone they loved. It's a terrible, terrible drug.
 
Back in early 2000, when my family and I moved to Pierce County, Wa, we had not heard much about methamphetamine. In the Pierce county area it had already become rampant. Soon after, LE realized that most crimes in the area were a result of the drug or the manufacturing of it, and a Drug Court program was opened. It was one of the first of it's kind in the country. While the Drug Court will never have 100% success, it's achievments are miraculous. The requirements are very strict to get into the program (no violent crimes, etc) and once you are in you are subject to weekly, unannounced drug tests, court dates with the judge every month and group meetings...plus the 3 NA/AA meetings per week. The program is for one year, but if you mess up extra time can be added to that. Many end up serving two or three years in drug court, much longer than they would have served in jail, had they refused the program. Any major failure in your agreement will send you immediately into lock up to serve your sentence, for the original charge. Many counties have picked up on the program, but still not enough participate. I happen to believe this may be one of the solutions for the drug problem, which plaques our country.
 
Did you get a euphoric feeling or just stay up for days.......I guess that I'm confused at how those ingredients "hook" people on the drug.

BOTH. I remember when I first started the drug I lived upstairs in a 2 story apt. I would lay out a line to snort the night before I went to work...get up for work, snort a line, try to rush downstairs before the disgusting taste hit my mouth, but before I could it hit...not just the taste but that feeling...OMG on top of the world and energy like you would NOT believe. That quick...we are talking ONE set of stairs. Energy for days...euphoria for days...
At the beginning one teeny-tiny snort could keep you awake for days, and also you would not feel like eating for a bit, like for 1-3 days, at the beginning mainly 3 days or more.
But as time went on and you got heavier into the drug you could eat anything you wanted and still lose weight also you could snort a couple of times a day and still go to bed that night. That is when you KNOW you have it bad, when you can snort and eat and sleep a few hours later.
 
Throughout the past 20 years, I have lost friends to this drug. Beautiful, intelligent, even college-educated friends. I make the point of educated because so many people are under the misconception that only stupid, 'low-life' people ever use meth- and that's just not true.

My friend Stephanie had everything going for her, and started doing meth to "help keep her weight down". When she started doing it, the 'Meth Awareness' campaign had yet to begin, and I don't think she even knew it as 'meth'- she only knew it was 'speed'. She was never arrested. She didn't have sores on her face. She was thin and beautiful, and she had been doing it for years. She still had a great career, and made lots of money. She actually almost convinced me to give it a try- but then she died from her meth use- had a massive coronary at the age of 36.

This past December, I decided to look up an old friend- (some of you may have read the thread I started about him)- named Marty. It turns out I was a bit late in trying to contact him, as he was sitting in jail awaiting trial for double homicide. He admitted to killing 2 men in a meth drug-deal-gone-bad, while under the influence of meth. He says he killed them in self-defense. He had shot the men 8 times each, and buried their bodies in a shallow grave, under a shed on his property. Their decomposing bodies were found 3 weeks later, by cadaver dogs. My friend, from all those years ago, could never have done something like that. But, meth could.

Above, I told of my first, and then latest, experiences with people I knew who were into meth. But they were not the only ones. Before meth, they were kind, loving, fun intelligent, wonderful people and friends.

Meth, in my opinion, is an evil drug. I don't believe that the people who use it are evil- that's not what I'm saying. What I mean is there is something about this particular drug, that empties the soul if given the chance. It robs. It steals children from parents, and it will steal parents from children. It is an 'equal opportunity destroyer'.

I think that anyone who tries it probably tells themselves they will just try it once, to see what it's like. Or just use it for a little bit, to help them lose weight. Nobody who tries it believes that they will get addicted to it by just trying it once. They underestimate meth's power.

Sometimes people even try it once, and think, "hey- I tried it, and I'm not addicted", so they do it again, and again. Because they don't feel addicted. So, they become addicted.

Meth does give the user a feeling of euphoria. Of course it does- what else would the initial draw be? It makes you feel good. It makes you feel that everything is finally alright. You can do anything. It makes you feel that everything will always be alright and wonderful- as long as you can just keep feeling this way.

And then it rips your soul out, just like a pitbull to the throat. Meth is an evil drug, in my opinion, sent up from the bowels of Hell.

Meth addicts need intensive treatment- not prison- the first time they are arrested.
Spend the money that would be spent on incarceration on preventive education first, and intensive long-term treatment. Then prison, if necessary.

But let's try to get these addicts some real help first, instead of shoving them into over-crowded prisons where they will get out without any treatment, and pick up where they left off.

Smart Blonde, I remember your post about, Marty.

Please know I am sorry about Stephanie.

This was an excellent post.
 
And very much in the minority.

Probably so...NOT a braggart but I did it. Maybe because I had no choice, no car, no job, no money and enough morals to not steal or sell my body. THANK YOU LORD!
 

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