Drug and alcohol addiction and abuse. Recognition. Prevention. Treatment
20/20 Parenting. Recognizing and mitigating early vulnerabilities and risk factors.
Letters to Kerry
Stories of Victory, Struggle, Tragedy, & Workplace Concerns
May 7, 2005:
You must get many of emails, I hope you get this one. My name is Dale. Last yr, I became addicted to meth. Seeked help. In the mean time used off and on. Last time I used was just over a month ago. The other night, I went to the forum at John Oliver. Your story, truly touched my heart. The sadness and the pain I felt as you talked of your son.
I never did know what the drug did or was made from. I always walked away as someone would talk about it or change the channel on the TV. I did not want to know as I wanted to use it. After sitting there and hearing of the [s..t] in it, and your story, I really believe I am not going to use this again. I love my mom and family and seen what this has done to you as a mother. Thank you. Thank you for your story and sharing it with others.
Dale
NOTE: this came the day before Mother's day. It was a gift that gave me such joy it brought me to tears.
However, I wish to say that I was, in thinking about the letter, a little concerned that this fine young man might still be addicted and that if he were to quit cold turkey he would then be at risk for suicide as my son was. Thankfully more communications eased my mind as he is well supported by both a treatment centre and family.
During the presentation I gave that night I had explained the danger in quitting this drug cold turkey. Again, PLEASE do not try to get clean on your own if seriously addicted to crystal meth, and especially if the drug has induced psychosis/mental illness! This was Ryan's last and fatal mistake which resulted in his suicide. – K
