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.