THE 'WORST DRUG OUT THERE'

At the peak of his crystal methamphetamine addiction in 2002 "Jeff" stayed
awake for three consecutive weeks and was coughing skin out of his mouth.

His usually bulky six-foot frame was replaced by a bony figure and if he
went without his beloved drug for any amount of time he thought he was going
to die.

"The first day I didn't use it it felt like someone was running around in my
lungs stabbing me from the inside out," said the Abbotsford teen in an
interview on Wednesday. "It screws with your head. There's no way to stop."

Jeff's story began about five years ago when he started smoking marijuana at
age 12. By 13 he was selling the drug and experimenting with other drugs,
including mushrooms, acid and cocaine.

"[It started] when I was at parties and stuff," he said of his cocaine use.
"Everybody was high and looked like they were having fun."

None of those drugs, however, compared to crystal meth, also known as speed.
When a friend introduced Jeff to the stimulant drug about three years ago he
was hooked immediately.

"It screws up your head," he said. "You can't quit. Most people just steal
[stuff] all day . . . and all night to get it."

Rather than choosing that route, Jeff began selling the drug. His main place
of business was school.

"The reason I went to school was to sell [drugs] to people," he said, adding
that he did "a fair amount of business."

Jeff built a client base and gave his regular customers free drugs to give
to their friends, who also became hooked. Jeff estimates he made $80 to
$2,000 a day, which he used to buy drugs and clothes for himself.

"It was pretty much . . . a cycle," he said. "I was high [on meth] all the
time."

At one point Jeff stayed up for 21 days in a row continually smoking the
drug.

"I was starting to see stuff," he recalled. "Fluorescent colours and stuff.
You see things that aren't really there . . . I couldn't put my sentences
together. You piss yourself off that you can't [speak normally]."

Those feelings of rage breeded a violent lifestyle. Jeff found himself
beating people up and the youth he associated with also had fits of rage. At
one point Jeff witnessed a shootout, although nobody was hurt. Another time
he saw a teen get stabbed in the chest.

"Meth caused a lot [of violence]," he said. "It makes you edgy. Really edgy.
Sometimes you just flip out for no reason. You just get a vibe about people
. . . and it makes you angry. You get paranoid."

At 15 Jeff grew tired of his lifestyle but couldn't find a way out.

"I felt trapped," he said.

Ironically, his saving grace was when he was sentenced to a year in prison.

"It saved my life," he said. "But I don't recommend jail to anybody."

Being in jail meant Jeff could no longer feed his addiction. After a painful
withdrawal period Jeff has now been clean for 16 months. He's gained 65
pounds, has a job, goes to school part time and is happy with life.

Still, he vividly remembers his past.

"I used to dream about meth every day in jail," said Jeff, adding that his
"vision is screwed from speed" and he sometimes has a hard time remembering
things. "If I kept using I'd probably be dead by now. When I was arrested I
was coughing skin out of my mouth. I thought I was going to die for six
months. I couldn't breath. It eats you from the inside out."

His advice for people currently using crystal meth or who are curious about
the drug is simple: "Just don't do it. That's basically it," he said. "I
don't think I've ever seen anyone just try it once or twice and not use it
for at least six months."

"It's pretty much the worst drug out there," he added. "Not many people can
get off it."