METH SERIES NO. 2: HOOKED, LINES AND SINKING

This is the second Progress feature in a series of articles exploring the
consequences of a community under siege by the nasty street drug called
methamphetamines or meth for short.

The addicted teen's name has been changed to protect her anonymity.

A Chilliwack mom is sharing the story of her daughter's entanglement with
methamphetamines so the community will know what a "devastating and
completely destructive" impact the drug has had on her family. Twila
Neilson says she would give anything to turn back the clock before her
daughter Amanda was introduced to meth, also known as crank, speed or
crystal. "She got involved with meth about a year and a half ago. We had
such an incredibly close relationship before she started doing it. She used
to tell me absolutely everything," she says. "Now, she tells me nothing.

She barely talks to me." The pain is evident in her voice as she describes
the way her 18-year-old daughter was transformed over a period of months.
"She was self-confidant, outgoing and honest.

She used to care about school, her family and had a goal of one day
becoming a social worker. "Now she doesn't care about any of that. All she
cares about is how she can get enough money for drugs and how to regain
custody of her daughter," says Ms. Neilson, who currently has custody of
Amanda's toddler. Methamphetamine is a "potent stimulant drug" subject to
abuse by its users by snorting, smoking or intravenous injection, explains
Heather Dinn, a toxicologist in the forensic lab of RCMP headquarters in
Vancouver. "Methamphetamine is a popular drug of abuse due to its ability
to produce euphoria," the drug expert says. But the euphoric feeling
consistently gives way to a creeping discomfort, characterized by extreme
agitation, restlessness and depression. Ms. Neilson's says her hopes of
getting her daughter into a rehab are dwindling with every passing month.
"There are only a couple of drug rehab centres in all of B.C. for young
people under 19," she says. "The waiting list is a minimum of eight months.
By the time her name comes up, she'll be 19 and ineligible. She's almost
given up hope. "We do need more rehab centres for these kids. We have to
have help available when they're ready." The agony of a family member with
a drug addiction turned into frustration when Ms. Neilson went online and
couldn't find any support for parents in her situation.

So she started up her own website (rachaelneilson.tripod.com) to assist
other families on their healing journeys. Initially, Amanda was more
forthcoming about everything, her mom says. "She told me she used it. She
was up front and honest and she showed me. She was very lonely and a guy
friend got her into it," says Ms. Neilson. "It's all about friends.

When she's doing it, there are 50 people and friends around her. When she's
not doing it, she's all alone." In a desperate attempt to hold onto the
initial high and euphoric feelings, explains the toxicologist, users will
administer the drug repeatedly, several times a day over a period of
several days. That's when the situation can get truly frightful. "This is
known as a 'spree,' 'run,' or 'binge.' The run may last three to five days
or longer until the supply of the drug has been consumed or the user is too
exhausted to continue.

It is generally during this type of binge that an extremely dysfunctional
state, termed 'methamphetamine psychosis' will emerge," adds Ms. Dinn. That
psychotic-like state is characterized by intense fear, delusions even
hallucinations and is said to resemble the symptoms of paranoid
schizophrenia. "Individuals have been known to 'act out' unpredictably and
aggressively based on their paranoia and feelings of persecution," Ms. Dinn
adds. "This psychotic state does not necessarily remit with elimination of
the drug from the body and may last from several days to weeks." And once
an addict has become psychotic while under the drug's influence, they are
more at risk of becoming psychotic with subsequent use of the substance,
she says. "That's the cycle they go through, it's a meth marathon where
they do it for 10 days, until they crash and burn for a week," Ms. Neilson
confirms. "I've woken my daughter up after she's been crashed for a few
days and she's totally psychotic." So why on earth has this nasty drug
become so popular among young people? "Because it's too damn cheap," Ms.
Neilson snaps. "For five bucks you can get high for eight to 10 hours.

It's absolutely everywhere, around any of the teen hangouts.

I could go buy it for you in 20 minutes. "That's what attracts young people
- -- it's an instant fix. That's what this generation is all about.

They smoke it generally from a light bulb that's been broken.

Or a Bic pen. It's just too easy." Physically, the "hyper-stimulated" state
of the user can lead to palpitations, increased heart rate, irregular heart
beat, increased blood pressure, headache.

Addicts are at risk for seizures, hemorrhage, heart attack, angina pain and
cardiovascular collapse, Ms. Dinn says. But sometimes it's hard to notice
if a young person is getting drawn slowly, yet inexorably, into the dim
world of meth use. "If they're smart and do it slowly, you can't tell by
their behaviour," Ms. Neilson says. "They get these red marks on the face,
it's from the body trying to get rid of the toxins.

They talk faster, slur their words and become more insensitive,
self-absorbed and defensive. "My daughter wrote me out a list of how to
recognize the signs once when she was trying to get clean.

I couldn't believe it when I read it. I thought to myself, 'There's my
daughter.' Meth addicts also tend not to care too much about personal
hygiene and they don't eat much. But a chronic meth user usually has a
group of people to do it with. "That's what attracted her to it. She was
lonely and everyone's your friend when you're on it and have it around.

You rock. There's this meth philosophy that attracts the kids. It's like a
subculture. They're good rules if you could take the meth out of it. It
entails sharing what you have and no back-stabbing. Unfortunately, it's all
drug related." "Meth is not really a killer like crack but it's really hard
to get off of it. Out of my daughter's circle, I know of three young people
who got out of the life and so far stayed out," she says. "Luckily she's
had no trouble with the law. Thank God, no. She's managing to stay away
from that." The concerned mom says she loves her daughter and would do
anything to help her. Her website has been a form of parental catharsis in
some ways, allowing her to share the experience with others as well as
providing other links to related sites. "I was just trying to be a
supportive parent.

I don't know what I'm supposed to be learning from this experience," she
muses. "I guess I've learned that sometimes you just have to let kids go
and let them take their own path. You've taught them everything but you
can't make their choices for them. "The only thing you can do is be
supportive, even when you're struggling with their choices.

If you don't stick by them in the tough times they won't come back to you
when they decide to make the right choices.

They will give up eventually, or it will kill them."