Dear Straight Talk: My boyfriend, 17, has a methamphetamine problem and I don’t know what to do about it. He used to be the nicest guy and now I’m so frustrated I cry myself to sleep. How can I get him to stop? There’s no getting through to him and it hurts so bad because we used to love each other so much. Please help me.—Crying
From Rose, 18: Meth turns people into monsters. Meth makes people fall in love with one thing: meth.
The only way I’ve seen people stop meth is by hitting bottom. I’ve had friends on it that I’ve tried to help, but I just hurt myself in the process. The only way they stopped is when they hit bottom, which included their friends hating them, refusing to hang out with them.
When drugs are around, it can be like candy and hard to refuse. You don’t want to fall into using in order to be closer to him. Keep yourself safe. Avoid him when he’s using and be there for him when he comes down—if you think it’s worth it. Whatever you do, don’t fall victim to this drug because it will swallow you whole.
I’m sorry it’s such a harsh reality, but the only way a person who has a drug problem will ever stop is if they truly want to.
Dear Crying: There is another way that people quit meth and that’s through rehabilitation. If he’s not willing to go, if his parents or guardians won’t insist on it, get the law gets involved and juvenile court will. Methamphetamine addiction is about as ugly as it gets. Some of the luckiest people I know were hard-core users who were busted by either their parents or the law while they were still under 18. The experience woke them up like nothing else and they went into adulthood clean, in record and in spirit. It’s something to think about….
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