12/02/02

First off I would like to ask why would people do inhalants!? One of my friends tried an inhalant for the first time a couple of weeks ago. She apparently "huffed" some kind of cleaner that you can use on your computer keyboard. Well right after taking it she slipped into a coma. She had lost all signs of brain waves and is now brain dead. Today she was taken off of life support. It was only her first time. Why would anybody risk there life just to get a quick high!? She was a senior and I am also very good friends with her two brothers. But I would like to know if you have heard of an inhalant like the one that I have described? It is crazy how people can be so stupid. 

CG 

CG, thanks for sharing this tragedy that points out how easy – and accessible sudden death can be.  We’re not sure exactly what your friend inhaled, but it’s clear that we all need to be educated better about the dangers of indiscriminate drug use.  Please use this experience to educate others – you are bound to save lives. 

11/16/02

I was addicted to methamphetamine.   Meth can take u down very quickly...At first i would snort it, it made me feel great! I thought it was good because I was able to be more productive and felt like I was in control of everything...But then It began to control me...soon I was smoking it...The high was strong...the fiend for the smoke was strong also. In one year, I went from being a mother of 2 children and a person who never was in trouble with the law,  to a criminal who went out stealing in the middle of the night stealing out of cars, stealing out of backyards ...stealing things to give to the dope man to get the next "run".  I was never home for my children and I traded everything I had of value for "dope"  I found myself smoking my life down the tube.  Homeless and in trouble with the law, I checked into a rehab facility.....that was the best thing I could have done for myself....I still am tempted to go get high, but when i do feel the urge, I remember all the insanity and the times I was coming down and wanted to die...I am then grateful to be free from the insanity of  being addicted to meth and I don t wish to return. Quitting Meth is not easy...especially living in the "meth captial of the world"  (Modesto, CA)  I know many who are still out there,  killing themselves on the crap,  feeling that there is no way out of it like i once felt.  I understand, You do feel trapped in a never ending cycle...Inpatient rehab is what broke my cycle of using...Now I just have to not start ever again ...I pray for strength..for myself and anyone else out there who has been caught in the same web .. 

Anon

Thanks for sharing your story.  It’s especially cogent to hear about how “fast” meth can take a hold of someone – leading to intense destruction.  Best of luck on your continued recovery. 

Hi my name is Nicole Mark. I am 13 years old. I have a couple of friends that are addicted to marijuana. I've tried to talk them and get them help, but they do not seem to listen and I don’t no what to do about it. So right now since I’ve tried everything I can think of I was wondering if there was something else that I could do about it?

Thanks Nicole C. Mark

Yes, tell them that you cannot be involved in their personal destruction and start hanging out with people who don’t do drugs.   It may seem cruel, but it will show them how serious you are about their pot smoking – that you are willing to quit hanging out with them rather than watching them self-destruct.  Realize too, that they may not change today, but watching their good friend depart may wake them up to what they’re doing. 

11/10/02

Dear DrugsTV,
       Hi, i am zac. i'm 14 and i live in grove city, ohio. my dad is heavily addicted to various drugs. oxy contin and many other perscription pills, marijuana, and he has done heroin before. those are just the things that i know of. he has been in and out of rehabilitation clinics over the past few years but always seems to come back to his old ways. because of his addiction(s), we lost houses, and my parents 15 year marriage ended. i live now with my mom and younger brother in our grandparents house. my dad lives back where we used to live. i am just confused on what i should do. if you have any suggestions, they are greatly appreciated.

thank you,
-zac

Zac, the first thing you probably have to do is to recognize that you all need additional help.  Addictions cause vast destruction -- as the person elevates their addiction to "the top of the pile."  All other items, including loved ones, unfortunately, fall below.  Have you considered getting help through a local church?  Many churches have support groups for the entire family, including youth groups too.  Your family needs a helping hand and definitely emotional support.  You also have a unique experience that you may want to share with others -- as to how addictions helped to deteriorate your family.  Perhaps you can volunteer to speak about this in school or church too.  Above all, keep your faith and hope for the future.  Your dad is not much help now, and perhaps never will be.  But you have already learned from this experience and are a better person because of this.

Dear DrugsTV

 I am working on a drugs education project for British schools and wondered
 if you could help.

 I organise educational workshops that use drama to explore drugs issues. The  workshops are based on true stories of drug addiction and so I need as many  true stories as I can find.

 If you have any true stories that I can use I would be very grateful to  receive them by email. The authors name and location is always disguised.


 Thank you.

 Chris Scanlan

 Email: chris.scanlan@littleoctopus.com

Thanks for the letter Chris, perhaps some of our readers can contact you directly at the email you provided, 

10/11/02

Just today i went to my probation office to do the monthly check in thing. They pulled a random drug test on me. I don't do any durgs; i don't even drink. I do take Stacker three to lose weight. This has ephedra in it. I showed up positive for meth. They sent the sample off to the lab. I need to Know what the similarities are between, methamphetamines, and ephedrine. I do know that they are both in the same family.(alkaloids).

 Is the lab gonna be able to tell that i am not doing meth, and that it must be the stacker 3, like i told them, by the amount of it that is in my system. I obviously am not taking enough to get high like a meth user would use. So it should show that, right? Please let me know what the deal on that is, as soon as you can. Againn i don't do drugs at all. 

Scott... Florida

Scott, excellent question.  Ephedra is extremely close (chemically) to amphetamine.  In fact, amp. can be made with a one-step methylation process of ephedra.  However, when the urine goes to GC/MS confirmation (formal Lab) the chemical difference, although small, will be easily distinguishable.  This is the problem with quick tests...and why we don't like to them....and why they are not legally usable in court, etc..  If you were subject to a quick test (in house small device) and were positive on the quick test -- you should be cleared after completion of the GC/MS (assuming the lab does this). 

9/6/02

Hi im 16, and from London.  Last week i took cocaine properly for the first time.  However shortly after taking it the right side of my face began to go num, especially around my mouth.  Was this a reaction to the drug? Could it have been a reaction to something the cocaine had been cut with?  Please let me know the explanation. 

Cocaine has anesthetic properties, and you may have had some kind of reaction.  It's impossible to say, however, as cocaine is an illegal and unregulated drug.  Anything could have been added to what you took -- in fact, there is no guarantee that there was any cocaine in what you took.  Regardless, there some people who simply die the first time they take this drug -- you're better off staying away from it altogether. 

9/4/02

Hey, I have a question that has really been bugging me recently. One night, about 11 or so months ago, me and two of my buddies got together and had some fun with a spray paint can. We DID NOT sniff it, inhale it, or anything else like that. We had no intentions of getting high or using it as a drug. We just had some fun with it, making a torch, lighting the ground on fire(only a extremely small streak), sprayed it inside a bottle and lit the bottle, lit a tiny area on the bottom of one of my shoes, even lit a scooters wheel on fire and rode it a bit.  I'm not sure if this happened one night or two, it was so long ago i can't remember, and haven't thought about it since until now. We did this out in an open street, and moved around some. Anyway, when we did this stuff, none of us ever got high, lightheaded, or even a headache. I remain just as clear-headed, cohesive, and as sharp as I ever have. One footnote, I sometimes unexpectedly forget things, although I believe this had already started to happen before the spray-painting inident. I attribute this to the fact that I have not been keeping my brain sharp with reading, math, and that sort of thing, although I'm really not sure what causes memory loss, so you tell me. Anyway, could we have suffered some amount of brain damage? Please get back to me absolutely as soon as you can, because this is really, really bothering me. Thanks.

Anon

8/13/02

I am a 29 year old man who was drinking alcohol and snorting cocaine once a week for 8 years untill OCTOBER 2000 when i started getting theese weird feelings and i thought i was going mad.I then went to my doctor and he diagnosed it as ANXIETY through snorting cocaine so i decided to give it a break but ended up taking it again 3 months later.Anyway i have been clean from cocaine for only 8 weeks now and i will never take it again because of what it as caused.I am a lot better now than what i was 22 months ago but i am still experiencing theese really heavy head sensations and spaced out feelings of ANXIETY will i ever get over this and make a full recovery,If so could you please give me a rough idea on how long you think theese symptoms last,if you cant answer my question can you send me a experts email address who might be able to tell me what i have done e.t.c    thankyou very much for your time,,,,,,,darren,         

Darren, congratulations on coming to the conclusion that you should never do cocaine again.  While we are familiar with your symptoms, it’s impossible for us to say how long they might last, as it varies with most people.  Please call a doctor at a local treatment program to get a more specific response.

8/7/02

Hi.  My email is a little unique I suppose but I will share it because I am
really looking for some answers.

I have spent the last 3 years dealing with memories of a very abusive
childhood.  As I have struggled to retrieve memories, I have ran into a lot
of barriers that I am now beginning to believe are due to being forced to use
drugs. 

>From the time I was very small (a baby) I know I was sexually abused by my
father and his friends.  During the ages of 6-9 years old, I noticed a few of
the memories involved him forcing me to drink something that looked blue. 
Usually, bits and peices of memory of some of these physical sensations
follow: feeling as though I cannot move, extremely fatigued,  feeling
nauseous, vomitting,  my heart beating fast , my breathing being shallow
and/or feeling disoriented as though I cannot mentally put together what has
happened, and several times I have felt a sense of euphoria.

I've been trying to remember my memories in full so I can finally put the
past where it belongs but I have nearly decided that it might be impossible
if drugs were involved.  Here are my questions:

1.  Could it have been rohypnol?  The only information that I find about
rohypnol use in the US is in the 90's.  I was abused in the late 70's and
80's.

2.  If not rohypnol, what could it have been?  Was there a popular drug that
could have been used like this in the 70's and 80's?  My father used all
kinds of drugs.  I also have friends who tell of similar experiences with
something they were made to drink that had a very bad taste.

3.  With drugs that cause amnesia, is there any way to really remember
everything that happened to you?  It is so frustrating to feel like I never
can 'really' know.

Thanks,
Ophelia 

Ophelia, according to Dr. Robert Bennett, our consulting PHD, he believes the drug you were fed was LSD.  It is impossible to say whether your memory will serve you about those years.  You may want to try hypnosis or some similar technique to see if you can truly uncover the truth about what happened to you, 

8/4/02

I'm  a 15 year old girl from England and been smoking cannbis 4 over two years now.I am so addicted to cannabis that i have REALLY bad cravings for it and i get really bad mood swings when i have'nt got any cannabis. I buy it every Friday night and i love get stoned wiv my mates but the thing is i smoke it at school everyday whenever i get the chance to.My parents know i smoke it,but they don't know that i smoke it at school,i have'nt got caught yet though cos my parents would go mental!! Their ok with it but i'm getting to a stage where i feel its not doing anything for me but the thing is i can't seem to stop smoking it.Its so easy for me to get cos all my mates smoke it i just feel i realie on it too much and i feel i can't have fun without smoking a joint.What should i do?  

English Girl Addicted. 

You have already taken a major first step by admitting that you have a problem, pat yourself on the back.  Next, you have to realize that the next step requires not just yourself, but others too.  Get yourself into a self-help group for addictions in your area.  Look under “drug abuse” in your phone book.  There are many groups available through local churches too, just make a few calls to find out which is best for you.  Best of luck, and please stay in touch, 

7/22/02

I'm a 18 year old male.
 I've been clean for a year and a half. Hating myself everyday more than the
other.   At the age og 15 I became a daily abuser. I experienced the road threw weed,
shrooms, morphine, heroin and ending on meth. I found that meth gave me the
good feeling of being myself and stand up for myself and being able to be
happy the most of the time. The time that I started to use meth till the end,
has been the best part of my life. This was the first time I could really open
up to another people, I starting to do well in school and in my work. I got
really paranoid( and am still most of the time +stressed) but I thought that
must be the price of feeling all the other good things; energic, self esteemed
boosted and creative. I felt so good I became narcistic( super ego).
 The bad thing about being narcistic was that I got extremly agressive when
that I felt threatend by anything or anyone. That usily ended with violent
episodes. At the age of seventeen the only thing that saved me from being
sentenced with man slaughter atempt was lack of witnesses( there weren't a
lack of them, it was just that the witnesses where afraid of me). Instead I
was sentenced with the most brutal human atack being in the law system and
cause of my age the sentance wasn't so hard. It was 40 days in jail and 40
hours of comunity work. The boy that I atacked was nearly twice my size(mostly
during to that I'm rather small myself) but I ended up beating im for and hour
and a half I actually paused once to check if his heart was still beating, and
it was so I just kept on until I got bored. He is phsycicly handicapped, has a
problem going out of his house and also has problems comunicating to others,
mostly during to he has a hard time trying to speak. The meth changes your
charecter. After a long term abuse of meth you will not be the same person as
you where when you started. I strongly recomand staying away from all drugs.
My sex life has been none since I stopped doing drugs do to being depressed
and having no self-asteem. I don't live. I hardly excist. Writing this letter
will be my top activity today. I have a great problem doing things that I want
to do, and saying things that I want to say.
But like I always say: If you pee your pants, be sure to enjoy it while it's
still warm and comfy!
So I'm am going to begin on my abuse in the end of the summer.
I think it's more reasonable to live a short and happy life rather than a long
and depressed one...

Sven 

Either your BS’ing us, or you really have been effected by the drugs.  In either case, you should seek counseling right away.  You need help, and people to talk to who know what you’re going through.  Let us know if you need some resources to turn to.  Finally, understand that as dark as things may seem -- there is ALWAYS a light at the end of this tunnel.  You'll pull through this and be a better person because of it if you stay focused on your goal -- staying clean and finding a grander purpose in life.

7/18/02

I tried my first blast--injection--of crank on New Years Eve 2001.  It was great.  Since then, I have lost almost 45 lbs., and can't seem to kick the habit.  It was a great rush and high, but it isn't worth losing my children and my career.  I am 31, my kids are 13, 10, and 8 and have no idea.  There are so many people willing to help me kick the habit, but I am affraid of gaining the weight back and affraid of the "coming down" feeling.  What do I do first?
Tammie----New York  

Tammie, get into a substance abuse program, now.  Don't wait another day.  Look in the yellow pages under "Drug Abuse & Addiction," you will find many sources.  You should feel good that you are coming to terms with this now, before it becomes too tragic.  Best of luck, and please stay in touch, 

7/01/02

hello I'm a 17 year old Irish boy and I've just discovered dat my brother who
is 14 is abusing solvents very heavily and I am really worried dat hes
addicted and he cant stop, I would like it very much if u could please give
me some information about how I could get my brother 2 stop.
I would really appreciate ur help if u could...tank u very much I hope 2
hear from u soon....once again tank u in advance!

Vincent ohorax! 

As I read through all these Letters, I Can relate to everybody's in some way.

I am 19 years old, Male.  I used meth heavily for about a year.  I have always worked and went to school, but as the demand for my time grew very tight.  I was always working (full time) or I was always at school (full time college).  I can never let people know that cannot do something.  I have to show them that I am super - man .  Everyone else's judgment means a lot to me and it always has.  I was always self conscious.

So It all began after high school.  I started hanging out with a new crowd (the cool Asian crowed).  I wanted to prove myself to them, It was hard because I was White and they were Asian.  In my town it seems like they only click with there own kind.  They would talk about the times they used Crystal, and it sounded fun.  The thing that stopped me from doing it for a long time was, school and work.  They told me that it helps you work harder and loose weight, While still feeling normal.  I was always embarrassed about my weight. I was never fat at all, but I was the chubby one. 

The day finally came, I picked them up (not knowing the plan), they said we were gonna go over to their cousins house to try it.  I was friends with them before the drug-- so I know they weren't meaning to get me addicted.  They showed me how to use the pipe, and I did it. WHAT WAS THAT -- I thought to myself.  I wasn't sure what I was supposed to feel.  I was always used to Hallucinagins (sp?).  I went o work and felt good.  I wanted to do it again cause I don't think I felt it , or didn't do it right.

12/26/01

12/18/01                          

Dear Sirs,

 I hope you will not mind my taking freedom to adress you.
 My name is Boban Djuric and I am a teacher by profession.I teach children
 whose age ranges from 10 to 18 years.My teaching has an educative purpose
 concering drug and alcohol abuse.In our country,Yugoslavia,there are no
 adequate educative movies,(VIDEO TAPES,DVD,CD-ROM),books,magazines,spots and
 posters on education of young people (10 - 18 years old),education on drug
 and alcohol abuse.  Our country is very poor,we had lived in the darkness made by Slobodan
 Milosevic for over 10 years,so that psychoactive substances are widely
 used.My salary is only 4.500,00 dinars ($68) a month,so,neither I nor my
 school are capable of buying your educative material.  So,we are asking you
to  present us with your educative material in the sense of help by good will
 poeple.  That material will be used in our school,our town and our
region,and  we shall inform everybody about the fact that it is your help to our
country  and our youth.
 I hope you will deal with this matter as soon as possible .If you decide
to  fulfill our wish,thanks in advance in behalf of many thousands of
 pupils,their parents and their teachers.

P.S.  Would you be nice and send me a list of drug test manufactures,
 laboratories,company,pharmaceutical industry (anywhfre in the world). 

              MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 

                                        The School for the Field
                                        of Machines and Electricity
                                              BOBAN DJURIC,prof
                                           Zeleni bulevar 24
                                               19210 Bor
                                              Yugoslavia
                                ---------------------------------------
                                 E mail drugstoplifeyesorg@hotmail.com

Thank you for contacting us.  Perhaps our readers have resources as well that they can send you.  We're posting your address for this purpose.

11/11/01

I have been surfing the web forever!  I am a 31 year old woman and I have a question that I can't seem to get answered.  When I was a teenager and on through my early twenties I did quite a bit of partying.  For the past 7 years I have not touched a thing, actually longer than that, but for 7 years now I only listen to Christian music, go to work, go to Church ... and things along those lines.  Just wanted to give you a little idea of who I am.  Well, I have been on Wellbutrin, Klonopin, BC, Inderal and Midrin for a few years now.  Wellbutrin, Inderal and BC on a daily basis.  Klonopin & Midrin on an 'as needed' basis.  I have pretty much been 'normal', fine, for a while now, until Friday, 11/2/01.  On Friday morning, about 9:30 a.m., I had a seizure in my office.  The President of our company, my direct Boss, and our COO, both heard me hit the floor, came in and tried to help me and they called 911.  I have never had a seizure before.  It was awful.  I was having a full blown seizure, foaming at the mouth, in convulsions, gagging on my tongue...  The Fire Dept. took me to the hospital in their ambulance.  The ER doctor that I saw at Memorial NW (Houston) totally dismissed me after he came over and told me that they found amphetamines in my urine test.  I was totally disgusted with his attitude towards me and the way he just dismissed me after telling me about the urine test.  My regular PCP was contacted and he wanted me transferred to Methodist Hospital downtown so that he could see me.  I have had my PCP for 6-7 years and he knows me and KNOWS that I don't do drugs.  He suggested that maybe the other hospital had mixed up the samples and it was just a mistake.  He didn't even do another test, because he knows that I haven't done drugs since my early twenties (early, early-like 21) and felt that there was no reason to do another one.  

After staying in the hospital for 4 days, having all kinds of tests run and not having another seizure, they let me go home.  All of the tests came back OK, so it is being said that the seizure was most likely brought on by the Wellbutrin / stress...  I have not taken any Wellbutrin since last Friday morning and am taking Prozac again. I feel fine, but I also felt fine before the seizure.  As a matter of fact, I didn't feel it coming on, don't remember having it and can't remember much for a short while after having it.  

I am wondering though if something could have given a false-positive reading for me.  2 years ago, Christmas, I tried to overdose on 4 bottles of pain medications.  It is a miracle, without a doubt, that I am alive today, it just wasn't time for me to go 'Home.'  I had a root canal, surgery, a car wreck and another root canal all within a 3 week period, so I had a lot of pain medicine ... and I was very depressed.  I would not do anything so stupid again... I see, without a shadow of doubt, that the Lord has some plans for me...  But, my question here is; while I was in the hospital for those 3 weeks, 2 years ago, they found something 'unidentifiable', going by all of the drugs that I had a prescription for.  So, if back then and now, again, something has popped up in my system, what could I be mixing that could cause a 'false-positive' reading for amphetamines?  Any of the drugs that I have prescribed to me?  I drink herbal tea to help me sleep, and black tea during the day... I've been painting rooms in my townhouse...  

Could there be something that I am taking, eating, drinking, breathing, shampooing with, washing with ... something????  that is causing these readings?  

The doctor that I have had for almost 7 years is leaving me ... he is moving 6 hours from here, right after Thanksgiving, or he would help me figure out what is so crazy about all of that.  I am now going to have to find another doctor... a doctor who cares ... it took me a year and a half to find him.  He is one of a kind, very genuine and good - I wish him and his family all of the best.  But, I still need help and you were the only site that I came across that I think maybe can help me ... that could give me an answer.  PLEASE!!!!!!

Thank you soooooooooooooooooo much for your time and assistance.
God Bless
Marie

Marie, to say that your case is complicated is a gross understatement.  You need to see a specialist who can guide you through this discovery process, as there are just too many variables at play here.  Can your doctor recommend someone before he leaves?  Substance abuse programs in your area may have sources to turn to as well.  Above all, have faith, as you alone know that you are “clean.” 

DrugsTV

10/17/01

9/27/01

I found out about one year ago that my wife was buying, selling and using
cocaine.
She has a small group of friends that do cocaine  'socially' ,as she says. My
first reaction was rage. I made her get rid of all the coke and paraphanelia
she had and demanded that she stop. Very soon after that I was awhere that
she was back at it. Again, I got mad and made the same demands. This pattern
has repeated several times. I have given up. I don't think she does a large
amount, but she does do it on a regular basis, at least 3 nights a week. She
does not do it at home, only when she goes out with her friends. I am now
concerned that she may be doing Methamphetamine. She says not. How can I tell
the difference between cocaine and methamphetamine? I'm not sure she would
know the difference. She does not think there is any danger in doing cocaine,
smoking pot and drinking alcohol all at the same time. Can you direct me to
some sight for help on the medical risks?
I am 46. I am a physician. I have three boys. My life is consumed with worry
about my wife and what she will end up doing to herself. She functions well,
so no one knows she has a problem. In fact, my wife does not think she has a
problem at all. She thinks she is only having a little 'fun'.
Thanks

Anon

We haven’t met anyone who (at least in the beginning stages) does drugs that doesn’t believe they are just having “a little fun.”  You need to take action with your wife now so she knows the serious consequences of her drug behavior.  For one, have her imagine getting caught and going to prison – how would she feel?  What impact would that have on her life, your family?  Just as importantly, she needs to know the consequences of cocaine, and other drug abuse.  Have her read the sections contained in DrugsTV.  Have her also see http://www.nida.nih.gov/researchreports/cocaine/cocaine.html.  Best of luck, and please stay in touch,