Meth and Milkshakes

Pam is a former methamphetamine user. On a website for recovering addicts, she posted an entryfrom a journal she kept at the height of her problem, when she was 19 years old. It’s an engrossing story about how meth — snorted throughout the day, but always at lunch time, in a parking lot — has ravaged her body and personal relationships. Here’s the part I want to talk about:…I stopped and got a milkshake to try to make myself feel better. The guy in line was flirting with me. I couldn’t smile at him, it was too hard. I answered all of his questions in between grinding my teeth. I sat in my car and forced the disgusting milkshake down my throat. I didn’t feel better until I did another one. I couldn’t get the whole Chick-fil-A biscuit down this morning, but I managed to eat the hash browns. The bad part is, I drove 30 minutes out of my way to go to Chick-fil-A house because I was craving a sweet tea. So, I was late to work… I’m just here killing time until my lunch break. The lunch break I take daily. When I say I’m going to Brittany’s to eat. Then I drive to the Wal-Mart and park.From television, books and the popular press, I thought I’d already heard about all of the nasty effects of crank: paranoia, stroke, heart problems, acne, loss of appetite, loss of teeth. But what about these carb cravings?Read more at...The Last Word on Nothing, April 2011.