Get The Help You Will Need
Dear Ann Landers: I’m a San Jose high school student, a decent kid from a good family. I have been using methamphetamines for three years.
Speed (or meth) is big with teenagers everywhere, and I thought someone should tell you about it.
Anybody is a target - jocks, cheerleaders, bookworms, anybody. I’ve met 16-year-old cheerleaders who use it to lose weight. College kids like it because it helps them stay up all night to study for exams, and the next day, they are still wired so they are able to catch up on homework. It is also big with restaurant employees and other people who work long hours. Bikers use it a lot. It is plentiful at truck stops for late-night hauls.
Speed is the most damaging drug a person can take. It is made up of deadly chemicals you might find under your mom’s sink. And it is so easy to buy, it’s frightening. It’s all over the schools and on the streets. On top of that, it’s dirt cheap and very potent.
The longer you use it, the more you need to get high the next time because tolerance builds up fast. After one or two sleepless nights, I began to realize what speed does to me, but I’m still using. I’m not stupid. The worst thing about this lousy drug is the addiction. I always crave it. I’m hooked. Once, I stopped for six months but the craving got me and I went back.
I’m not a weak person, Ann, but this drug is so seductive, you wouldn’t believe it.
If anyone who reads this is thinking about trying speed, for whatever reason - partying, quick energy, weight loss or finals - forget it. It’s bad news. - Scared in San Jose, Calif.
Dear San Jose: Addictions are almost impossible to kick without help. Please send a large self-addressed, stamped envelope to Narcotics Anonymous, World Service Office, P.O. Box 9999, Van Nuys, CA 91409.
Good luck and God bless.
Dear Ann Landers: I just took your sex quiz for teens, even though I’m not a teenager anymore. I am 55, have had three wives, raised 14 kids and had several girlfriends. I took the sex quiz twice - once recalling what I was doing at age 16, and the second time, imagining being 16 today.
The first time, I had a score of 11- I must have been a good kid. The second time around, I scored 64. I guess it means I’m condemned.
Before 1959, there were no drugs - at least I didn’t know about any, and that’s what has made such a big difference in our teenagers’ behavior. - Seminole, Fla.
Dear Seminole: You’re absolutely right. The letter above yours must read like science fiction, but I assure you that the high school boy who wrote is not a rarity, nor was he exaggerating.
My hope is that the teachers will become better informed about drug abuse and when they recognize a user in the classroom, they will see that he or she gets help. Kicking them out of school is no solution.
xxxx