In a High School Class Today

Posted by Tony Bylsma on March 10, 2010 under Drug Abuse Prevention Education | Read the First Comment

In a high school class today, a student raised her hand while we were talking about crystal meth addiction. I had noticed her earlier during the talk as she was looking uncomfortable or perhaps unsure of whether she wanted to speak up.

She told me that her mother is addicted to methamphetamine and had recently been released from her fourth rehab facility back east. She told us that she had been removed from her mother’s care years earlier, when she, the daughter, was in elementary school. While her mother served time in prison, she had been sent to foster care in California.

I continued to explain the damages that meth abuse inflicts on the brain and nervous system, on the teeth and bones, but I kept an eye on this girl. It was a long, (90 minute) period and we were able to go into a great bit of detail.

When the bell rang and the classes were passing, she came up to me and asked me if there was a chance her mother would be healed and come back to normal. She seemed very matter-of-fact about the question, but she was actually very tense.

I said, “Normal? What’s normal? Look around here and show me ‘normal’. Your mother can do whatever she wants, be whatever she wants. She only has to want it badly enough. But she will have to work harder than other people to be and do those things because of the damage she’s done. The question is, will she apply herself hard and long enough to pull out of the hole she’s in.” I don’t know what type of treatment center her mother had been in, but in the end, it will depend on whether or not her mother can stay focused and apply what she’s learned.

Long term meth abuse causes changes in the brain, some of them are permanent. Other physical consequences include, lost teeth, scarring of skin and liver and other systems, heart damage, lung damage, liver and kidney damage and greatly heightened chance of stroke.

After about a ten minute talk, the teacher gave her a late-pass to her next classroom and I and the teacher just looked at one another shaking our heads.

One thing the girl had said that was hopeful, “I’ve seen what crystal does. I’LL NEVER USE IT!”