Methamphetamine-Abuse Books

I haven't read the book it was for my daughter who just raved about it

I ordered this for my granddaughter and she loved it. It's the 2nd book she's read by this author and eventually wants to read them all.

I know at first the writing style of the text in the book may throw some people off... but it is what gives the story the actual feel of being there and exploring the crazy chaotic world of meth... great book, wish it was a bit longer, i read it in 6hrs

If you read Crank. The first of this two book series or any other of this authors book. You know how amazing she is. This is just another amazing book to add to this wonderful authors collection.

The sequel to the popular novel "Crank" definetly strikes your heart. I found myself constantly doing things that books normally do not make me do. For instance I found myself yelling at the characters and raging on about what was and wasn't fair. The characters hit me with full force and now I'm more attached to them than ever.

All though "Glass" can be quite depressing it truly unleashes the truth about the drug meth or as Kristina/Bree calls it - the monster. This monster comes in different forms but the outcome is always the same - it will ruin you.

Something to note is that all of Ellen Hopkin's novels are written in poetry format. I was very surprised after reading her first book at how talented she is. The format is original and even though there aren't as many words as a normal book, it still puts a lot of things into those few words.

Kristina used to be a good girl - used to have real friends - until she met the monster. In this second book crank/glass/the monster has officially taken over her life. While trying to raise her baby boy, Hunter while dealing with her deadly drug addiction, life is rough as ever. Soon even a loving family and friends becomes scarce. But of course do you really need a friend while you're having such a blast with glass? Bree says no but Kristina says yes.

Bree is the part of Kristina that's wild, wreckless, and not well. Kristina is the side that is good, has common sense, wants to stop. Will this girl do what's right or will her bad decisions lead her into even more trouble?

As another reviewer's pointed out, in American Meth the author intersperses his own tragic story of losing virtually everything he had to his spouse's meth addiction with intermittent chapters addressing the history of methamphetamine. I found the historical sections interesting - they were short, clear and to the point. But even though the author is reticent to the point of gentlemanliness about the details of the almost complete destruction of his life and family that came from his being unlucky enough to love a wife whose meth addiction came to blot out everything else in her life. However, the downward trajectory is clear, and we are able to fill in the blanks ourselves.

What I respected about this book is that the author didn't depend on sensationalism or lurid details, because, really, he doesn't need to. And it is precisely that kind of not-quite-but-almost objectivity which makes this account so chilling, and so real. The sense is that of hearing a witness account of seeing his house fit by a category F4 tornado. It's horrible, and it could happen to anyone.

When I finished the book I felt a terrible sense of loss. I would recommend this book. If you're unfamiliar with the subject of meth (not that I am; I'm not), it seems like a good place to start.

VERY painful read. Living in SW Missouri, where there are burned out meth houses in every block in the poorer areas of our community, I found this book to be very realistic. WARNING: NOT for younger readers. Don't give it to your 10-year-old.

A brilliant synthesis of little known history intertwined with a very believable yet painful relational experience. This book simply sheds light in dark spots in our own lives that we did not suspect ever existed.

We are all being affected by the growth of Methamphetamines in America. Whether you need a cold capsule and have to present full proof of identity and sign a form to get it or you live near a neighboring house that frequently smells of cat urine (and no cats reside there) or you suddenly realize that your entire savings has disappeared along with your spouse's sanity, Meth is out there, everywhere. In Sterling Braswell's non-fiction book, "American Meth," we discover where it all started, where it is going, and how deeply this epidemic has spread through our culture. We also see the very personal and real story of Sterling's own life being controlled by the drug use of his wife.

The subtitle of the book, "A History of the Methamphetamine Epidemic in America," really describes it well. In alternating chapters, Sterling gives the relatively unknown and sordid details of how this drug came to be, and the story of his own life dealing with the use of it by his wife. The history is an eye opener, to be sure. The first commercial use came in the form of an inhaler for congestion - each containing the equivalent of fifty-six amphetamine tablets. As appetite suppressant and a boost to the metabolism, this substance found a purpose, and later was also found to help children with ADHD by helping them to concentrate more easily. The stage was set, healthy people were hooked, and the epidemic began.

Did this drug alter the course of history? I'd say, in more ways than one. Perhaps we are paying for that now. Hitler received daily shots of Amphetamines from his personal physician. In 1940, as England faced the onslaught of Germany, with a severe shortage of pilots and planes, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding understood that more could be gotten from each pilot if a measure of control over the body clock could be achieved. 73 million amphetamine tablets, "Bennies," and inhalers were made readily available. On the other side, similar measures were being taken for Kamikazie pilots and Japanese soldiers. By 1949 millions of inhalers were being dismantled by recreational drug users to get at the amphetamine soaked strips inside. Yet, the U.S. assistant Surgeon General testified in 1955, saying that as far as he knew, amphetamine was "not addicting in the true sense of the word."

The clock ticks on and the story evolves into the raging addiction that millions of Americans face today. The personal story of Sterling continues too, and we see how his wife found a source so close to home for her high that it was right under Sterling's nose. Her addiction affected every aspect of his life, and while mistakes were made along the way, he was truly helpless to change the course of events. Perhaps that is the purpose of the book, to change the course of events from here on out.

Every American who could become affected by Methamphetamine drug use, every spouse, brother, mother, cousin, co-worker or friend, should read this book. Every politician who claims to be on the front of the war on drugs, every police officer who IS on the front lines, and every judge hearing cases of possession, distribution, and the manufacture of these substances, absolutely need to read this book. One person at a time can again alter the course of history.

With American Meth, you get two things. The first is the author's personal story with methamphetamine. And the second is a brief history of the drug. The chapters alternate between these two subjects throughout the book. The obvious strength of this book is the former, the author's ordeal with methampetamine in which his wife is an addict. His story is so horrible, unlucky, and honest that I quickly began skipping the historical chapters. This turned out to be to my benefit since the historical aspect of this book, while interesting, came across as suspect. No matter how well researched his information, the author is biased due to his personal experience, and in addition, he lacks the authority to write this kind of historical record as his previous career had been in the software industry. Overall, I recommend this book strickly as a real life document to the horrors of methamphetamine, in that respect, it really is an amazing story.

Believe those of us who know Mr. Clem and his family - this book is true, comes straight from the heart, and was written to help others going through the same battles with addiction in their families, as well as to help in the healing process. Mr. Clem spends his time (and money) selflessly helping others, and wrote this book with that intent. He does not need to show pictures of Carren at rock bottom, or to prove that it actually happened. Anyone that lives in Northwest Montana, knows first-hand what he and his family have been through. Read the book, and be thankful if your own family doesn't have to go through this. Ron Clem's only agenda is to help others with what he has learned. Read the book, you will not be sorry, and you might be all the wiser.

This is not a book I wanted to read - but my wife talked me into it. I also live, like the Clems, in Montana and have always felt this is a very safe environment. The Clems do a fabulous job of showing both sides of the drama - that of the daughter and the father. As a father, I can relate to his side of the story better and I appreciate how Ron puts his mistakes in the book as well as what he did right. I found myself thinking "that's exactly what I would do..." as I read about his reaction to first picking Carren up after she had been raped. The painfully explicit and eye-opening description of the fall-out from that reaction has caused me to have a number of difficult but necessary conversations with my own daughters, some of whom are now teenagers.

I am most appreciative of and impressed by Carren and Ron for being willing to share such a painful story - pain that must be re-felt each time they talk about the experience or in writing the book. By sharing their pain, they may have helped me avoid the mistakes they made and know how to better help one of my daughters, if ever the same circumstances find us in our "safe" Montana home. It also gives me hope that despite the unbelievable process, Ron and Carren have re-created the bonds of father and daughter. The book helped my children - boys included! - realize the amount of pain to everyone around them their own drug use would cause. I think it opened their eyes as well and cut through a lot of the "sales hype" drug users or sellers would tell them.

One can only hope. I encourage every parent and teenager to read this book - they may not like what they read, but it could well save their life and that of those around them.

Loss of Innocence is one of the best and most compelling books I have ever read. After I found out my daughter was a meth addict and later came to find out the tragic circumstances surrounding her addiction, I began searching for books about drug addiction. Loss of Innocence is by far the best I found. The books makes very effective use of offering contrasting perspectives of the father versus the daughter. Neither one knows the whole story that is unfolding. While I could relate to the father's perspective, it was most helpful to see the daughter's.
Loss of Innocence is a must-read for every parent or future parent of a teen. It points out how parents can seemingly do everything right and a child can still be victimized by a very evil world. This book provides invaluable information on detecting drug abuse. Oh how I wish I had read this book sooner than I did.
This book helped my daughter and I to heal. Loss of Innocence will most assuredly save thousands of lives and families. Parents think something like drug abuse will never happen to their children or family. Please read this book so that you will not be as ignorant as I was.

No child comes with a "How To Raise" manual; parents do the best they can with the tools THEY have from their own life's experience. I greatly admire this family. When they realized they were in trouble, a comprehensive search began to find ways to correct the problem. Carren is no different then Teens anywhere in America in this day and age, in that she chose to take her own way. For every choice there is a consequence and these parents had the courage to make new choices to save their child's life. There is pain, suffering, laughter and positive growth between the covers of Loss of Innocense; this is a must read for every citizen! We all are involved with our youth in some way and this book gives great insight into positive interaction. We CAN make a difference!

This story was so amazing, I couldn't put it down. I have never written a review before, but this book compelled me to do so. This story is too true of so many of our teens today, and so many parents don't know what to do or how to help. Ron (the father) shows incredible courage and strength in trying to bring his daughter back. He refused to give up, and for most teens that is what it takes. I have recommended this book to everyone I talk to. I loved the way the story told both points of view - Carren's and Ron's. Carren is also a strong and brave individual, her story is chilling, yet shows her incredible determination on both sides of addiction. I love that they told their story together for the rest of us to read and learn about addiction, teen troubles and parents who fight for their teens. The support network and the programs like the one Carren went to in Jamaica are real and amazing. They are committed to making a difference for our teens, one child at a time. I am glad they were mentioned in the book. I absolutely love this book!!

READ THIS FOR YER OWN GOOD...

READ THIS FOR YER OWN GOOD...

William Burroughs Jnr. was born to the predicament that all those in the wake of a formidable family history are. That is, one in which one must, to forge one's own identity, risk especially large strides to step from long familial shadows. Burroughs Jnr.'s ancestors cast not only long shadows, but contorted ones too. His great grandfather founded the Burroughs Adding Machine Company, the double-edged sword of inheritance then laid at the feet of subsequent generations; at age four his father, iconic hophead and avant-garde litterateur William S. Burroughs, accidentally shot his mother in the head during a drunken presentation of William Tell. (She died. Burroughs Snr. was charged with criminal imprudence and subsequently decamped for South America and Tangiers, the latter being where he wrote NAKED LUNCH, a love-it-or-hate-it binge of surreal imagery that has since assumed mythic proportion in counterculture lore.) By age eighteen he was under the care of his paternal grandparents in West Palm Beach, Florida - and injecting methamphetamine daily. It is here that we rendezvous with the narrative of SPEED.

Superficially the book recounts the 1966 trip to New York made by Burroughs Jnr. and his needle buddy, Chad ("His whole attitude was full of fear and I could see that right off, and I always respect scared people who know what they're up against.") Chad comes off as one or two shy of the full compliment ("We turned a corner and he kept on going straight and didn't answer when I called to him.") though as a sidekick I think he would have been without peer. Appropriately he provides the book's comic highlight, a bout of grand paranoia during which he makes the protestation familiar to anyone acquainted with that state of being: "Every direction I started to go, he'd say, `Oh, no! You're not getting me to go THAT way!'"

Accompanied only by their wits and an accommodating moral code ("I never rob anyone unless they die or go to jail which leaves me plenty of room, after all. I remember one time I boosted a guy that was only in a coma, and when he came to, the atmosphere was pretty strained for a while.") they accept hospitality where they can, occasionally with squares ("They wondered in stage whispers what was on my mind. I said, `Carnivorous albino badgers, the size of a boxcar,' and they shut up.") but mostly with fellow chemical crusaders, amiable folk who wished the trivial and mundane would let them be so that they could get down to the real business of transcending reality ("I got on the phone to another session across town and tried to get them to come over. But they were all in the midst of God and didn't feel like driving.")

Considering what must have been a fairly skewed appreciation of reality, his sensibilities nevertheless appear attuned to some degree. At a gas station he lingers to savour the phonetics of "Gargoyle Arctic Oil", and later falls to the spell of a prodigal jazz musician ("But one morning I woke up just as it was getting possible to see and he was talking through his horn real quiet and conversational, and I think I never heard a more healing sound. I wish I knew his name so you could watch out for him."). Still, he's not above it all so much as to be immune from a spot of arbitrary rumination ("I sat still for a long time thinking about cathedrals.") or the inevitable rush of hyper-self-awareness ("`On the way over, I got to thinking about my ape man heritage for some unknown reason and I felt pretty hairy by the time we arrived.")

Substance abuse and the law being mostly antagonistic fields of interest, it's not long before the fuzz show up ("I was standing there on the curb dreaming revolution when a cop came over and said to break it up, fella. There was only one of me, but I broke it up anyway and went down the street in a well-rounded way.") Inevitably Burroughs Jnr. is soon in the wrong apartment at the wrong time. A stint or two at the county hotel follow. Against the narrative of the street these passages betray a mind grateful for respite and reflection ("Up and down the tier, the Puerto Ricans were banging out Latin rhythms on bedposts and bars and singing popular love songs...I felt sleep catching up to me as Gestalt shifted and spaces between the bars floated free...It was complex now, maybe thirty captives in separate cells listened hard and patterned together as my cellmate's tears and prayers fell unconsciously into time. Every bit of light went out, shapes ran melting through the dark as the rhythm slowed and stopped, and the last I heard was the click of the hack's heels as he passed on the catwalk and the kid finished, `forgive me...'")

Mainlining a drug that narcoleptics use to stay awake doesn't bode well for the pursuit of slumber, and soon enough Burroughs Jnr. decides that for the sake of health, sanity, etc., a return to Florida is in order. At book's end, standing out front of the grandparent's house, he signs off in typically humble fashion ("Then I took a deep breath, smelling the jasmine, and I went inside.")

The prose is breezy, uncomplicated, a loose freeform arrangement that occupies the space a foot or two off the ground. Commas are applied sparingly, the effect being a pitter-patter rhythm that never slows for heavy discourse or pedantic application of fact. There's no danger of cutting yourself on any severe literary edgings here.

Highly recommended, but as the reader is often asked to meet the author half way, as it were, I'd hesitate to push this title upon anyone but those on amiable terms with the subject matter (though a passing interest may suffice).

William Burroughs Jnr. died in 1981, aged 35, of acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage associated with micronodular cirrhosis.

****stars

_Speed_ was William S. Burrough's Jr.'s (not to be confused with his father, the "real" WSB) first novel. It's hard not to compare it to _The Basketball Diaries_ on the basis of some trivial and obvious similarities (_Speed_ is about the author's adolescent experiences as a methedrine addict in NYC) but he's going somewhere very different from where Carroll was going. His vision is colder and more distant than Carroll's, less sentimental. Yes, it IS possible to be less sentimental than Jim Carroll. WSB doesn't (didn't, i should say) write at all like his father; his prose is clean and spare, his characters are human, etc. Forget WSB sr. and Jim Carroll; WSB Jr. was enough of a writer to be considered on his own merits, which are significant. A very worthwhile book, as is its sucessor, _Kentucky Ham_. A third novel, _Pakriti Junction_, apparently was too fragmentary to print at the time of the author's death.

This is quite possibly the best book written on the subject of ecstacy and the problems it creates for the international club going youth. I can't wait for the next book by this brilliant author.

"Pursuit of Ecstasy" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy

This book has an easy to read format and gets down to the basics of the methamphetamine epidemic in the U.S. Very candid in approach it reveals some of the horrors of the addiction but also is very educational. Anyone wanting to know about methamphetamine should definitely pick it up.

Anthony Paul, senior writer of the Straits Times (Singapore), wrote a review of "Yaa Baa" on December 23, 2004.
Here is an excerpt of his review:

"A riveting new book - Yaa Baa: Production, Traffic And Consumption Of Methamphetamine In Mainland South-east Asia (Singapore University Press, 2004) - reminds us that much of the world's manufacturing of these drugs (which law-enforcement officials refer to as amphetamine-type stimulants or ATS) occurs in East and South Asia.

The book (which is not as stuffily academic as its title might imply) is a translation/update of a work first published in 2002 by the French scientific institution, Institut de Recherche sur l'Asie du Sud-est Contemporaine. Geographer Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy (www.geopium.org) and sociologist Joel Meissonier conducted the study at the institute's request.

They tell a disturbing tale. At a time when East Asia has begun chalking up some examples of successful suppression of the heroin manufacture and trafficking, a new threat to our youth has appeared.

One Thailand statistic crystallises the menace of what the Thais call yaa baa, their term for ecstasy pills: 'At Bangkok's Thanyarak Hospital, a specialised treatment centre for addiction,' the authors report, 'the proportion of heroin addicts had decreased from 78 to 15 per cent of the total institutional population between 1996 and 2000, whereas that of yaa baa users had risen from 12 to 74 per cent for the same period.'

There is a disturbing continuum about the business: ATS factories are often set up in the same places as heroin laboratories (most notably in Myanmar, Laos, Thailand). Some of the names linked to heroin in the past turn up in today's ATS reports."

I bought this book a second time, this time for a friend. The story is so real - you have the feeling that you're in the middle of everything what happend. I totally would recommend that book because it' more than a story or a normal book! Very authentic!!!

This well written book will help many people, and I believe the author was very brave and honest. This book helped me to learn how to 'let go'..even if your son or daughter 'just drinks' or 'just smokes pot' .. this book will help you.

I want to thank the author for opening up his personal life; there is such a stigma to this kind of illness. Many small minded people can not grasp the situation and finding support (even among family memebers) is nearly impossible and extremely expensive. Nic was blessed his family had the love and resources to pull him through without him dying or going to jail.

I agree that everyday is a stressful as combat..losing control of the child you love; knowing you can't do a thing; and having the strength to know when to say no more...without feeling like you have stopped loving your child.


My favorite part of the book; is when the author found his higher power; his faith; and he learned to pray. May God Bless him for being so honest and writing such a moving, encouraging, and supportive book.

Beautifully written! David Sheff's writing is painful, educational and incredibly revealing. I loved the book so much, I have recommended it all of my friends. The research on meth's addictive powers alone is truly noteworthy. Sheff gives so much valuable info about the country's meth epidemic, this could very well be used for educational purposes.

I have purchased Nic's book "Tweak" and I look forward to reading the flip side of this very scary story.

Highly recommended!

This is a tear-jerker. It's worth the read for any parent struggling with an addicted child. I cried and was left feeling depressed. However, it does have a happy ending. I hope and pray all of us with addicted children have happy endings, too.

Honest, emotive, and informative, these are the three qualities that define David Sheff's Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction. As a young adult, I find this to be an excellent book not only for its vivid and eloquent writing style, but also because it engages the reader in the emotional journey that the author embarks on when learning about, trying to "cure," and coming to understand the long-lasting effects of his son's meth addiction. Most importantly, Sheff's story allowed me to see the world through the eyes of a parent for the first time: as a result, I have been given a first-hand illustration of a parent's unconditional love and support for his or her children.

The narratives of Sheff's sleepless nights in which he waited for Nic -his son- to come home, Sheff's futile attempts to find Nic in the streets of San Francisco, and the mutually destructive reality of drugs are the most heart-breaking, emotionally-driven, and tangible accounts of the book. In addition, Sheff's inner battle between his sense of guilt, frustration, impotence, and uncertainty provides the reader with a parent's attempt to uncover the reasons for which his son turned to drug consumption. The constant objective and subjective turmoil present in this book provides a humanistic touch to the struggles of Sheff, allowing his narrative to transcend his book's pages and reflect the lives of millions of people throughout the world.

This book does not only describe a teenager's/young adult's addiction to methamphetamines -among other drugs-, but a father's race against his son's addiction, against the inability to help his son overcome his addiction, and against the unwanted effects Nic's addiction was having on Sheff's personal life (marriage, job, health, finances, etc.). In other words, this book presents the reader with the idea that that a person's addiction -in this case Nic- expands to infect all of those around him or her, especially those to whom s/he is closest.

I would strongly recommend this book to any parent, but especially to those parents who are experiencing or have experienced the hardships of addiction. Likewise, this book can serve as a source of information for young adults, teenagers, and the general public, since it speaks of the devastating physical and emotional effects of addiction from a first-hand perspective.

Wow! I was compelled to purchase this book after seeing Brian on a christian talk show. I am fascinated with the human condition and Brian managed to struggle through a good many conditions! I found his story sad and inspiring yet I am left unconvinced that he is safely on the other side. I'm surprised by the depth of emotion his story stirred in me. Very interesting fellow and a definite page turner!

A honest in depth look at a "star's" life, before and after discovering God. Amazing story!

I rate this book a five, not on how "well" it was written or because the author's theology is so "great" but because of the honest message that comes straight from Brian's heart. It is a story of how God draws someone unto himself and how HE gives a person HIS power to overcome. This is why God says, "Confess your sins one to another." My son was a Korn fan but as I have been helping him to replace this dark music with the same genre of music with healthier messages, this book was recommended to us. My 13 y.o. son is not a reader but devoured this book in 3 days. It impacted him and allowed him to share some of the painful things in his life with me (unusual). He wrote to Brian and told him how he is now a believer that will not default or waiver. I have seen true evidence in my son's life the last couple of weeks. My son was attracted to this book because he likes the music. Others may be attracted because they suffer from a life dominating sin. I love how Brian shares the specifics of "how" God delivered him from drugs. Although I believe Brian is still young in his faith and trying to figure out what he believes and God's will for himself, I pray this book impacts others for the great name of Jesus Christ!

I love Korn. I have loved Korn for the last 10+ years. When I heard that Head left Korn, I was dumbfounded. Then David went on hiatus. WTF! I wanted to know why. I bought this book last night and I cannot put it down. Head is sweet, sensitive and honest. Most Korn fans could look at him and see that there was something very wrong. He became very skinny and pale. He looked sick. He was. Now I understand why he left. This book is not about Korn or to talk about Korn. This book is about a guy I have known 1/3 of my life as Head and his fight to become clean and sober. He couldn't do it on his own...he had to ask for help from the one person that could help...God. This is inspirational and believeable. It makes you see that no matter how much money and stuff you do have, if you are empty inside, nothing else matters.

I read the book with very much enthusiasm. I really loved the parts where he told about his experiences with drugs and then with God. I, being a Korn fan, also had the pleasure of reading about the band's history, where they started from and where they turned up. Also the parts where he talks about his childhood are very interesting to read, about his first contact with drugs and how he got scared of drugs at first. It's a great book and a great read. Also, if you listened to Head's album, you might want to check the book out, since he writes about the songs on his album "Save me from myself".