In the last decade, some of the more popular names appear in the same circle of conversation. Prince. Tom Petty. Verne Troyer. Chyna. Philip Seymour Hoffman. Whitney Houston. Amy Winehouse. Heath Ledger.

It took the last decade of celebrity deaths to rock our world and awaken us to a crisis of epic proportions.  Due to the high cost of prescription drugs, however, this nation has “turned its lonely eyes” to the illegal, the easily accessible and the affordable.

Enter, methamphetamine. A report out of Texas stated that it has crept into the number two slot of most threatening drugs, now eclipsing cocaine and heroin. We are in a new battle in the war against drugs and are facing a dirty bomb that is eradicating our friends, our families and our lives.

According to addictionblog.org, “Emergency department visits due to meth overdose have been up to 130,000 per year, out of which almost 15% were fatalities.

“Methamphetamine, also known as meth, is a central nervous system stimulant. Meth affects chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control. But meth is extremely habit-forming and can trigger both long-term and/or chronic use. Methamphetamine intoxication occurs when excessive amounts of the drug are administered to the body, often used in combination with other drugs or alcohol, the purity of meth is usually really high, and can result in lethal doses.”

We can educate ourselves on the technical and the probable and the statistical, but they are just hollow words to someone who has opened Pandora’s Box and has had a taste of the euphoric.

What starts out as a curiosity quickly becomes an addiction. What began as a little fun on a Friday night is now ending with friends and family members draped in grief over the coffins that hold only remains of a life that once went in search of a little harmless fun.

The cost of the initial taste is a down payment to a torment that rarely ends well. The human mind is so easily prone to addiction and the pleasure cells are so much stronger than anyone can imagine. Research is just now revealing the intense power of the mind to snare and entrap the body.

And the scary part of it all is that we have not found a way to stop ourselves. We have not developed a way to harness the will that has once given itself to addiction. It’s who we are. From the fruit in a garden to the craving to relieve boredom to the innate need to be accepted, all the way down to the bottom line of man – to find a way to mask the pain and to take pleasure to a new level.

Meth is a multibillion-dollar business. Someone came up with a drug to divert the mind from its pain and made it affordable for anyone to escape.  But it was crafted without a back door or an easy way out, and from that, there IS no escape. And we all pay the price.

Whether it’s paying the doctors at the rehab clinics or therapy for the children in the homes of meth addicts to the drug-related fatalities to the innocent bystanders. We all pay the price.

The cost of funerals from drug related deaths are staggering. Not only in dollars and cents, but in guilt, grief and the cost of living a life without a loved one.

It’s time to take a fresh look at crystal meth and realize that all those shiny crystal diamonds will cost you more than you could ever imagine. It will cost you your life and your death will cost the life of your family and friends.

The question is not how strong you are, or how much you can take – but it’s a new look at the reality of your limitations. The ultimate goal is to not go there, but the reality of the situation says that you already have and you can’t find the way out.

There is a back door. You need to have the courage to open it – or at the very least the sense to knock. It’s killing all of us in one way or another. How many more friends will you bury? How many more loved ones who have left you will it take? How many more children will you scar? And when you lie dying, will you really be surprised at that end?

Wouldn’t it be a great day to stop this insanity?  https://recoverwyoming.org/ You can also call a 24/7 helpline at 1-800-304-2219.

Wouldn’t it be a great day to get your life back?