I almost hate to post this because I know meth sucks people in and can be one of the most destructive addictions one can develop, but I want to be honest. Judging from most BL posts and real-life experience, I'm pretty weird, so keep this in mind.
OK, beginning of tl;dr.
A couple of close friends got heavily into crystal (that's what we called it and it was small shards) in the late-80s and early-90s. My friend W., who's 6' 2" got down to 120 lbs. He had a very muscular body, built to be big and his transformation was dramatic.
There were a several other dudes in our group of meth-heads, and I was there. I was welcome to a ton of free crystal that was constantly available. I think the statute of limitations is expired, but I had an amazing old hippie connection for clean, 300 mic LSD (the Big Piggies blotter if any one remembers that. Bartering is marvelous. And adding extra income to what I made from my full-time job helped fund my university career. I didn't even have to hit the Grateful Dead parking lots.)
I got into meth for about 6-9 months. I went though my phase of waking up with a hit but it never got a hold on me. I just lost interest. I don't think it caused many noticeable physical changes, but I was gakked, so what do I know about how people perceived me.
I have a really addictive personality, but though I'd done most common drugs: heroin, morphine, dilaudid, pks, dust, barbs, coke, speed, psychedelics of almost every flavor (my fave then), alcohol, nicotine, I never got addicted to shit. Until I had a career and started going out to client dinners and with my work friends. Alcohol was my gateway drug after years of drug use (Previously, I had no taste for drinking).
I bitterly laugh at all of the anti-drug propaganda that states that weed is a gateway drug. I know it happens to some and I don't belittle that experience, but alcohol takes you out of yourself in the way that opiates and stims do. MDMA too, but that was another phase I went through that caused me no stress when I decided to stop.
At that point, I had things in my life that were so addictive that weren't drugs (work, art and running) that I think I didn't really have room to get addicted to a drug. I overdid work, art, and running. I never slept. I was always doing something. No drugs involved except caffeine.
But shit can change. Even though harder drugs didn't grab me until much later in life, they eventually got me. (very difficult times psychologically, too much free time, deaths, and sickness and sole responsibility for most of my family financially and emotionally.) This was at a point at which most outsiders and friends would think that I had passed through my "drug experiments" relatively unscathed.
So once again I tl;dr. Point is, meth will give you a taste of power and freedom and euphoria and it may control you or not. But if you avoid getting addicted the first time, your brain will never forget that feeling. So years down the line, you might end up a downer person or a stim person, but escaping once doesn't mean you won't get caught up later. It happened to me.
I understand why this is, and long-term warnings from old-ass people (40 y.o.) like me rarely have impact, but what the fuck, that's what I can offer. Addiction is really difficult.
I do believe that it makes one stronger in the long run (if you stay alive with an intact body) because the fight is so difficult, but it's not something I'd recommend. Check out Erowid and Trip Reports. Meth use/abuse gets really ugly real fast for most folks. And I personally don't think its worth it. The superman effect dies quickly. Pay heed to Sweet P's experiences or check out Huai Bin's blogs from 2002-3. They can give you the more typical story of meth and the downfall that accompanies it..
I have no influence in your life. I'm just a random BL'er, but I'd be happy to hear that someone passed on a substance that will totally and permanently change their life for the worst. I'd be so happy if you or anyone else decided that they didn't need that in their life. Life is difficult enough without adding extra torture, which is exactly what addiction is. And fucking with anything that makes you feel like superman/woman is just playing with fire.
It's too bad that the anti-meth propaganda is so ludicrously overstated and under-informed that it makes intelligent, thinking people discard the message of the propaganda. "One hit of this will automatically make you a fiend stuck with no friends, sleeping in a gutter, covered in sores." That's patent bullshit and every one with a brain will be able to recognize the heavy-handed methods of Joseph Goebbels.
btw, with a couple of exceptions (2 dudes who went into the military so they could do acid during the first Gulf War), all of my meth-fiend friends ended up doing great in life. I had strong friends who were able to get their shit together.
W. was one of those dudes who spent practically every day of junior year in high-school tripping balls on acid. I think he was trip-free for about 3 days. The first time he hooked his little brother with acid (his brother had been pressuring him for months/years), his little bro (14 y.o.) went to the fucking dentist for his first trip, and apparently had a great time. They're a strong family. That kid is a respected doctor now. Go figure. See, my story seems like meth is manageable, but my test subjects had particularly powerful character and personalities. btw, as outlandish as it sounds, this is all a true story.
