I guess I am very lucky in all my years I was never tempted to try drugs or even smoke that's not to say I have had an easy life but I've always had my faith and it's that that has given me strength and comfort through bad times. I'm not here to preach religion (I am a Spiritualist) but in a way I can see how some people get lost, whether it's because they have no beliefs or whether it's because they felt they had no support or understanding or perhaps it was down to peer pressure that triggered them down the path of addiction. Some people think if I just try it, just the once it will be okay and there may be a few who get away with that, especially in adolescence as it's often a time for experimenting. Everybody's make-up is different so just the one trip is enough to unleash a craving, it affects the brain's chemistry so much so, they need to take the drug just to feel normal. Many young people don't think about ageing they see, their 30s and 40s far away in the future, but before they know it, time creeps up on them. Addiction is hard to understand but it is an illness, okay they were foolish to try it, but who in this world is perfect and doesn't make mistakes or has regrets. It's a difficult illness to cure but it can be done with the right help. Much better you don't go down this path in the first place. These pictures will shock they are designed to and if they help just a few to avoid the ravages of drugs its been worthwhile.
If you are at a low point in your life, drugs and alcohol for that matter won't help, they only dull the senses for a short time, it will still be there when you sober up. There are many helplines, if you feel unable to talk to family or friends please use them and please don't waste your life. Life is not easy, it was never designed to be, but the bad times won't last forever and there is always help out there, please seek it, if you choose not to, look at the images below that could be you.
The horror of Meth: Before-and-after pictures reveal shocking transformation in faces of users hooked on deadly drug
A new anti-drug advertisement shows the devastating physical transformation addicts experience after years of meth use.
The photos, that show a shocking Dorian Gray-like deterioration, were compiled from mug shots of drug users that were arrested repeatedly over the years.
The continued drug use caused horrific damage to the drug users' skin with sores and scarring - that can be caused by uncontrollable scratching during a hallucination when the addict imagines bugs are crawling under their skin.
Scroll down for video.
Shocking: Over a period of just three years, this meth addict's entire face has become disfigured
Horrifying: From the age of 48 to age 53 this meth user's skin and teeth have significantly deteriorated
Users also progressively began to look gaunt, brought on by malnutrition as the drug suppresses a person's appetite and the body can begin to consume muscle tissue due to the lack of proper nutrition.
The concept for this kind of ad was actually conceived in 2004, by Deputy Bret King from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon.
The officer began tracking mugshots of people who were brought in to police custody more than once.
Over the years he began to witness the physical transformation that occurred in methamphetamine addicts.
He decided to compile the photos for an anti-drug campaign in December 2004 - to educate children on the realities of the drug.
'I've made it my business to go through the mug shot system every day. I'll admit it: I'm looking for the most extreme faces,' he told The Oregonian in 2004 about the project.
Time lapse: This man's skin severely deteriorated after years of use
Altered: From the age of 31 to 34, this woman's face shows the impact of the drug
The recent video and pictorial from Rehabs.com comes after a 2011 photo spread from the Oregon police, 'From Drugs to Mugs,' that shows the impact of all hard drugs including cocaine, heroin and meth.
'Everyone experiments at college or school and I want From Drugs to Mugs to show kids that everyone in those pictures started on cannabis, they didn't just dive head first into heroin.'
'So I ask the students at schools to look at these people and think about their actions, otherwise that could end up being you,' Deputy King said in 2011.
The Multnomah Sheriff's Office has also produced a heart-wrenching educational documentary to aid in its fight against young people turning to drugs.
Gaunt: This user aged considerably and showed severe weight loss that occurred from the drug's side effect as an appetite suppressant
'I want to be able to illustrate the connection between that first decision to use drugs and then down the road when it's a horrible mess,' King said.
Expanding their presentation, which is to be aired in high schools across America, the law enforcement officer and his team interviewed 300 adult inmates at Multnomah County's Inverness Jail.
In the 48-minute video, Drug Enforcement Administration officers are interviewed about how they find and arrest drug abusers.
Deputy King added testimony from Multnomah County jail inmates who had been arrested in burglaries and other crimes that have been linked to drug use.
It is Deputy King's hope that the video will show teens how easy it is to fall into drug habits.
Acne appears or worsens. Obsessive skin-picking often causes meth users` faces to be covered in small sores and scarring - the result of a common sensory hallucination of bugs crawling beneath the skin.
Meth, like other stimulants, suppresses appetite and can lead to undernourishment due to long periods without eating. Over time, the body begins consuming muscle tissue and facial fat, giving users a gaunt, hollowed-out appearance.
"Meth Mouth" is caused by several factors; tooth enamel is dissolved by the harsh chemicals of the drug, the blood vessels contained in healthy gums and teeth shrink, increasing the rate of decay, the production of saliva diminishes, allowing harmful acids to further damage the mouth, cravings for sugary foods increases with meth use, oral hygiene is typically neglected while high, and heavy tooth-grinding is an additional side effect of the drug.
The combination of skin issues, facial fat and muscle loss, hygiene neglect and increased oral decay lead to the appearance of exaggerated aging, sometimes shockingly so.
Addiction touches nearly every family, ravaging physical and mental health, relationships, and personal finances. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, daughters and sons. No one is immune to the frightening long-term impact of hard drug abuse. What follows is a sobering depiction of REAL individuals who`ve fallen victim to the temptation of drug use - in this case, Methamphetamine - whose devastating effects are all too apparent.
HAVE AN ADDICTION OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO DOES?
