Meth. Got a nasty feeling thinking about it didn’t you? I’m willing to bet everyone in this room has some sort of story about that horrid drug. If it be you, your sibling, your parent, or someone you know. I felt sharing my story could be helpful for someone who is also having to deal with the aftermath of an addict in their life.

Seriously, in no way shape or form is it your fault if a person is using. Nor are you capable of making someone get clean, it is completely a decision up to them and them alone. Sobriety is hard to achieve but there are so many ways to do it we have rehab facilities, methadone clinics, sponsors, NA groups. I need everyone in this room to understand how awful this drug is. I can personally tell you that being a child of two addicts, one who has two years clean and one who is currently using it, puts an incredible amount of stress on you. You feel obligated to see your parent because their your parent but you really don’t want to. However you really don’t need to, the best thing you can do to help them is in fact not see them. I know. Makes no sense, right? Well, if you tell them you don’t want to see them while they’re using it might just give them the push they need to seek help.

I’m not going to stand up here and say “If we all work together we can get rid of this drug” because that’s a bunch of crap. People are going to use. What I am going to say is that it’s never too late to try to reach out to someone who is using and try to encourage them to get help. It might be hard, nerve racking, maybe even scary but it’s the best thing you can do for your loved one. It’s so important to try to release the choke hold this drug has on our lives because I know everyone in this room who has a tie to it has felt useless and powerless. I also know you’d never in a million years want even your worst enemy to go through the pain Meth and other drugs like it cause.

Jason Showstead, Bothell