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Alex’s* Story
Alex’s parents used to let him go out with his older friends each weekend, they seemed responsible and he didn’t really know too many other people in the new area. He was always responsible about it and came home when he said he would.
Alex started off using dexi’s first, but this very quickly moved on to the occasional line of amphetamines. They always had fun going out when they did this and before he knew it he was using quite heavily.
Sometimes he would hang out with other friends he had met when going out and using. They used all the time and would break in to people’s houses and steal things to pay for drugs, only things that could be replaced by insurance, “so it wasn’t really hurting anyone”.
Before he knew it he was in trouble with the law, amphetamines had changed his whole personality and the way he interacted with his family. There was a ripple effect around him, he was hurting the people who loved him and didn’t realise it. Within the space of 12 months his life had been completely turned upside down.
The 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that in Australia, 4.6% of recent meth/amphetamines users aged 14 years and older reported stealing money, goods or property due to drug use in the last 12 months compared to 0.1% of those who had never used meth/amphetamines.
Read more about these stats.
* Note: These stories are an accurate depiction of events that have occurred. However, for the confidentiality and privacy of the involved persons all names and corresponding details have been altered.