Meth: The Home-Cooked Menace by Dirk Johnson
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Written or medically reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Policy.
Updated June 10, 2015.
Meth: The Home-Cooked Menace gathers some of the most heart-rending stories of death and despair as a result of people becoming involved in the manufacture of and addiction to the drug, meth. Thicken your skin before reading about child abuse, family violence, disfigurement, brain disease, explosions and suicides, all a result of minds being garbled by meth. According to author Dirk Johnson, meth and only meth is seen as responsible for these horrific events, not social class, lack of opportunity, trauma history, co-occurring mental illness or any of the other variables that influence other addictions.
A Journalist's Perspective
This was one of the most difficult books I have reviewed. Meth: The Home-Cooked Menace by Dirk Johnson, is a harrowing account of how lives are ruined through the manufacture and use of the drug meth. Certainly, meth appears to be a devastating drug, both in terms of what it does to people physically and mentally, and in the danger involved in home production. Yet somewhere in the catastrophic style of writing, I felt there was a lack of broader social context to account for how meth became popular, as well as echoes of the failed "Just Say No" approach to prevention I grew up with in the 1980s. I can only conclude that this is a result of the author, Dirk Johnson's journalist's perspective, which appears much more sensational than the rather detached and much more empathetic style I am used to within the self help, psychology and medicine literature on addiction.
This excerpt is an example of the content:
The craziness caused by meth can lead to brutal and shocking tragedy. A man, ripped senseless by meth, was driving his van down a highway in New Mexico one afternoon when he decided to toss a "demon" out the window. He thought it would be the end of his problem if he could simply dispose of the evil spirit. But it was no demon he tossed from his vehicle. It was the severed head of his fourteen year old son. (Page 12)
Exposes the Risks
In Meth: The Home Cooked Menace, Dirk Johnson certainly does a good job of exposing the risks of manufacturing and taking meth. You could be killed or badly injured in a fire or explosion while making meth. Your children could be killed or poisoned. You are at a risk of neglecting or abusing your children without even realizing it. You may disfigure yourself through picking at your body while under the influence. You may cease to properly care for yourself, and your teeth may become damaged through decay and breakage, as you grind your teeth away while under the influence. These are all real risks of meth, backed up by legitimate research. By presenting these sickening facts together, Dirk Johnson sends a clear and important message to readers -- don't even think about trying meth.
For children living with parents on meth, going hungry is just part of the bargain. Meth users don't eat because they don't get hungry, so they often forget that their kids need food. Malnourishment is just one of the problems endured by kids growing up around meth, and it's one of the more benign ones. In the worst cases, children are beaten by meth users filled with rage and hallucinations, or they're sexually abused by addicts so charged up with carnal desire they foist themselves on whoever happens to be around, no matter that they're not old enough to drive, or, in some cases, old enough to be in kindergarten. Children in meth-fueled homes live in an insane asylum -- and the inmates are really in charge. (Page 56)
Dirk Johnson Writes About Meth Addicts, Not For Them
One of the rather disturbing aspects of Meth: The Home Cooked Menace, in contrast to other books on addiction, is that it describes meth addicts and meth manufacturers almost exclusively in the third person. The sense I got was that meth users are portrayed as an alien species -- perhaps starting out human, but like the movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, once they have had contact with meth, they lose their humanity.
I think this is a dangerous approach to take. Firstly, the impression Dirk Johnson gives is that meth addicts are so out of touch with reality that there is no point in addressing them directly. I disagree with this approach on ethical grounds -- no matter how impaired someone is, they have a right to be addressed directly, and they deserve every effort to communicate with them. Secondly, it is a disempowering approach -- rather than encouraging meth addicts to regain control of their lives, the emphasis is on developing systems to control meth production and use. Thirdly, by alienating meth addicts, we run the risk of discouraging them from seeking help, reinforcing the idea that they are bad, worthless people who are beyond taking any responsibility for their own behavior.
Recognition of the Need for Treatment
Bravo to Dirk Johnson for pointing out that there are not enough treatment programs for people affected by meth. With the acknowledgment that meth addicts seeking treatment far outnumber treatment places available, the implication that meth addicts want and need help is clear.
A few stories of hope are also included, although it is clear that the road to recovery is a particularly long and arduous one. This is how he describes the recovery of a once-successful high-end New York real estate agent:
After going through drug treatment, Jay has worked ceaselessly to bring himself down to earth. He now lives in a modest one-bedroom apartment in Philadelphia and runs a cleaning service, AngelicCleaning.com. "Cleaning other people's toilets brought me to the common denominator I needed to reach -- it took away that shell of superiority and allowed me to cleanse my soul." He is grateful that he crashed. "Luckily, I lost everything, because it made me humble. It knocked the chip off my shoulder and forced me to be a man -- a real man -- not the scared boy that I used to be, trying to act so big and important." (Page 83)
Readers who are hoping to find help for meth addiction should be aware that although you may face judgment of the sort described by Dirk Johnson, generally, when you enter treatment, you are treated with kindness and understanding. And although meth can cause devastating brain damage, there is hope that there is more to your future than cleaning toilets. Dr Adi Jaffe, for example, quit meth after eight years, and is now a respected psychologist and expert witness for drug users.
Certainly don't let the interviews with judgmental and jaded police officers portrayed in Meth: The Home Cooked Menace put you off talking to your family doctor, emergency room physician or walk-in clinic about getting help for meth addiction.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
Written or medically reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Policy.
Updated June 10, 2015.
Meth: The Home-Cooked Menace gathers some of the most heart-rending stories of death and despair as a result of people becoming involved in the manufacture of and addiction to the drug, meth. Thicken your skin before reading about child abuse, family violence, disfigurement, brain disease, explosions and suicides, all a result of minds being garbled by meth. According to author Dirk Johnson, meth and only meth is seen as responsible for these horrific events, not social class, lack of opportunity, trauma history, co-occurring mental illness or any of the other variables that influence other addictions.
A Journalist's Perspective
This was one of the most difficult books I have reviewed. Meth: The Home-Cooked Menace by Dirk Johnson, is a harrowing account of how lives are ruined through the manufacture and use of the drug meth. Certainly, meth appears to be a devastating drug, both in terms of what it does to people physically and mentally, and in the danger involved in home production. Yet somewhere in the catastrophic style of writing, I felt there was a lack of broader social context to account for how meth became popular, as well as echoes of the failed "Just Say No" approach to prevention I grew up with in the 1980s. I can only conclude that this is a result of the author, Dirk Johnson's journalist's perspective, which appears much more sensational than the rather detached and much more empathetic style I am used to within the self help, psychology and medicine literature on addiction.
This excerpt is an example of the content:
The craziness caused by meth can lead to brutal and shocking tragedy. A man, ripped senseless by meth, was driving his van down a highway in New Mexico one afternoon when he decided to toss a "demon" out the window. He thought it would be the end of his problem if he could simply dispose of the evil spirit. But it was no demon he tossed from his vehicle. It was the severed head of his fourteen year old son. (Page 12)
Exposes the Risks
In Meth: The Home Cooked Menace, Dirk Johnson certainly does a good job of exposing the risks of manufacturing and taking meth. You could be killed or badly injured in a fire or explosion while making meth. Your children could be killed or poisoned. You are at a risk of neglecting or abusing your children without even realizing it. You may disfigure yourself through picking at your body while under the influence. You may cease to properly care for yourself, and your teeth may become damaged through decay and breakage, as you grind your teeth away while under the influence. These are all real risks of meth, backed up by legitimate research. By presenting these sickening facts together, Dirk Johnson sends a clear and important message to readers -- don't even think about trying meth.
For children living with parents on meth, going hungry is just part of the bargain. Meth users don't eat because they don't get hungry, so they often forget that their kids need food. Malnourishment is just one of the problems endured by kids growing up around meth, and it's one of the more benign ones. In the worst cases, children are beaten by meth users filled with rage and hallucinations, or they're sexually abused by addicts so charged up with carnal desire they foist themselves on whoever happens to be around, no matter that they're not old enough to drive, or, in some cases, old enough to be in kindergarten. Children in meth-fueled homes live in an insane asylum -- and the inmates are really in charge. (Page 56)
Dirk Johnson Writes About Meth Addicts, Not For Them
One of the rather disturbing aspects of Meth: The Home Cooked Menace, in contrast to other books on addiction, is that it describes meth addicts and meth manufacturers almost exclusively in the third person. The sense I got was that meth users are portrayed as an alien species -- perhaps starting out human, but like the movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, once they have had contact with meth, they lose their humanity.
I think this is a dangerous approach to take. Firstly, the impression Dirk Johnson gives is that meth addicts are so out of touch with reality that there is no point in addressing them directly. I disagree with this approach on ethical grounds -- no matter how impaired someone is, they have a right to be addressed directly, and they deserve every effort to communicate with them. Secondly, it is a disempowering approach -- rather than encouraging meth addicts to regain control of their lives, the emphasis is on developing systems to control meth production and use. Thirdly, by alienating meth addicts, we run the risk of discouraging them from seeking help, reinforcing the idea that they are bad, worthless people who are beyond taking any responsibility for their own behavior.
Recognition of the Need for Treatment
Bravo to Dirk Johnson for pointing out that there are not enough treatment programs for people affected by meth. With the acknowledgment that meth addicts seeking treatment far outnumber treatment places available, the implication that meth addicts want and need help is clear.
A few stories of hope are also included, although it is clear that the road to recovery is a particularly long and arduous one. This is how he describes the recovery of a once-successful high-end New York real estate agent:
After going through drug treatment, Jay has worked ceaselessly to bring himself down to earth. He now lives in a modest one-bedroom apartment in Philadelphia and runs a cleaning service, AngelicCleaning.com. "Cleaning other people's toilets brought me to the common denominator I needed to reach -- it took away that shell of superiority and allowed me to cleanse my soul." He is grateful that he crashed. "Luckily, I lost everything, because it made me humble. It knocked the chip off my shoulder and forced me to be a man -- a real man -- not the scared boy that I used to be, trying to act so big and important." (Page 83)
Readers who are hoping to find help for meth addiction should be aware that although you may face judgment of the sort described by Dirk Johnson, generally, when you enter treatment, you are treated with kindness and understanding. And although meth can cause devastating brain damage, there is hope that there is more to your future than cleaning toilets. Dr Adi Jaffe, for example, quit meth after eight years, and is now a respected psychologist and expert witness for drug users.
Certainly don't let the interviews with judgmental and jaded police officers portrayed in Meth: The Home Cooked Menace put you off talking to your family doctor, emergency room physician or walk-in clinic about getting help for meth addiction.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
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