For two and a half years, Edwin Sánchez used methamphetamine every day, to the extent that he ended up living on the street while his family did not know if he was alive or dead and they reported him missing.
“I lived in the car, I walked from house to house until I ended up in a tent,” says Edwin whose addiction to glass, as methamphetamine is also known, it started at 27 years.
“I was a home boy. I lived with my family. I worked as a waiter at special banquets, but I suffered from depression and had been diagnosed with HIV. ”
Edwin found relief from his depression in the use of cocaine and two months later he came across methamphetamine, a drug defined by the National Institute of Drug Abuse , as “a powerful and highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system.”
It is described as a white crystalline powder , odorless and bitter in taste that dissolves easily in water or alcohol.
Edwin says that the addiction developed very quickly, and was so involved in the use of glass that he even consumed it injected.
“My addiction led me to lose my job, my family and friends. I got into a toxic relationship with a person who went in and out of prison and beat me. ”
When it started with Drinking glass, he felt happy and energetic for hours. “You feel like a superman, it’s like a drink that gives you energy that never ends, but over time I started to develop psychosis. I listened and saw things. He did not know what was true or false. You become a prisoner of your own mind. ”
What’s more, he lost so much weight that he reached 118 pounds and he no longer recognized himself in the mirror. “I saw myself as a dead person and I missed my family, my nephews. The super energy that methamphetamine gave me was gone and I felt sad and lonely. ”
The nightmare seemed to come to an end when in 2015 was in rehab for three and a half months. “For the first time I felt happy and without depression.”
Unfortunately, after a short time, he fell back into the use of methamphetamine. “What made me stop was that despite the glass, my sadness and loneliness did not stop. I no longer felt happy and did not want to live in fear all day. ”
Luckily, two and a half months later, he returned to a rehab center of his own accord and this time it was definitive. Edwin has been sober for six years.
“It took like two years for all the negative symptoms that the glass left me. It’s weird, but I felt like they were always watching me. ”
Currently, Edwin from 35 year-old works helping the LGBT community overcome addictions at La Fuente Hollywood Treatment Center. “My life is completely different. I also went back to school. I am studying human services and psychology. I want to understand what happened to me because I thought I was weak-minded as my Mexican family told me. ”
Due to the increase in the consumption of Methamphetamine During the pandemic, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health launched phase two of the Meth Free LA County educational campaign in an effort to combat the rise among Angelenos.
Between March and December of 2020, there was an increase of 52% in accidental overdose deaths associated with methamphetamine, compared to the same period of 10 months of 2019.
Edwin considers that the rise in the consumption of this highly addictive drug has to do with the fact that it is very easy to acquire it. “You go online and you get it in a minute. All you have to do is go to a phone application. ”
But he also thinks that it shot up during the pandemic, because it helps to deal with the depression. “It increases your dopamine – the chemical that makes you feel happy- by 12, 000% and helps you escape from reality. You lose your perception of time. ”
What happened in 2020, he says, is that many people who lost their jobs, became depressed in his house and the glass helps you escape from reality and makes you live in a fantasy.
“ It takes away your fear. Addicted people tell you that covid does not exist. They even spend time using it because they think it protects them from the virus ”.
Explain that the gay, bisexual and trans women community use it a lot because it makes them feel free of guilt since the world keeps telling them that they are bad. “When you find this drug, you feel free of guilt and all the negative charge.”
Based on his experience, Edwin says that people with this addiction should be offered rehabilitation instead of jail.
“In Los Angeles, there are not enough rehabilitation programs especially for the Latino community. Medical always has waiting lists. You have to wait weeks for a bed. And besides, there are only about two bilingual centers. ”
As a result of leaving the glass, Edwin says that he feels full because he can work, study and help others. “ I’m a dreamer and thank God I never got in trouble with the police and was able to keep my DACA “.
The DACA is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that authorizes a work permit to be renewed every two years, and prevents deportation.
The campaign “The Meth Free LA County ”is designed to raise awareness among two groups: high-risk populations and families, friends and other allies.
“Methamphetamine use in Los Angeles County has increased dramatically since the start of the pandemic. Only in the 2020, there was 1, 389 accidental overdose deaths linked to methamphetamine use, which equates to an average of 3.8 deaths per day, all of which were preventable, ”says Dr. Bárbara Ferrer, LA County Director of Public Health.
Affirms that with the campaign “LA County free of methamphetamine”, they seek to reach those suffer from methamphetamine use and addiction to educate themselves and their loved ones on how to get help.
The focus of this campaign It highlights that methamphetamine can and has affected people from all walks of life. No demographic can be considered the face of methamphetamine, which requires early identification of the signs and symptoms of its use.
“We made equity the guiding principle of the response to covid – 19 in the county and equity should be the answer to related problems with public health such as methamphetamine addiction, ”says Hilda Solis, president of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Point out that we can all make a big difference in lives of those who need support. “Los Angeles County is here to help residents receive the services they need to recover from substance abuse.”
To obtain For more information on methamphetamine prevention and treatment options, visit the website http://www.MethFreeLACounty.org
The use of crystal in Los Angeles, is responsible for the most overdoses above any other drug.