Portland’s meth crisis: Three former users share stories of homelessness, addiction and recovery

All three men are now sober, housed and working. They say it’s difficult but possible to beat meth addiction and get off the streets.
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[@rubyrose571]

Base on my experience after getting high on meth takes away depression, makes you numb from the pain but once the high is gone the depression comes back doubled.

[@TinyDiodes]

Beautiful strong people spreading hope.

[@ladycat4485]

Central City Concern saved my life and I mean that literally! That was in fall of 2004 and I was homeless and pretty addicted to meth. My point is that I can't imagine how it must be now with this new meth! It was horrible back then so it's very troubling to hear this. I feel sorry for people because it's such a dark place to be. You become someone you don't recognize and it's terrifying. So good to hear these stories and I hope it helps. Thanks for reading. ⚘

[@user-sv3rh6tr4r]

Thank you for sharing your story and congratulations on making it to the other side. I hope you can be an inspiration for others and best regards to you and yours.

[@tracybone1336]

Central City Concern is doing all they can, and doing great to help people that are down and out. I respect all of the workers, thanks for keeping our city clean. My hat is off to all of these workers.

[@juliarachferd432]

Tragic, and eye opening. Homeless folks don't need housing, allowance, they need drug rehab. But the homeless-industrial-complex sure is big business. What's the solution?

[@catwoman007]

Please pray for my brother, he has been on meth since April/May.... he has lost soooo much weight, his wife left because of his meth psychosis (thinking people out to get him... in woods, on his roof!) She is scared and had to leave. Please if GOD leads u to, please pray for restoration over my brothers life in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen. 🙏❤🙏🙏❤

[@l.q.1253]

Thank for sharing this video

[@wordsunheard2383]

Meth labs located in Enterprise and Nehalem Oregon. Best luck copers, they seem to have friends in your dept.

[@dharmadove]

Folks trying to do better. Never judge people, support them. Be human... Not an asshole.

[@user-sv3rh6tr4r]

Thank you!! How can anyone not want to see others be and feel better. We can all be so lucky as to not be in that position, but humility will truly make you stronger, not just lucky

[@htas6888]

Good to see Portland being cleaned, maybe thee city will pull through this crises after all...

[@trolllibs7861]

Not a snowballs chance in hell. Meth use (along with heroin, fentanyl, etc.) was decriminalized all in the name of some woke bullshit "social justice" ploy. These idiots don't recognize the power of addiction & as long as it's accepted for open use, things will continue to decline. 99% of recovering addicts will tell you they owe their life to the cop that arrested them, or the judge that sentenced them forcing them into treatment. Portlands a shithole & BEYOND hope.

[@sinnceer_era]

🙏🏾✌🏾🐜Stay Strong🙏🏾✌🏾🐜God Bless

[@Lordfinessse]

Meth is fun at first, but it very quickly turns into a living nightmare

[@pltopper771]

im stoned right now i love weed

[@justincoleman2740]

Awesome!

[@deionle9355]

great

[@ViceCoin]

Free meth on streets is dealer marketing.

[@michaelvance1118]

Flakka

[@CouldntThinkOfaUsername]

No flockin

[@andyginterblues2961]

I remember when they switched over to new meth in the public schools. It really sucked, because we had to learn our multiplication tables, long division, geometry etc. all over. It was even harder for me, I'm dyslexic. :)

[@thirdeyesurvivor3886]

Wtf are you talking about??? Lmao

[@robertofrattini4388]

Now we can see three mans ,not three zombies.

[@df6580]

The southern border is wide open, nothing said about how it is coming into the country and sold in the cities. Who are the drug dealers, since it is so cheap. China is manufacturing meth and coming in through the southern border. This is very intentional.

[@cyt1312]

your tin foil hat is on too tight. everyone else is to blame huh? blame americans for falling into their pit of despair and supporting this trade

[@trolllibs7861]

@@cyt1312 Note the last 2 meth busts in Eugene. All coming from down south & headed to Portland. Both record breaking busts. This shit's flooding in.

[@Eidelmania]

The southern border is not wide open. Scapegoating brown immigrants and spreading fear is the lowest, most deranged form of reactionary politics.

[@bz3086]

Eidel..., Brown colonizers have outnumbered whites since 10,000 years ago. Whites have been the minority, not the other way around.

[@ViceCoin]

Only in America. You need to be a homeless drug addict to get help with housing and employment.

[@xixi560]

Where can I get this new meth?

[@huko4266]

Everyone deserves a 2nd chance

[@jameshatchard3471]

Mmmmmmm wouldn't say that.

[@gus8928]

Meth

[@razorbladerabbit4679]

poor bastards all got them dead eyes. the best part of recovery is always the relapse. sadly.

[@chrisgattman4975]

Legalizing meth was one of Oregonians high points! Nothing brings out the best in people than shooting up drugs!

[@valerielhw]

No rational person is in favor of legalizing meth. We just feel that jail time should by handed down to the *dealers,* not the users. The users who are caught should be sent to rehab centers, given housing, and then given jobs. What, _specifically,_ do you object to about that?

[@user-sv3rh6tr4r]

@@valerielhw well said!

[@trolllibs7861]

@@user-sv3rh6tr4r No rational person would think that meth users with problems would voluntarily go into rehab without legal intervention (i.e. an arrest & sentence including treatment). Jesus Portlanders are idiots......

[@chrisgattman4975]

@@valerielhw See, this why your a ex addict and working a low class job for the rest of your life! You want to blame everyone else for your life failures! No one forced you to become a addict! There would be no drug dealers if it was not for people like you who seek them out! Free housing??? Get a friggin real job loser!

[@valerielhw]

@@chrisgattman4975 I don't (and never have) used illegal drugs. I don't even drink alcohol. I recently retired after working many decades on what I consider a meaningful career. Are you insulting me because, unlike you, I gave a compassionate and *reasoned* response regarding the best way to fight meth? The only "loser" here is you, buddy, who STILL hasn't plainly explained what is wrong with the approach that I suggested.

[@tensaijuusan4653]

Execute the producers of Meth and we will start to make inroads on ending this nonsense.

[@rd9102]

In this video people make bad choices and then live with the consequences. These 3 grew up and made better choices and are learning from their own stupidity/bad choices from the past. Moral of the story...make good choices and you can avoid homelessness and drug addiction, don't be stupid. Doesn't help that the stupid political leadership like Jo Ann Hardesty want to defund the police and invite all the people that do make stupid/bad choices into Portland and have destroyed the city with their EXTREMELY POOR "leadership" and until leadership changes you can expect more. However even with better leadership people will still make bad/stupid choices and that will ALWAYS happen and has always happened, there are always people at the bottom and there always will be.

[@kpitts8921]

I appreciate the reporter wearing her mask under her chin, really saving lives aren’t you?

[@susanhiggs4807]

drug addict is NOT A MENTAL ILLNESS, PEOPLE MAKE CHOICES, NOT ALWAYS THE BEST CHOICES, THROUGH SELF DECEPTION WE CON OURSELVES INTO THINKING IT IS NOT HARMING US. TAKE IT FROM A FORMER ADDICT. DRUG ADDICTION INCLUDES PERSCRIPTION DRUGS.

[@lesliepolk2039]

Excuse me, but where was all this concern when black folk were caught up in The Crack Epidemic in this country?

[@phillipsatkowski164]

This has been a crisis of epidemic proportions for over two decades with barely any media coverage. Out here on the east coast almost nobody knows about a west coast meth epidemic. I wouldn’t assume that this crisis has anything to do with race. Guess what? People of every race use meth.

[@pnwperson]

meth has been in a problem in Portland since the mid 80s...there's an awesome documentary about it. Our reps took our issue to Washington,but because it hadn't hit the east coast no one cares....

[@lesliepolk2039]

@@phillipsatkowski164 During the crack epidemic, in this country, white folks refrain was "lock those black folk up,and tens of thousands of black were jailed and sent to prison for their drug use. But now, it's white folk becoming addicted to Meth and Opioids, and your children are caught with drugs and released to die another day. So, spare me your feigned outrage. What has changed, other than the fact that your kids are the addicts?

[@trolllibs7861]

@@lesliepolk2039 That was most notably Hillary Clinton & her "super predators" commentary. It's not a white vs. black thing though. (A+ for pulling a bullshit race card though). Most stats show whites to be the meth users, but blacks are overdosing at higher rates on fentanyl. That said.... Less Al Sharpton. More Shelby Steele.

[@trolllibs7861]

@@phillipsatkowski164 That's because leftist democrats love to hide & straw man their failures. When this happens (like losing control of Seattle, Portland, San Fran, etc.), they legalize it. It absolves them of any accountability.