This week we have stories by Dan Kois, Matt Gallagher, Marina Benjamin, Caleb Daniloff, and Vauhini Vara.
addiction
Running With Hank
“How my daughter’s rambunctious mutt saved my sanity while she was lost to the darkness.”
Drugs Killed 8 Friends, One by One, in a Tragedy Seen Across the U.S.
“It just, it took them.”
“I Don’t Know That I Would Even Call it Meth Anymore”
“Soon, tons of P2P meth were moving north, without any letup, and the price of meth collapsed. But there was more to the story than higher volume. Ephedrine meth tended to damage people gradually, over years. With the switchover to P2P meth, that damage seemed to accelerate, especially damage to the brain.”
The Cult That Promises to Cure Addiction
For 50 years, Enthusiastic Sobriety programs have offered to help teenagers kick drugs and alcohol. But former followers say ES doesn’t save lives—it destroys them.
“Addiction is a thief of your goodbyes”
“I got angry, my mother cried, the addicts got high. That became a holiday theme for years to come.”
Justin Townes Earl: The Saint of Lost Causes
Fellow singer-songwriter Jessica Lea Mayfield, who frequently toured with Earle, described his gift more simply: “He was able to explain trouble better than most.”
The Boom and Bust Cycles of Rock Springs, Wyoming
“The day I turned 18, the Astro Lounge called and asked me to come strip for them. I have no idea how they knew I’d turned 18.”
Postcard from the (Literal) Edge
In an excerpt from her recovery memoir, Erin Khar recalls the depths of her self-destruction as a heroin addict.
Addiction’s Seismic Effects on a Family
A mother confronts the painful truths of trying to save a son who’s a danger not only to himself, but to the rest of the family as well.