Bonus Episode: Christopher's Story

The AfterMeth: Gay Men Recovering from Crystal Methamphetamine Addiction

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In this bonus episode, Dr. Dallas Bragg interviews Christopher, a 20-year-old student from Connecticut who successfully recovered from crystal meth addiction through Dallas's coaching program. Christopher shares his journey, which began at age 18 when he unknowingly tried crystal meth for the first time. His more serious involvement started at 19 through a Grindr hookup that led to a multi-day binge.

Christopher describes his first experience with crystal meth as finding "what I've been looking for my whole life," providing relief from anxiety, confidence, and sexual disinhibition. However, the consequences were immediate - after his first multi-day use, he ended up in the emergency room nearly experiencing kidney failure. Despite this scary experience, he continued using for about three months, during which he struggled with psychosis, made multiple emergency room visits, and had to confess his addiction to his mother.

The turning point came when Christopher experienced severe auditory hallucinations during a hospital visit, hearing voices that made him fear he would "end up insane or dead." This experience, combined with the recent death of a friend from party drugs, motivated him to seek help.

Through his recovery journey, Christopher developed several coping strategies:

• Playing piano and creating art
• Taking walks in nature
• Avoiding triggers like Grindr in early recovery
• Complete abstinence from all substances initially
• Connecting with others in recovery online
• Building genuine connections with supportive people

Christopher reveals that underlying his addiction were issues with sexuality acceptance, past sexual trauma including grooming by a former boss, and a search for validation and father figures. Through recovery, he has developed a structured life focused on his education (studying to become a PA), volunteer work, and healthy relationships.

The episode concludes with Christopher's advice to others: don't start using meth, get help if you're already using, build a support network, and focus on life goals. He emphasizes that recovery is possible, sharing that he's now reached a point where he doesn't think about using anymore and has developed healthy habits and relationships.

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