Methamphetamines are highly addictive stimulants that can have devastating effects when misused. Here, we look at four people who have managed to crawl out of the dark depths of addiction
Drug related deaths have been the highest since records began in 1993, with the latest ONS (Office National Statistics) figures showing that 5,448 people died in England and Wales from substance poisoning in 2023 – over half related to misuse.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that – globally – over 3million people die from drug and alcohol related deaths each year. It comes after a mum revealed how she beat a £375,000 meth and booze addiction.
While substance abuse remains much of a taboo, these brave few went viral on social media for sharing their candid stories of the brutal spiral of addiction, being on the brink of death and then miraculously managing to turn their lives around.
Here, we take a look at those who got hooked on meth and are now totally unrecognisable after their transformation – let’s take a look.
Dad hooked on meth at 13
Austin Greene first got hooked on meth at the tender age of 13. The now 30-year-old, from Ohio, US, first tried alcohol and marijuana even younger at 11 – which ultimately led him down a dark path.
It was in a desperate attempt to fit in with those around him, but he never expected to “fall in love” with the feeling of being high.
Years would pass, and Austin’s addiction to drugs and alcohol would grow stronger meaning he became what he describes as a “menace” to society. While in active addiction, he would steal, lie and cheat – harming those around him with his behaviour.
Austin eventually lost custody of his young daughter and terrifyingly lost the ability to walk after contracting a yeast infection in his spine after injecting with a dodgy needle.
After not wanting his daughter to grow up without a father and traumatised by his friend losing their life to drug abuse, Austin eventually sought help.
Now, he’s been clean for a number of years – and is able to walk once again.
After going viral sharing his story on TikTok, he exclusively told Daily Star: “Every single aspect of life has improved since getting clean. I’ve rekindled relationships with family and my daughter that I so selfishly destroyed in active addiction.
“Right before I got clean I would refuse to go see her and she knew when she did see me it was only long enough for me to get money to get my fix and then I would disappear for days on end.
“Now, she lights up when she sees me. It is more than possible [to get clean] and there is a whole world of strangers that can relate to your struggles, so you are not alone.
“I believe anyone is capable of changing as long as they believe in themselves.”
Grandma’s 15-year meth battle
Shannon Hughes, 46, started using meth when her daughter, Mistena Renteria-Elliot, 26, was just 12 years old, after being introduced to the drug.
What followed was a brutal 15-year long addiction to the stimulant that would render Shannon completely unrecognisable in both appearance and personality.
Mistena attempted to get her mother clean for years, however nothing seemed to help Shannon overcome her addiction struggles.
Not even becoming a grandmother could shift Shannon out of her drug addiction, which eventually led her to be in a “terrible state” where she weighed just 103lbs (7.3st).
After being told that she had reached the “final stages” of addiction, the gran was “deathly afraid of dying” so decided to accept the help.
Alongside the support of daughter Mistena, Shannon is now clean and has a very different life to the one she was she was just merely existing in beforehand.
The gran is now present for her daughter and grandchildren – and even has a job. Earlier this year, she shared: “I don’t think I would have ever got to this point if I hadn’t hit a spot where I was deathly afraid of dying.
“I feel great now, I am working a job that I am holding down. I would never have dreamed in 1000 years that I would be able to get a job because my anxiety was so bad.”
Model lived in car park
Toni Becker, from South Africa, has now been clean from drugs and booze for 12 years. The tattoo model spent much of her youth chained to a meth and alcohol addiction – where she found herself on the brink of death.
She first had a taste of booze at the age of 12. Toni started to develop a toxic relationship with food and body image where she then started to take diet pills that contained high amounts of ephedrine.
And 10 years later, at the age of 22, Toni had already been to rehab for alcohol abuse and anorexia. However, things would only get worse.
After leaving rehab, Toni’s best friend and cousin Teri sadly passed away from meningitis. This would lead Toni down a destructive path as, upon leaving rehab, she tried crystal meth and CAT (Methcathinone, a stimulant drug similar to Methamphetamine and easily accessible in South Africa).
She exclusively told us: “Instead of worrying about my family who had lost a daughter – I made Teri’s death about myself and used it and my previous traumas as an excuse to spiral into addiction.
“I wanted self-annihilation at any cost. My lowest point was getting into a physical fight with my mother where I ended up cutting her leg open with a glass and walking over her to get out of the house so I could get to my dealer.
“Everything else I have done – from stealing and living in my car in a parking lot – do not come close to that night and the horror and trauma I inflicted on my family.”
It wasn’t until her third rehab stint that Toni decided to get clean for good. Now at age 39, Toni has been free of drugs and booze for over 10 years and has built up a large social media following where she relates to others who have experienced addiction.
She told us: “Recovery is difficult, frustrating and painstaking in the beginning – but with a community behind you it becomes easier and as each day goes by, and you keep doing the next right thing.
“Take it one day at a time and trust the process, it gets better and it is so worth it. Recovery becomes a way of life – and it’s magnificent.”
Mum’s £375,000 addiction splurge
Ashley Melendez’s struggle with addiction started in childhood, before it ultimately consumed her entire existence.
The mum-of-three, 31, began drinking as a coping mechanism for a troubled upbringing – she would often lose consciousness from drinking alcohol at weekends when she was just 11 years old.
Over time, Ashley’s dependency spiralled completely out of control. Ashley was downing three bottles of whisky daily and splashing out roughly £750 weekly on booze.
She eventually fell into a devastating meth addiction that nearly cost her the relationship with her children – and her life.
Ashley believes to have spent £375,000 on drugs and alcohol over time. Now having been clean for half a year, she’s told her
“I can see I was an addict from the start,” she said. “But I just thought I was a kid who did party drugs and drank too much. I needed help.
“Since then, I’ve easily spent half a million dollars on drugs.
“I’ve made so much money in my life, and I have nothing to show for it. I could have a home and a car, and all the bells and whistles.
“We’re told not to say we threw our life away, but I gave it away to drugs.”
On 2 April, Ashley checked into rehab and has now been sober for six months. She’s concentrating on her long-term objectives, which include pursuing a bachelor’s degree in substance abuse counselling, with the hope of using her experience to assist others.
She has also mended her relationship with her children, whom she sees regularly.
Sharing her journey on her TikTok account, Ashley said: “I’m feeling hopeful.
“It’s still a struggle, but something flipped in me this time where I’ve been able to be real with myself.
“Now I have my eye on the long-term goal.”
If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story, contact Talk To Frank for free, confidential advice on 0300 1236600, texting 82111 or visiting their website, Honest information about drugs | FRANK
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