Speak Up

I was at least 11 when my brother became the exact opposite of himself. My brother was popular, but for all the right things. He wasn't the "druggie" that everyone feared. He was the all-star of the school. But, now, he's that dropout, that kid who no longer has his REAL friends, all because of meth. He would be out every night, and he'd come home at 3 a.m. or later. I thought it was just normal teenage behavior, then, things got worse. His temper rose. There was a constant argument, I never knew what was going on. I would cry, up in my room, every day they would argue. I could see the pain in my mom's eyes. I could feel the frustration. Some nights, I could hear him talking to himself. It was like this for months.

Then one day, he was gone. I came home from school, he threw me in my room. He was frantically walking back and forth, my mom was walking in the door, and then it slammed, and the yelling began. I remember my mom screaming, "You're not leaving! You can't do this!" My brother just threw things around. The meth, it was just taking control of him. For about an hour they argued, and then.. dead silence. I ran downstairs my mom was curled up in a ball crying. I asked where he was, and she just said, "he's gone" I just stood there frozen.

He eventually came back, home, but the problems continued.. but only till he was 18, then he moved out, thinking he was ready for the world. He wasn't ready, he was ready for the meth. The drugs.

About half a year later, things got so bad, even he realized it. He asked my mom for help. My brother wanted to see a doctor, and so we took him. He was put on medication, to help him keep sane. Now about two years later, my brother is getting back on his feet, he's becoming a man. Drugs are no longer his deal. Although they should have never really been. Meth is a drug, it's a lifestyle...that no one should ever choose to live.