9781422282557

CHAPTER ONE

WHAT ARE STIMULANTS?

Samantha (“Sam”) lived in a suburban dream world of manicured lawns, soccer games, and visits to the mall. Even the name of her town, Walnut Creek, conjured images of lazy Sundays and barbecues. The family had two boats and a large-screen TV to go along with their four-bedroom house. But Sam was not having any of that. She didn’t want anything to do with her sister, her parents, or their middle-class life. As she later told the San Francisco Chronicle , she didn’t fit in. Sam took her first drink when she was 16. It was a beer, and she liked it. She smoked pot, too, and she liked that even more. She dabbled in cocaine, and a few weeks later snorted methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth. Sam remembers it clearly. She was at a friend’s house with four girls. Each put a bit of meth up their nose. Then they put a bit more. Sam was hooked. Someone mentioned meth was called “tweak,” and Sam began “tweaking” every day. The drug made her happy. Sam had struggled with depression in the

11