IT'S NOT HARD TO GET HOOKED

You know how you have your favorite toy and you just want to play with that favorite toy like all the time? Well, that's how meth was with me."

So says Hazel, an imprisoned 16-year-old, on the allure of methamphetamine, a powerful drug that stimulates a pleasure response in the brain.

In fact, most young people interviewed by Y-Press at Indianapolis and Plainfield juvenile facilities say they were addicted to meth the first time they tried it, usually by smoking or snorting it.

Meth causes the brain to release dopamine, a natural chemical that provides feelings of enjoyment and motivation and also helps the brain function.

However, the euphoria is short-term. The continuous presence of meth in the brain causes neurons to release an enzyme that destroys the excess dopamine and prevents the creation of new dopamine. The result is that users "crash" or "tweak," a state in which they are highly agitated and paranoid, often with hallucinations.

"It's a drug that's incredibly addicting," said Hugh Hanlin, a psychologist who has worked at the Plainfield Juvenile Correctional Facility for 17 years. "The way the body metabolizes it means that (users) stay high for a long time. So it's one that once they've used it, they can become dependent on it very quickly."

Previous drug use

All of the offenders interviewed -- six girls at Indianapolis Juvenile Correctional Facility and three boys at the Plainfield site -- had used illegal drugs for years before trying meth. One of the girls had first tried marijuana at age 11. About half of them have a parent who is a drug user or alcoholic, and all were introduced to meth by family members or friends.

"I think that's why it affected me so hard because my parents used it," said Chris, 17.

In the world of illegal drugs, meth is considered affordable -- about $65 to $100 a gram, which contains about 10 doses. However, most of those interviewed seldom paid for the drug; they were given it by friends or people with their own labs.

Some of the teens got started because they were eager to try a different kind of high, while others were taking advantage of an opportunity to fit in.

"People say weed isn't a gateway drug, but it really is because you want a bigger and better high," said Fern, 17.

Olive, 16, was hanging out with an older sister who had just gotten out of prison when they decided to visit a drug dealer.

"He makes meth, and you can tell he's crazy," Olive said. "But he offered me some, and the first time I'm like 'No,' and then they're telling me how good it is and what other drugs it can beat, and I'm just like, 'OK, let's do it.'

"It's like I lost all control of my life," she added. "It's like one time and after that it was just like that was my normal routine in life."

Mildred, 16, also was persuaded to do meth by a sister. She overdosed her first time but still kept coming back.

"I was on a high for three days before (my parents) decided that something was really, really wrong with me. I just spent about a week in the hospital, and I had to get my stomach pumped. I got sent to a drug rehabilitation center just from my first time doing meth," she said.

It didn't make a difference. "All I thought about was getting high again," Mildred said.

Those interviewed said meth gave them boundless energy and euphoria, at least at first.

"It made you full of energy, awake all the time . . . It felt like you could do anything," said Hazel.

The teens agreed that it helped them stay focused in school or at work and made them think anything was pos sible.

"In three days, I did two weeks' work," Fern said. "My teacher was like, 'Oh my gosh, what got into you?' They were all excited for me. They didn't know what was going on."

It also made them feel good about themselves. Said James, 17: "I think that people use it to find reason for their life. I think if people have poor self-esteem, I think they're mostly the ones getting addicted to it and using it because . . . it just helps you go on."

Most of them said they began using meth every day. But soon the disadvantages overshadowed the high. Meth causes insomnia, which often leads to weight loss and impaired memory.

"I sat up for 17 days. I didn't eat for 20 days. I lost 20 pounds in 10 days," Fern recalled. "It was horrible. I had craters in my face because I'd pick at my face."

Many meth users develop gaunt cheeks, and some come down with "meth mouth," in which the teeth become cracked or decayed.

In addition, users often become paranoid and experience hallucinations. Brandon, 14, described such an experience: "It's just like you'll be hearing stuff, like somebody calls your name when they really didn't. Then you're like if somebody knocks on your door, you'll think it's the police, and you'll run out the back door or something."

Fern used to see spiders and shadows, but the worst was when she saw the Grim Reaper: "It would scare me so bad because I thought that means death, and I thought I was gonna die."

Several of the teens knew people who have died from overdoses. As Olga, 17, explained, you never really know what's in meth.

"I know people that put rat poison in it, and it messed people up really bad," she said.

Factor in crimes

Most committed the crimes for which they are incarcerated -- including auto theft, robbery and firearms violations -- under the influence of meth.

But there was more. "It made me do sexual things that I never thought I'd ever do," said Petunia, 16. "It's just I was totally out of my mind."

Hazel regrets persuading her sister to have sex with her dealer in exchange for drugs. Similarly, Mildred said she slapped her little sister after she started crying at a drug party in their house.

"We was all getting high on meth and coke, and some people were even shooting up and just sitting in corners and stuff. My little sister was right there in the middle of all of it.

"She came over crying, tugging on my arm, 'Sissy, would you please take me away, would you please go get mom?' I told her to shut up, and she wouldn't shut up, she just kept crying, and I backhanded her.

"I'm not allowed to talk to her or see her anymore. It just hurts so much."

All agreed that their addictions destroyed or damaged relationships.

"I don't have really any friends now. I've lost all of them," Olga said.

They also must deal with long-term damage. "It does make them have more problems organizing their thoughts, being more nervous," Hanlin said.

All of the teens say they have trouble remembering things. "I don't even remember what I've done like two days ago," said Fern.

Readily available

While all look forward to their release, some worry about what awaits them in their hometowns.

While meth is often considered primarily a rural problem, these teens -- who are from urban areas such as Indianapolis and Fort Wayne as well as small towns such as Veedersburg and New Palestine -- say it's easy to find anywhere.

"In my town, every corner you turn onto, doesn't matter where you're at, there's a drug dealer's house, or there's people who do drugs," Hazel said.

"I'd say it's easier to get meth over anything, over weed, over coke or anything, because it's made so frequently," Petunia said. "People are starting to cut down on prices because it's being made so much and you can get it from anywhere."

Fern has already decided she can't go home again. "I'll just move myself and go elsewhere because I don't really want to be around it. I don't want to start to do all this all over again."

Others talked about their commitment to going back to school or finding work and new friends. "It takes time, honesty, openness and determination to do it; just don't settle for nothing less. Be the best you can be. Don't sell yourself short," Petunia said.

Most understand the challenges ahead. "I think there is a very good chance of me relapsing," Mildred said. "I know that I'm going to try very hard not to and to stay away from it, but it's everywhere -- everywhere in my family, everywhere in my neighborhood and my friends. No matter where you go, it's just always gonna be there."

ASSISTANT EDITORS: Chad Dyar, 17; Izaak Hayes, 14.

REPORTERS: Keenen Brannon, 11; Malachi Carter, 13; Cakey Worthington, 13.

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Two-part series will look at meth abuse

Methamphetamine abuse has become the leading drug problem faced by local law-enforcement agencies across the country, according to a recent survey of 500 sheriffs' departments in 45 states. Indiana ranks sixth among the states in the number of meth labs destroyed, with 1,549 raided in 2004 and 567 in the first five months of 2005, according to Indiana State Police.

This scourge does not spare children, who are both its victims and perpetrators. Last month, Y-Press traveled to the Indianapolis Juvenile Correctional Facility and Plainfield Juvenile Correctional Facility to interview detainees there on the use and availability of methamphetamine in their communities. All interviewees -- three boys and six girls -- had been incarcerated on multiple charges, some related to meth use, and they were promised confidentiality in exchange for their candid conversation. Their names have been changed to protect their privacy.

Two stories are based on those interviews. Part 1, which runs today, concerns meth's seductive powers and how quickly it dissolves the lives of those who fall under its spell. Part 2, which runs next Sunday, involves one teen's ability to seemingly capitalize on meth's properties and profit potential before it, too, laid waste to his youth.