Friday, March 4, 2011

The faces of drug addiction

Within months, the faces 'normal' spectra become monstrous and deformed. The teeth are lost, the gums shrink, sink the forehead, eyes deform. The skin becomes a sponge, is full of pimples, pustules and cysts ... The dramatic metamorphosis of crystal meth addicts hit retina awareness and Police Officer Bret King.

Convinced that a picture is worth a million words, King decided to put his two decades of experience on the street in two documentaries: "Faces of Meth" and "From Drugs to Mugs'. The protagonists of his latest film is now 'fronted' of addiction. The shocking photos of 'before and after' have joined the campaign against drugs in Multnomah County, Oregon, hoping to discourage thousands of teenagers in schools and institutes.

"At that age, looks are incredibly important," said King, 45, also wrapped their direct experience as a parent. "I remember when I was in school, how important it was to care for your image, bring appropriate clothing, the 'look' right, and cultivate what we now call social networking." While emphasizing the effects of 'crystal meth, heroin, cocaine and other addictions, mental level, King argues that the most direct way to reach teens is through the power of images, coupled with the statements of prisoners who have gone through the trance.

"We collected more than twenty witnesses, all volunteers," says King. "In many instances, have been addicts themselves who have encouraged us to convey their message to prevent young people." For months, the 'sheriff' local part-time released its 'attached' Bret King-no previous experience with the camera-to overturn the spooky series of photographs and documentary films that have now reached national prominence thanks to a report by MSNBC .

"What I wanted, somehow, is that kids can see what I myself have seen it myself," said King, in a telephone conversation with ELMUNDO. is from Oregon. "Many addicts you've been seeing over the years have gone in and out of jail several times, and in some cases as dramatic deterioration ...".

Despite the crudeness of the images, the experts and A. Thomas McLellan, director of the Center for Solutions to Substance Abuse at the University of Pennsylvania, praised the initiative for their ability to 'make visible' the real effects of hard drugs. "Methamphetamine can lead to narrowing of blood vessels and contribute to the disfigurement of the face in a few months," said McLellan to MSNBC.

"The gums will shrink as do the old. The teeth are lost or become black. And if the drug is cut with sugar and other substances, the skin is full of pimples and cysts." Money Larissa psychiatrist, an addiction expert, says that poor nutrition and chronic insomnia is also behind the gruesome disfigurements, sometimes occurring within just six months.

Hallucinations or tingling sensations as the constant in the skin can cause also lead to self harm caused addicts. "The message is clear: drug abuse can change your life in ways you could never imagine," says King, who estimated that between 75,000 and 100,000 students have already seen his documentaries.

Police officer still kicking the street every day, although their 'performances' of a documentary recommended for over 13 years have already come to other states and even the UK ... "Wherever I go, the question that I ask the kids at-risk age is always the same:" How will your life imagine that within 10 years? ".

No comments:

Post a Comment