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A Former Tweaker Defends Tumblr’s Hardcore Meth Scene

A member of 'Tweaker Nation' writes about what it's like to have your community discovered and invaded.
Screenshot from a post on Tweaker Nation.

On May 11th, Motherboard published an article about a community of current and former meth users on Tumblr called "Tweaker Nation." One community member, who asked to remain pseudonymous, wrote a response to the story which we have published here.

I'm writing this because Motherboard, VICE's technology and science site, recently published an article titled "Tumblr Has a Hardcore Meth Scene," written by freelance reporter Jon Christian. The article was featured on VICE's Snapchat, shared on Facebook, reblogged on Tumblr, retweeted on Twitter, posted on Reddit, and featured on some other news sources. I stumbled across the article while looking through my own online community. I am a (sober) member of this hardcore crystal meth scene known as Tweaker Nation.

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When I decided to take a look under the Tweaker Nation tag roughly 24 hours after Motherboard released the story, the first thing I noticed was there were quite a few people posting hateful messages on Tumblr. These messages were tagged so they would show up in our tag search on Tumblr so our community would see them. Then I noticed that people were talking about a Motherboard story.

I was linked to the piece which I read multiple times the day I found it, and then a couple more times the day following and was able to come to the conclusion that it didn't sit well with me or other Tweaker Nation members (sober and not) that I am in regular contact with.

Related from VICE News: North Korea's got a big crystal meth problem

Everyone is entitled to express their opinions; people are also able to write what they want, and whoever decides to publish it does so at their own free will. That's the great thing about the internet, is that you can pretty much post whatever you want and attach your opinion along with it in hopes that others will agree with you. The community on Tumblr that's known as Tweaker Nation can yes, come across as enabling to a non-user (users helping each other score, giving tips on safe ROAs, or routes of administration, such as harm reduction when it comes to injecting crystal meth, how to safely smoke and take care of your mouth)—but within the friends that you make in the group, it's full of caring and support. There are some people in the group that have their own issues with other community members, but that's entirely normal—no one is expected to get along with everyone.

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The people of Tweaker Nation don't shun someone for their choice of sobriety; we support it

The Tumblr community of Tweaker Nation was what could be considered as a safe haven for users. Or at least it was safe until the story went public. It seems like Motherboard had no qualms with outing a large internet Narcotics Anonymous group (using that descriptor lightly), and potentially endangering the people who are active in Tweaker Nation. Many, though not all, who use illicit drugs are sometimes mentally ill and the story has exposed a vulnerable group to attack.

About 36 hours after the story was published, I myself received several messages on my Tumblr and also a couple on my private Facebook. I was messaged by someone on Facebook that I haven't seen or spoken to since the 7th grade and they went on to tell me that they found me through Tumblr; which they were led to from Motherboard, and prior to that through the Snapchat discovery page. I was given a lovely written novel/speech of things like "you're better than this", "haven't you seen the before and after photographs and mugshots?", "it's illegal", and ended with "you will die" which are all things that I am more than knowledgeable of.

Struggling with a drug addiction is hard enough; and for myself personally while fighting the urge to cave and use during my sobriety it has been tested tenfold with the hateful anonymous messages I've received. I know I'm not the only person in Tweaker Nation that faces the challenges of mental illness and with this attack coming from people who know nothing about the people they are attacking other than what they have seen in anti-drug campaigns and on Intervention, I feel that a lot of us are not safe anymore.

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Yes, there are some people in the community of Tweaker Nation that are, for lack of a better word, repulsive. If you venture into the Tweaker Nation tag on Tumblr you're going to see pornography (straight, gay, lesbian, etc), will definitely see people smoking/snorting/IVing crystal meth (clothed or not), read people's either deep or incoherent thoughts while they're "twacked," and will probably more than likely read sober people's thoughts on struggling to remain clean. The people of Tweaker Nation don't shun someone for their choice of sobriety; we support it. We also don't come down on a person for giving in to the calls of crystal meth, it's a hard battle. Users of crystal meth are paranoid enough when they're high and now they need to be even more paranoid whether or not someone they know will find their blog.

The initial piece did give links to references such as: 2014 use statistics, a GQ piece about a pastor who's faced a gay sex/crystal meth scandal, an article from Wired on how people use methamphetamine to get through shifts at work, and a 12-year-old written play-by-play of a 72-hour meth binge posted on WestWord (which is actually a kind of decent read). I did not notice a single link or even mention of sources for people to find help if they themselves are struggling with methamphetamine use or a loved one is. I've been a user of meth on and off for going onto seven years and I can't really say definitely if my sobriety is going to last, I can only hope that people will stop attacking me for the decisions I have made and allow me to live my life the way in which I want to.

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I think (hope?) I can speak for the handful of Tweaker Nation members that I am in regular contact with here: we would never in a million years encourage any person to try crystal meth. We all give our warnings that while meth is tempting to some, it really isn't something that should be tangoed with. Is it just me, or is the world more accepting of crack cocaine users and heroin users? The community members of The Nation have all chosen their own paths and should get the same support as they do. I have made some amazing friends through this "hardcore meth scene," and I am actually lucky enough to call one of them my best friend who is also sober.

To make a somewhat long and drawn out story short: I'm asking for people to stop being so malicious, stop being abusive with your words, and if you disapprove of it—keep it out of the Tweaker Nation tag. We don't need to see it. No one asked you to venture into this bubble we have created for ourselves; you did that of your own accord. I hope telling other people to kill themselves for being an addict makes you feel better about yourself, because it doesn't make us feel good at all. It hurts the same if we were any other type of person. We need support, not hate. We come from all walks of life. We are people just the same as you.

Places to find help if you or a loved one has an addiction:

American Addiction Centers

Canadian Centre for Addictions

Rehabs.com

CAMH Addiction Programs

Wolfie is a former crystal user (who has dealt with addictions to different substances at different times in her life). She prefers to remain anonymous because of the controversial nature of this topic.