Dallas Bragg compares first love to first meth use: both flood your brain with dopamine, creating a memory so perfect that nothing after measures up. He explains how this distortion damages relationships and self-worth, then argues that real life and love are still possible after addiction.
Let me tell you why crystal meth is like your first love. If you think back to your first love, I'll bet you remember all the emotions just like it happened yesterday. You remember where you were the first time you kissed. You remember the sights, the smells, the sounds. That's what it's like the first time you use crystal meth. And just like your real first love, you probably look back on it through a lens that's false. Because, because your emotions or dopamine is so high, you have a skewed sense of how good it was and how wonderful it felt. And I'll bet every relationship you have is held to that standard. Just like every day after using crystal meth is held to that standard. Every sexual encounter is held to that standard. Just like you're not being fair to the people you date and have sex with, you're not being fair to yourself if you continue to look back on crystal meth With euphoric recall. I promise you, there is love and life after meth.
