First Love

24 Oct 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:00

In this spoken monologue, Dallas Bragg draws a vivid analogy between the experience of using crystal meth for the first time and the memory of a first romantic love. He explains how the intense dopamine surge creates a false, euphoric recollection that skews perception of the drug’s effects, leading users to unfairly compare all subsequent experiences—sexual encounters, relationships, daily life—to that initial high. Bragg warns that this distorted standard harms both personal relationships and self‑perception, but he concludes with an encouraging message that love and a fulfilling life are possible after overcoming meth addiction.

Chapters

Let me tell you why crystal meth is like your first love. If you think back to your first love, I 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.