Leaving dirty Jersey : a crystal meth memoir /

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by Salant, James.
[ 01. English Non Fiction ] Published by : Simon Spotlight Entertainment, (New York :) Physical details: 342 p. ; 22 cm. Subject(s): Salant, James. | Drug addicts --New Jersey --Biography. | Methamphetamine abuse --New Jersey --Case studies. | Ice (Drug) Year : 2007 01. English Non Fiction Item type : 01. English Non Fiction
Location Call Number Status Date Due
Montague Regional High School 362.29 SAL Available

Introduction: An acid-friendly atmosphere -- Sketching Riverside -- Get straight for life -- Cyrstal Meth -- Babysitting Megan -- Maki -- Wendy's package -- My room -- Brady and the house across the bridge -- At the Concha Linda -- Alone with the bushmen -- Family -- Big Manny from Fontana -- The visit -- My brother Joe -- Feet of clay -- Hitting bottom -- Overdose -- Grapes -- Going back -- Epilogue: Luck and circumstance.

With his nickname, Dirty Jersey, tattooed on forearm, James Salant wanted everyone to know he was a tough guy. At 18, after one too many run-ins with the cops for drug possession, he left his upper-middle-class home in Princeton, New Jersey, for a rehab facility in Riverside, California. He spent his year there shooting crystal meth and living as a petty criminal until a near psychotic episode convinced him to clean up. He provides graphic descriptions of life on crystal meth--the incredible sex drive, the paranoia, the cravings. He details the slang, the scams, and the psychoses, and weaves them into a narrative that is honest and authentic. He eschews easy answers--his parents were loving and supportive, and his family's subtle dysfunctions are typical of almost any American family. This story is shocking precisely because it could happen to almost anyone.--From publisher description.