Afterword
The first draft of this story was hand-written in Okinawa, Japan and finished on February 19th, 2018. I was in the Army at the time and wrote during my lunch breaks. 6 years later, I finished the final draft on February 28th, 2024.
The memoir takes place in 2012. I have been clean from crystal meth ever since 2013. At the time of writing this I am officially 11 years sober!
There are some changes from the true story, like the names of individuals, establishments and specific timelines. It was a challenge to sift through the hazy shade of drug-fueled memories. Parts that I felt weren't important have been left out. There are too many crazy stories for me to list and some things will stay in the abyss forever.
I did not write this to glamorize drug use, quite the opposite… I tell the truth in hopes that it helps someone in their journey. Whether this dissuades you from starting, encourages you to quit, strengthens your dedication to stay clean, or it was simply for entertainment… Either way, I hope I could be of assistance and that my story didn't suck.
I want to thank my family for never giving up on me. I want to thank the real-life Stormy (not her real name) for 'snitching' and getting me the help I needed. I want to thank the love of my life for not running away when I told her my past. We are happily married and have a baby on the way.
I want to thank the reader for giving your valuable time to my rubbish writings.
-Kashi Katz