Three meth addicts hope to help others

Turning bad experiences to good

MOSES LAKE - Three methamphetamine addicted men are trying to help prevent and intervene in other's addictions.

The three men have seen it all with regard to meth use, but now they say they are sober and intend to remain sober.

Life After Meth President Irvin Olson, 47, hasn't used meth for more than eight months. During his sobriety he has been working on formulating the Life After Meth program. The program idea helps him remain drug-free, he says.

Every Friday he hosts a meeting at the Moses Lake Fire Department, located at 701 E. Third Ave., aimed toward helping recovering meth addicts. The meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.

The meetings are not faith-based and serve as a time for discussion about personal experiences with the drug and as a support system to prevent relapses in recovering addicts. He said the meeting is open to anyone, including those who are affected by a loved one's meth use.

Olson was 32 when he had his first taste of meth. The next 15 years proved to be fun and fast-paced but for the most part miserable, he said. At one point he used the drug with his son. The drug would keep him up at night.

"I have actually lost five years of sleep through my addiction," Olson said.

He says his worst day sober is still better than his best day high.

Eventually his son Justin Olson followed in his footsteps.

Justin is 23 and began using when he was 14 years old. He's been sober for nearly two months and says he hopes he never uses the drug again.

"I threw my patience out the window. I through my morals out the window (and) my beliefs," Justin said.

Justin said he remembers sitting in a room filled with drugs and feeling miserable while thinking about numerous voice mails from his father urging him to join the Life After Meth project. That day was a turning point for him when he chose to quit the drug.

The drug led Justin to gang involvement, false friendships and prison.

Before he was 14, he might have thought he would never use the drug afflicting his father.

Irvin said he recalls hiding the drug in light fixtures so his son wouldn't know he was using.

Justin constantly found the drugs and gave them to a neighbor to stop his father.

Justin said he isn't sure why he chose to use meth, but eventually he began manufacturing and injecting the drug.

"Parents who do drugs, their kids will do drugs," Irvin said. "It will always happen. They always know. Maybe you can quit, but they can't."

Irvin said one of the most painful ordeals was knowing he was able to quit the drug but couldn't do anything about stopping his son's use.

"I'm still here, I'm still sober," Justin said. "(But) that could change just like that."

Tears glossed Irvin's eyes knowing how easy relapse is for his son and any other addict.

Justin now serves the Life After Meth Board of Directors.

Life After Meth Vice President Jerry Edmonson, 43, has been a family friend of the Olsons for nearly 20 years. He used meth after a severe vehicle collision left him with excruciating back and shoulder pain.

He said the drug was an escape from the pain. The pain of his injuries inhibited him from working and being active in several sports he enjoyed. Meth helped him feel invincible to the pain and allowed him more mobility.

Eventually Edmonson lost his family due to his drug use. He quit the drug and has been sober for nearly a year to rebuild his relationship with his children.

"I am solid. I will put a gun under my head and pull the trigger before I do meth again," he said.

The three men have other plans in mind for Life After Meth once they gain their non-profit status.

The program was partly inspired by Irvin's involvement with an outdoor work crew while jailed in Benton County. Working outdoors provided him with a feeling of accomplishment and made him realize it was something he needed to continue to stay sober.

Irvin said he is creating a camping assistance business in Concrete called Summer Fun Rentals. The business entails renting camp equipment to tourists, providing nature hikes, mountain biking, trail clean-up and other outdoor activities.

His vision includes hiring non-active meth addicts to be tour guides. Irvin said the employees would endure a rigorous screening process to ensure they are capable and strong-willed enough to remain sober. The outdoors work is helpful to a recovering meth addict because it provides a sense of positive accomplishment, satisfaction and self-esteem. It's a replacement high, Irvin said.

Irvin and Justin had been to various drug treatment centers with little success and feel prison and jail time only kept them sober while they were locked away from their familiar world. Once they were released, no matter how much they didn't want to use the drug, they did because they didn't have a support system, Irvin said.

He said the Life After Meth meetings and the outdoors business provide the missing support and stability needed for recovery.

In March Irvin is going to Concrete to begin Summer Fun Rentals and needs a solid person to take over the Moses Lake Life After Meth program. He plans to start a Life After Meth program in other Washington cities.

Justin and Edmonson are beginning a meth awareness and prevention program aimed at youth, once the program's non-profit status is obtained.

The program involves a stunt bike show to grab attention of youth during school presentations to help them talk about the dangers of the drug.

Justin said he is interested in working with youth because he started using at a young age and feels youth can relate to him. He said he doesn't want youth to use the drug because he feels he lost opportunities and a large part of his life, adding that manufacturing the drug is the only skill he has. Justin said he knows he can become a productive person and earn a legitimate living.

Edmonson said he wants to work with youth because he understands how drug use of a parent can affect children. He said he wants to give youth a better chance at life before the drug can take it away from them.

They urge people who see them in public to ask them about the program.

"I don't have to lie about anything anymore. I can tell you my story, even the ugly parts. I'm not proud of it, but I'm not ashamed." Irvin said. "I am life after meth."

They say they want the subject of meth to become something people can talk about.

"Everybody is worth it. Everybody is worth trying to help," he said. "There are people out there who really want to quit. It gets a hold of good people."

While the men are awaiting non-profit status they are selling buttons with anti-meth slogans for $1 to benefit Life After Meth.

For more information about Life After Meth, contact Irvin Olson at 509-539-8236.