Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Makes sense to me, March 24, 2005
My son read this book in a jail cell and it has changed his life---we hope forever---when nothing else worked. If so, we will be forever indebted to Mr. Box for sharing his story and his insights. Thank you so much!
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If Your Not Understanding It, Read This Book, February 6, 2005
Lt. Joel Day- Arkansas City Fire/EMS
If you are a victim of any kind involved around methamphetamines,this book will help you to understand what exactly is going on with this drug. Whether a addict, family member, spouse, co-worker, friend, etc., Steve explains what I feel vertualy every addict and family member is or has gone through. This book ought to be required reading in our schools. Arm yourself now with some knowledge about this drug, for knowledge is the power needed to combat this drug and its victims. Thanks Steve
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26 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What about prescription meth?, May 1, 2005
This book is written from a spiritual angle, so naturally, somebody who reads this book with a neurochemical bent may mistakenly point out that it's absurd. But to look at it only from a neurochemical angle in terms of how it affects the catecholamines misses the point that meth can be looked at from many different angles. It affects a person's thoughts, emotions, and behavior. And it can also be instrumental in destroying a person's life and ravaging communities.
The author tries to draw some parallels between a biblical definition of sorcery and how the microcosm surrounding street-level meth is a manifestation of modern-day sorcery. I don't agree with every point because some assertions that are made cannot be proven with conventional scientific methods, but can only be speculated on anecdotally. In one instance, he asserts that the fact that creating meth requires a recipe is an indication that meth is sorcery. While I do understand how meth can be considered modern day sorcery, the association of meth to sorcery because a recipe is involved is spotty at best. I believe one aspect of modern day sorcery is manifested in the form of consciously controlling somebody's subconsciousness by whatever means available, and to that end, meth can be sorcery the way the author describes how some use it to achieve selfish purposes.
However, one thought that came to mind was that if there is any truth to the author's claims that street-level meth is a form of sorcery, can we also consider the possibility that pharmaceutical-grade ADHD medications represent a form of institutionalized sorcery in much more subtle degrees? Adderall and Dexedrine are pharmaceutical amphetamines, and Desoxyn is pharmaceutical methamphetamine. These are prescribed for ADHD and narcolepsy. Dexedrine is still used by Air Force pilots to keep them alert during long flights. New medications are being created to get away from the stigma associated with prescribing amphetamines to the general population, but the effectiveness of amphetamines and methamphetamine cannot be ignored. Pharmaceutical companies approach these drugs primarily from a "chemical imbalance" point of view, and we're left to figure out the spiritual implications of these drugs ourselves. Certainly, the overt and seedy effects of street-level meth don't apply at all or to the same degree that pharmaceutical amphetamines do, but for instance, there are similar issues of potential dependence on the drugs and the manufacturers of the drugs.
But why stop there? Why not consider the fact that there is a spiritual component to just about any major psychoactive pharmaceutical drugs out there (including SSRIs, opiates, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines) if we're considering the principles laid out in this book?
Although I'd be hard-pressed to make sweeping conclusions about pharmaceutical drugs since their purpose and method of usage differ quite a bit from drugs that are created primarily for recreational purposes, where we draw the line between legitimate use of our knowledge in chemistry and outright sorcery is blurred by the somewhat ironic fact that on the one hand, we're arresting some functional users (those who use meth primarily to study and to work) of street-level meth, but on the other hand, we're handing them out via prescriptions to some who abuse it, with the full blessing of Uncle Sam no less.
I've read plenty of articles on meth. I've got a pretty good handle on how it works in our brains. I read this book to get another point of view on a very powerful drug like meth, and the author did a good job of discussing his own experiences with meth. Even if he does make a few leaps of logic, I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water as his experiences do raise some interesting questions. I was very much intrigued about a phenomenon that isn't often talked about concerning hallucinations: shared hallucinations where two or more people experience the same hallucinations. I hope to see more treatment on this phenomenon as I myself have experienced things on meth that seem to baffle the naturalist's mind.
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