Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines

by Nic Sheff

“Being sober isn’t just about not using. Being sober is about the joy a life of clarity and living by spiritual principles can bring. There is nothing greater than that. Forget drugs. Forget needles. Forget everything. We are living to experience the undiluted amazement of life on life’s terms.

For the years Nic was in the midst of his addiction, when I didn’t know if he’d make it, my life also deteriorated. I could barely function. I had to recover, too, and over the years of that recovery I experienced, as Nic so eloquently puts it, “the undiluted amazement of life on life’s terms.” His story can be inspiration to all of us, no matter what we’re suffering, whether it’s our own or a loved one’s addiction or any of the other challenges we face. Watching Nic learn and grow – as he’s built the kind of life he always wanted (and I always wanted for him) – I’ve learned from him to appreciate life in new ways- and I do. It doesn’t mean I still don’t struggle – I definitely do – but it’s ok, because it’s part of life and inevitable. We all wish it wasn’t, but there’s freedom when we accept it. I think that’s what Nic means when he talks about experiencing life on life’s terms.