Mercury Staff
Brian Wagner was 13 years old when he began using methamphetamines.
“It was a survival tactic,” he says. “It would help me stay awake until my abusive stepdad went to sleep.”
More than a decade later, Wagner’s on-and-off addiction to meth led to him living in a tent in Portland. There, he’d use meth to stay awake and warm during winter nights. It also suppressed his appetite, meaning he wouldn’t have to buy food.
“It can numb the experience you’re going through,” Wagner says. “It helps when you don’t want to live with reality.”
After three years living outdoors, Wagner entered a residential drug treatment program, and left meth—and homelessness—behind. Not all are so lucky.
