The idea that meth users are broken-down homeless people is not always accurate.
I noted before about two guys I met who claimed you could have a "responsible meth habit." Well, one is now dead - prematurely - and the other has lost almost everything he worked for in his life. I guess like a fireworks mortar, he zoomed up and burned bright and then burned out. There is no such thing as a responsible meth habit.
Back during the war (fill in which one you please) they gave "little white pills" to soldiers to "stay awake" and of course, they were a form of amphetamine. Turns out, speed kills, but not in the way you would think. It makes people more aggressive and prone to violence, which I think is one reason you see people on the road today not just driving aggressively, but insanely. And maybe this is by design - if you want to foment revolution, having a lot of people hopped-up on meth is going to help you. They are angry at everything and everybody - you just need to point these wind-up soldiers in the right direction.
I also noted before how we had some friends who were "tweakers" but at the time, we didn't understand why they behaved so oddly. We would go to their house and it would be nicely appointed. A week later, we would stop by and find the whole place upended, as they had grandiose plans to redecorate. Their stereo system was disassembled, as the husband (with no electrical training) claimed he was going to improve the sound quality of the amplifier (somehow). They went through a lot of money, buying things and then scattering them on the lawn. I counted no less than three air compressors, left outside until they rusted solid - within a year of purchase!
We've been to campgrounds where the telltale signs of meth use are present. It isn't just skinny redneck dudes with missing teeth (although you have those as well) but the half-finished projects and grandiose plans - and perpetual remodeling. Another sign is the presence of a plurality of packages from United Parcel with brand-new expensive accessories (lighting systems, bar ware, outdoor cookers, etc.) bought from Amazon. The meth-head owner gets all hopped-up and goes online shopping with these vague plans to build a Tiki bar or something. Once he hits "Order Now!" in his mind, the project is already done. You see the packages stacked up outside, clearly having been rained on for weeks. What is the point of that?
Before one project is completed, another is started, and as a result, everything is in a state of being half-finished and half-assed. It is, perhaps, another aspect of Serial Obsessive Construction Disorder. At one campground we visited, the main office building had been constructed, torn down, and then rebuilt, three times within a decade - a structure that should have lasted decades before replacement, a decade or more before a remodel. You can't make money this way.
That is the danger of meth - not that it causes physical health problems (it does, over time) but mental ones. And not that it makes you depressed, but quite the opposite - it makes you feel like you can do no wrong and that everything is just fine. It can also make you angry, argumentative, and violent.
I know this because when I moved to Alexandria, I started having allergies to pollen and other things. I got nasal infections and ear infections and the doctor suggested I take a decongestant to allow things to drain. It helped, but I noticed when I took those little red pills that I would be super-calm until something annoyed me and then I would suddenly get really pissed off! While they did drain my nasal passages, these kinds of pills have side-effects.
It wasn't until years later that I discovered that meth heads were buying these nasal decongestants and then "cooking them down" into meth! All this time, I was taking a mild form of meth - no wonder my behavior was altered. I can only imagine what the more potent version would be like.
The problem for meth heads is that eventually the meth fantasy collides with mean old harsh reality, and something has to give. Reality refuses to budge. It is akin to coke-heads, who live in their fantasy world where they are super-cool and everyone (who does coke) is super-cool as well. Eventually, you run out of coke, usually after running out of money.
Why is this important? You and I are not meth-heads or coke-heads, are we? No, but a lot of people are - people who at least appear to be successful and often succeed for a while at least. These are often the folks selling investment dreams and "the next big thing!" They get all coked-up or methed-up and sell these crazy ideas - and they are so super-cheerful and animated that many people get drawn into their schemes.
You look back at the last decade on Wall Street (or off it) and see all these crazy "investment opportunities" and wonder what the hell people were thinking. A girl in high school invented a new blood-testing machine that is worth billions? No one bothers to think, "Gee, most girls her age are wondering who will take them to the Prom!" And how the hell do you invent the next generation of blood-testing devices based on what you learned in high-school chemistry and physics?
I am not saying she was a meth-head or coke-head, only that the people hyping these investments were either really wily, really stupid, or really high - or a combination of the three. People are so desperate to cash in on "the next big thing!" that they ignore the obvious warning signs.
But the signs are there, if you are willing to notice them - like the pile of mildewy UPS boxes stacked by the door of the office, and the half-finished projects that never seem to be completed, or have no real obvious use or purpose. I mean, a fountain with little ceramic froggies is nice and all, if you ever finished it. But maybe fixing the septic system should be first on your list of priorities. Just a thought.
Of course, we all live in fantasy-worlds from time to time. Perhaps it is a form of escapism for most of us - getting away from the drudgery of day-to-day living. And yes, we used to start projects at our home before finishing other ones, until I put my foot down and realized that all that crap you buy from Home Depot on the end-cap display isn't adding a single dollar to the value of your home, and is often creating a maintenance nightmare, not an enhancement in your life.
It's bad enough to have half-finished projects in your home, in your business it is murder!
