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Photo credit: Nature abhors a vacuum
Speaking of methamphetamines, the above campaign unleashed the typical brouhaha in the bent community: to chastise or not to chastise speed users? This most recent ad campaign--a four-month media blitz produced by the California Methamphetamine Initiative called "Me, Not Meth"--can been seen throughout the city, mainly in the queer-ish Castro and SOMA neighborhoods. And those ads you've seen on TV? Featuring men sitting at their desks, talking into webcams? Part of the same ad campaign, directed by Hollywood notable Joel Schumacher. How fancy. And expensive. (SF Aids Foundation has more info here.)
While we're not exactly elated about yet another attempt to get the boys off the crack, the latest ad campaign begs the question: will 'Me, Not Meth' make a gram of difference with SF meth use?
Obligatory get-help mention: visit Tweaker.org if you haven't slept in several days, can quit the junk, or need serious help. They have loads of resources if you need it.
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this is still my favorite meth commercial: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=fY1Pl1zGowc
I DON'T SLEEP
I DON'T EAT
BUT I'VE GOT THE CLEANEST HOUSE ON THE STREET
ONE MORE HIT NO TIME TO WASTE
OOOOH METH
MMMMM METH!!!!!
I have never taken any drugs so I personally hate having to look at the fucked up people while waiting for MUNI. Maybe these will stop somebody from starting down the drug path. I just don't know.
My partner lost a friend to meth a few months ago. They had kind of fallen out of touch until things got really bad and he called asking for money. A few months later, he was dead of a probable OD.
Jake Gyllenhaal does meth?
He's never going to give meth up, never going to let meth down.
It is a sobering campaign. Too many folks I know have had their lives destroyed by meth.
I'm sure there's statistics about these ads preventing drug use, but I don't think any pants pissing meth head has looked at these and said, "Yeah... hey this does suck!"
Aren't these guys awfully pretty to be meth users? Would the ad campaign be more effective if they showed how you really look?
http://www.mappsd.org/Faces%20of%20Meth.htm
Well, speaking as someone who has had many friends struggle with meth, they don't *always* look like guys who have been living on the street for days and weeks. In fact, that's part of the problem among gay users who are into the PnP scene - it's easy enough to rationalize that you're just partying on the weekends, so you don't really have a meth problem, but then those weekends start to add up to something much bigger.
Meth is death.
Wow Brock, your apathy makes me sad. That's cool that you're real about it and I'm sure you do speak for a lot of people but to me it's just a shame seeing a site like this trivialize the meth issue. I mean, should we stop encouraging safe sex just because lots of people are still going to bareback?
As for the ad, I don't think it'll have much of an effect on addicts but I think it's more of a preventative measure aimed at people who are thinking about using meth or have only used it casually.
I'd like to know the efficacy these public service ads and if they really dissuade individuals from using Meth. In my home nabe and my work 'hood these ads, as well as the Tweaker.org ads featuring porn performers, are every few feet. They're so prevalent and repetitive I think most people ignore them.
That being said, I really want to go out this evening with a white marker, add some arithmetic equations to the ads and change the slogan to: I lost ME to MATH.
PhilG, point taken, and I can see how they'd want to use people you might relate to, but this guy is so hot he makes me want to take meth with him.
totally, rroseselavy. he is hot. very.
i don't know why they didn't use meth users at the end of their lives--like that smoker lady with the hole in her neck. i guess the assumption is that the gays won't bother to look at anything that isn't sexy. or that they can't immediately identify with. pft.
an analogy:
abstinence-only sex education actually increases the rates of unsafe sex and consequently increase the rate of STIs, by pushing relevant, factual, safe sexual practice information out of the public square (and eating up public monies to do so).
these campaigns are, 100%, a waste of your tax monies.
It has people talking about it at muni stations in the morning. I think it works. One friend told me that one of the (many) reasons he sought help, was all of the adds from a previous campaign at castro muni. He would see them as he was perspiring uncontrollably on his way into a job downtown that he later lost. It just reinforced it for him. That is just one story, but hopefully there are others. Fuck it, I don't hear any other ideas that are so wonderful.
good point. these ads pacify city supervisors and the drug-free eliete who feel better when they see said posters or tv ads. makes sense since this is a city that bases much of its action and legislation on feelings rather than logic--at least more so than any other american city.
I really don't know about these being a waste of money - you know, of my friends who have had meth problems (and a couple of them had very severe problems, like winding up homeless with AIDS), one of the things that eventually brought them around was the awareness that people didn't regard it as "okay" that they were fucking up their lives. Putting out ad campaigns that make people think about what they're doing to themselves and those around them seems like a good use of public funds to me; I know at least one of my friends who wouldn't have gotten off meth if it hadn't been for the constant message being put out there that meth really isn't just a "party" drug, that it really will ruin your life, and part of what drove that message home was seeing what happened to other people.
As for not showing people who are completely fucked up in the ads, well, if you're a gay meth user who does it undercover, and you haven't been reduced to a toothless shell, seeing only those sorts of people might lead you to the erroneous conclusion that "well, I don't look as bad as them, so my problem isn't as bad." Showing guys who look like anybody you might meet at a bar gets the idea across that you don't have to be homeless to have a problem with meth.
PhilG and daithi:
for every anecdotal report of people who have been shamed into getting clean by ads, there are a thousand teens or, in this case i suppose the appropriate descriptor is "twinks", who, in the absence of any other reliable non-hysterical information about it, decide that the government is feeding them a line of bullshit because IT JUST MAKES YOU FEEL SO GOOD. also, because the government is in fact feeding them a line of bullshit.
dollars to doughnuts says that in 15 years, late-twenties and early-thirties hipsters everywhere will be wearing the late-aughties equivalent of "just say no" and "DARE" t-shirts.
the fact is that we don't need more hysteria about {insert drug-scourge-of-the-month here}, we need reliable, factual information about the very real risks, but presented in a manner that does away with the moralizing hypocritical bullshit. when you have access to reliable, non-judgemental information, treated like an adult that can make decisions for oneself, etc, you are far more likely to make the correct, meaning sustainable, choice.
and as an aside, i tried to buy pseudoephedrine the other day because the phenylephrine they now put in cold remedies doesnt fucking work for me (and there's some doubt whether it's any better than placebo in the general case) and i had to SHOW MY FUCKING ID and GET MY NAME PUT ON A FUCKING LIST.
i'm confused, if we wanna be cool we have to say "yay meth! meth is good, only the squares want you to stop using it?"
personally I don't see the appeal of a drug made from super toxic chemicals.
although I did enjoy the show "Breaking Bad." So am I a nerd or am I cool?
Calgon, take me away.
Hmm, so rageahol, I know somebody and Phil knows somebody that benefited from this, but you know thousands who will take the opposite approach? give me a break, and boo hoo that you have to sign you fucking name to get cold medicine, there is a fucking meth epidemic in this town, and your thousands of mythical hipsters are nothing to the folks who I actually know who are benifitting from these campaigns. Sorry for the anger in the post, but this hits too close to home to ignore. People are dying every day from this damm drug. I have seen it, It ain't pretty.
I also made a quick call to a friend who works at newleaf, they have seen a marked increase in folks looking for help since the campaign started. More proof that these campaigns do have an impact.
I was about to go on a 4 day binge.
Thank god I saw the ads in time to save myself.
Is it too early in the day for cocktails?
mariconsoy, it's never to early for that. ever.
...dollars to donuts?
I worked on a campaign similar to this a few years ago. Meth really is a pretty damn big deal. Drug of choice for preggers, which is alone enough to make you want to eradicate it.
I also think a direct appeal to emotions and encouraging people to look at more information provided elsewhere (as this ad does) works better than throwing statistics at people's faces.
Rageahol's right for the general public, but tweakers aren't going to be thinking straight are not going to be able to make informed decisions. Giving them statistics is like throwing paper airplanes at a tank.
These are better than those odd neo-constructionist anti-meth ads that followed the tweaker.org campaign with the sexy meth demon person thing. Meth is a communist regime? I don't get it. Still, they should give those ads with rotten teeth they use in the square states a try. This whole "nonjudgemental" approach to public health is obviously a big fat failure.
daithi:
correlation != causation
furthermore, current methodologies for substance abuse treatment have a long term success rate barely better than nothing at all.
angry young man:
im sorry, when did we try a nonjudgemental approach to public health?
orangedrink:
i realize it's a big deal. i've dabbled with it myself, and it's fucking scary. but substitute "dopers", "alcoholics", or even your favored racial epithet, for "tweakers", and it would be just as odious a sentiment as your statement about informed decisions. people have the right to make their own decisions about what to do with their bodies.
That meth dude looks just like my bike mechanic.
BROCK I SAW U SAY SOMETHING ABOUT COCKTAILS
NOW PLEASE?
I get that we're showing normal-looking guys with meth problems on posters as a way to show that it can happen to anyone. But, I also feel that putting "meth dreamboat guy" on MUNI creates a mixed message, almost saying meth is hot.
Remember those anti-smoking commercials from the 90s? One featured several guys smoking cigarettes in a bar, making eyes with some girls, and suddenly their cigarettes went flacid. And the voiceover, "Smoking is the #1 cause of impotency." That kept me away from smoking in my teenage years.
I'm definitely not trying to equate cigarettes with meth here (obvi!), but I think the problem with these new ads is that we're not seeing a cause and effect relationship. We're just seeing pictures of attractive men.
...Also, anyone else thinking that this looks suspiciously like the same blue marker from the recent 'i love you' graffiti?
rageahol - I agree. inform and inform again, but this ad is certainly not taking away someone's right to make their own decisions. But I've known enough tweakers, meth heads etc to know how quickly the intellect falls away. Do you really see the majority of meth addicts going through withdrawal thinking "75% of meth users go to jail an/or contract face cancer! With this new fact I am fortified to fight what is a physical and emotional rather than intellectual addiction! Yee-ha!"
Appeal to emotions first, then to the intellect.
Man, I got to through out some more boob comments soon or I'm going to get dangerously close to contributing to good discussion.
*throw out. Does this mean I lose the argument?
But the question is, do we really need EVERY SINGLE AD SPACE in the station to have one of these images in it? And why the Castro station instead of the Civic Center or Powell Street stations?
What's a gay guy to think? Guilty by association? All gay guys are crack heads? I should start doing some so that I'll fit in better among my peers?
Generati- nearly every single ad space at Powell BART station is devoted to these ads. I guess meth has infiltrated the financial district, too.
Which might go to explain those funny hand gestures the stock traders make.
does this include adderall? it had better not.
"correlation != causation
furthermore, current methodologies for substance abuse treatment have a long term success rate barely better than nothing at all."
Rageaho, not to be argumentative with you, but that is not true and is absolute bullshit. Newleaf have a 75% success rate after 3 years for folks that complete their meth abstinence program. FACT. Check your source, I checked mine. thanks,
slow down, you move too fast
you gotta make that cocaine last
you're choppin' it up on a cobblestone
then you found it was speed
NOW YOU'RE A LITTLE ON EDGE
How about all of those anti-pot commercials on Tv these days? Like the guy weaving his own cocoon and then turning into the bald guy from Tenacious D. Those are awesome.
daithi:
if you want to get into the details, i'm perfectly willing.
75% success rate after three years. how is success defined? how is completion of the program defined? how do they do the followups? why three years? my experience has been that in order to claim a high success rate, the criteria for success as well as the timeline are chosen in such a way as to maximize that number. happens all the time.
there are a lot of determinants of how successful an individual is at kicking an addiction. there's a massive body of literature on this. the vast majority of these, though, rest on a genuine desire of the drug user to change their behavior, and to be willing to endure the struggles that result from getting and staying clean. people who come to newleaf or any other treatment center, and complete the program (what's the dropout rate, anyway?) are obviously less likely to relapse in the short term (i.e. three years).
but you still havent made the case that these ads in particular are causing people to want to get help. when i moved here three years ago, there were meth ads all over the muni stations too. i an extremely suspicious of any claims that these ads, which are not that different from public shamings, do any good because similar campaigns have proven to be a complete and total waste of money. perhaps there's some other explanation for the uptick in newleaf enrollments. and, mind you, more enrollments means squat when you're talking about a) completion of the program, and b) long term success.
Be as suspicious as you want to be. I have given you numbers stats, and have heard directly from folks that it succeeds, the more you write the clearer it is to me, that you come not from a position of knowledge, but just like to be a contrarion. You have offered not one fact, yet you say things like "thousands of people" "massive body of literature". Getting help works, I have seen it with friends and loved ones, I have also seen friends say whats the point getting help does not work, and guess what they are not doing so well, but good luck with your views, I just know for a FACT that they are wrong. have a good day
yes, youve offered facts, if you consider anecdote and poorly-supported assertion "facts".
i dont.
God, fine rageahol. I'll go buy some crack right after work!
You don't seem to consider much, I will grant you that.
Ok, folks, it seems to me that some people are just ungrateful malcontents and I'd argue are just about as constructive as meth dealers in this issue. Or maybe they're the same people. Lots of activists and people who are trying to build up this community have complained for years that while we have some treatment slots and some small campaigns, there has never been a serious prevention effort throughout the state for gay men. And now we have one, which a lot of people, inside and outside the gay community, have worked, collaboratively, on. Here you have the state actually financing an ad that says hey, gay men are important, and are worthy of spending public health dollars on, and even encourages a message saying "My family was fine my being gay but I lost them because of meth". And here are some arrogant guys who think nothing of destroying property with graffiti or just whining endlessly. If you don't like it, then come up with a better campaign. But don't destroy. It's a whole lot easier to destroy than it is to build, but doesn't do anyone else any good. So start trying to figure out how to undo the harm that meth has done to the community and I can guarantee you that whining and graffiti won't be the solution.
And as for the informed decisions part - sure, some guys are capable. But do some careful looking at what meth does to your dopamine receptors and try to convince me that all guys on meth are making informed decisions.
And a ps - I'm really sorry you can't get your cold medicine as easily. but i doubt you're complaining too bitterly when you get a prescription for many other drugs. Doesn't seem like too high a price.
I know a great guy who has kicked meth and been clean for many years. I know many more who have struggled with it, getting clean for a while, then slipping, then getting clean again. And I know some who are DEAD today because of meth. I've known a lot of people who had problems with different drugs and almost all of the DEAD ones were meth abusers.
Meth will fuck you up in ways you don't even notice.
I'd love to see a sign...
DON'T DO DRUGS!
AND IF YOU DO DO DRUGS...
DON'T DO METH!
hey grumpy sf people! this ad campaign is all over california! i just took a road trip to the anza borrego desert using all the back hiways and freeways to avoid the la/oc vortex and you can see people have lost "me" in palmdale, mojave, bakersfield, wasco, salton city and so on.
so it's not just folks in sf who lost "me"! "me" is lost all over the state, whether the billboards work or not.
now everyone should enjoy a nice, relaxing, natural spliff.
~~~gogo
I happen to a Marketing Coordinator, and I happen to be watching TV and saw your companies ad about "I lost me to Meth." In all due respect to the creator, you have missed represented people who do Meth. (Target Market) According to when I was in college you target those demographics that message is geared to. Therefore, most people that "loose themselves to Meth" do not have a TV/Cable/House/Apartment. In conclusion you are wasting time and money! Hello, time to wake up and fire your Marketing Rep/Executive/Coordinator. YOUR MISSING THE POINT! Oh, wait, this is more for political reasons, DUH, WHERE IS MY HEAD!