Leaving Dirty Jersey

the long version

With his nickname, Dirty Jersey, tattooed on forearm, James Salant wanted everyone to know he was a tough guy. At 18, after one too many run-ins with the cops for drug possession, he left his upper-middle-class home in Princeton, New Jersey, for a rehab facility in Riverside, California. He spent his year there shooting crystal meth and living as a petty criminal until a near psychotic episode convinced him to clean up. He provides graphic descriptions of life on crystal meth--the incredible sex drive, the paranoia, the cravings. He details the slang, the scams, and the psychoses, and weaves them into a narrative that is honest and authentic. He eschews easy answers--his parents were loving and supportive, and his family's subtle dysfunctions are typical of almost any American family. This story is shocking precisely because it could happen to almost anyone.--From publisher description.