Lasse warns others as amphetamine takes over his life

A man who began using amphetamine at 15 says the drug now controls his daily life. He is warning others about addiction and its consequences, DR reports.

Lasse, a pseudonym given to him by DR, is in his late 20s. He has had steady jobs and work placements, but says amphetamine, also known as speed, has been a constant presence in his life. His routine is now close to coming to a standstill.

He says he usually wakes around 10am and takes his first lines of the day, then uses about one an hour to maintain the high. He spends much of the day on his phone, watching Facebook or documentaries, and sometimes exercises.

Lasse says the drug initially boosted his confidence and made him feel like a better version of himself. After seeing characters use powder in the film Pusher, he became curious and did not consider the consequences. He describes the effect as an intense feeling that removed the body’s natural signal to stop when tired.

What began as a party drug quickly became something he used every day, he says. His dependence has also damaged his relationships with his parents and siblings. At family meals and gatherings, he says, he thinks about when he can take his next line.

“The worst thing about addiction is that your whole life feels like a prison,” he says. He says he needs amphetamine to feel calm and to manage everyday tasks such as washing dishes.

He says he needs two to three grams a day, or about 20 to 30 lines, to function. He spends more than 7,000 kroner a month on the drug and says he usually takes up to four more lines before bed to stave off withdrawal and settle down to sleep. He receives benefits and tries to limit his use to what he can afford, in an effort to avoid returning to crime.

Lasse says amphetamine can cost as little as 30 to 50 kroner per gram, depending on quality. He says some of the drug is cut with substances such as caffeine or creatine.

He was recently sentenced to two months in prison after financing his addiction in part by selling drugs through social media. He says he set up a Snapchat account several years ago and received 45 new customer requests within a day. At the time, he saw himself as a business owner rather than a dealer, but says he now recognises that he was earning money from other people’s addiction.

He says he sold to people aged 15 to 70 and had set 15 as the minimum because that was the age he started using. He could not rule out that he had also sold to children younger than 15.

DR has given him the name Lasse because he speaks about drug use and criminal activity, including offences for which he has not been convicted. The newsroom says it knows his real identity and has seen documentation of his court sentence.

According to the Danish health information service Sundhed.dk, amphetamine is a synthetic drug that affects the central nervous system. Its effects can include euphoria, increased energy and restlessness, while heavy use can lead to anxiety, depression and psychosis. Non-medical use, sale and production are illegal.