Meth: a Ticking Timebomb Gone Viral

The Scales of Injustice

Two days ago while we were on our walk, Nada and I called into our local 7-Eleven to get milk. I waited outside, and when Nada came out of the store, she urged me to weigh myself on the scales by the entrance doors. Out of fear, I hesitated momentarily, before giving in to curiosity. It turned out to be one Baht I wished I had never spent. Ignorance truly is bliss.

When I arrived in Hua Hin in April 2024, the bathroom scales in my rented townhouse told me I was 92kg (202 lbs). Considering my fight weight in the mid-90s was 67kg, that number seemed excessive. So, I joined my local gym and set about reversing the trend of upward weight gain.

I knew that giving up meth was going to present more than just mental health issues, and as my body began to return to normality, there was a chance I would gain weight. I didn't fit into the stereotype meth junkie look, after all, I didn't want friends and family questioning any weight loss that might come from not eating for days on end. When I was high, I would force myself to eat just to avoid those situations.

But, as hard as I tried over the following months, the scales showed an ever-increasing weight gain. To try and reverse the gains, I increased my cardio, and after six months of sweating it out on the machines at the gym, my weight levelled out at around 98kg.

Then, I met Nada and stopped training for four months...and during that time, I succumbed to her cooking abilities. There is no one but myself to blame for what the scales were telling me (even though Nada was the one who 'forced' me to eat her wonderful food).

I had to face reality, and as I stared at the scales, the voice inside my head told me the shocking truth. "Hi, my name is Neil, and I weigh 102kg."

For a few moments, I wallowed in self-pity and experienced a 'woe is me' moment. Nada did her best to cheer me up by telling me it doesn't matter about my weight because she loves fat guys, which despite the blunt instrument of that statement, brought a smile to my face. You see, I was overweight when Nada met me, and I do not doubt that she is telling the truth. She loves me for who I am and what I bring to the relationship (laughter, honesty, leadership, financial security and great sex...LOL) and I am not going to allow a few kilos of fat to ruin this relationship.

I'm working hard to reduce some of the excess weight I am carrying. But, no matter what the scales say, I am happy, healthy and living the life I dreamed of before embarking on this new adventure in Thailand.