Catching a full night's sleep is a dream for recovering meth addict Cliff. It's not his two kids that keep him up late; it's the 11 years he used methamphetamines.
"I sleep about two hours at a time and I keep waking up. I would stay up for weeks at a time my body has still not adjusted," Cliff said.
Cliff often stayed awake for weeks at a time, shooting up meth every three hours, then smoking crack in between.
"I figured I would be OK with it as long as I was alive. There was nothing in my mind saying at some point it wasn't going to be OK," he said.
His run with drugs started at age 10, with marijuana. At 15, he turned to speed.
"It was being extremely strung out, being dope sick, being in a lot of pain and then realizing that no matter how I felt or what was going on that I was going to get high," he said.
Cliff decided he needed help. With support from his family he was able to get into Austin Recovery, a drug and alcohol treatment center.
There, his path to a sober life would begin and a unique friendship would be rekindled.
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Overcoming meth
Meth users have a hard battle to overcome their addiction.
 
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"Cliff and I used to work in the bar together. Cliff and I used to deal dope together. After my little bout, I was at church one Sunday night and ran into Cliff, here at the Austin Recovery church service," recovering meth addict Debbie said.
Cliff and Debbie reunited -- this time dope free. Both of them ready to get better, they soon found it'd be the struggle of their life.
"Early on a person won't experience a whole lot of pleasure in much of anything. That's a difficult time period because they know they can change that in an instant. So, that's one of the big challenges with early recovery of this drug," Dennis Barkway of Austin Recovery said.
More people are seeking help to get off meth, Barkway, an admissions counselor, said.
The recovery process is long and tough, but not impossible with professional help, he said.
"Many don't know about treatment and the availability of it, so they feel hopeless and helpless. When they attempt to stop on their own they'll promise themselves they're done, 'I won't do this anymore,' but they're not able to maintain that promise they made themselves," Barkway said.
Sometimes just taking it day by day is hard, Cliff said.
"If I can make it to my bed tonight sober, then that's good," Cliff said.
Cliff and Debbie say public awareness is the key to preventing others from making their mistakes. People have to know the dangers of meth and that help is available.
"If they're done and when they're ready there are places like this that are available to take them in and introduce them to people like us who are willing to help them," Cliff said.
"Today, I carry the message of hope. If I can do it, if I can kick that speed, come on, go with me because it only gets better," Debbie said.
So, what will it take to get speed under control?
Law enforcement groups say they need stronger regulations on meth ingredients and more officers to enforce the law. But police and users in recovery agree, informing the public about the dangers of meth and the treatment available may be the most effective solution.
