Headlines

Chronicle Of Meth's Damage Changes Other Lives

Friday, October 19, 2007

Belleview News Democrat (IL)

When a former meth addict commissioned a film to document his decline prior to his death, he did so in the hopes that it would help others recognize the ravages of the drug. His blunt approach appears to be paying off.

In the months since Shawn Bridges, 35, died in a Cape Girardeau hospital on March 26, thousands of DVDs of the half-hour documentary have been sold or given away. "No More Sunsets," shot by a former southern Illinois television videographer, takes an unflinching look at the aftermath of Bridges' addiction.

Bridges' troubles began early. Shawn always struggled with the death of his infant brother in a car accident. The wreck happened when Shawn was 4. His parents, trying to ease his grief, may have been too lenient with the boy, said his father, Jack Bridges.

Shawn was a high school dropout at 16, who went from smoking cigarettes to sneaking beer and wine and eventually to marijuana and heavier alcohol use.

Abuse of caffeine pills and pseudoephedrine ultimately turned to a methamphetamine addiction, or "that poison," as his father calls it.

"It takes everything away from everyone who gets on it," Jack Bridges said. Meth use ruined Shawn's heart, so while he kicked his habit, he wasn't able to save his own life. He thought his story could help others.

The "No More Sunsets" project documented by videographer Chip Rosetti shows a gaunt Shawn in a hospital bed, unable to speak as friends and relatives tell about his drug use, his first heart attack at age 26, and his desire that others won't follow the path he traveled.

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