Flakka is a dangerous synthetic drug in the bath salts family that can lead to a wide range of extreme symptoms including “excited delirium”,  where users have boundless energy and strength and exhibit bizarre behaviour. Flakka can trigger terrible hallucinations, paranoia and even psychosis. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), you can snort, eat, inject or even vape flakka.

Flakka first surfaced in Fort Lauderdale, Florida a few years ago and slowly spread to other parts of the US. Flakka wreaked havoc and caused users to do all sorts of crazy things like commit lewd public acts, break down a hurricane proof door at a police station, and violently attack innocent victims.

Owing to its inexpensive prices tag, flakka is also known as “five dollar insanity” . The drug is manufactured in China and can be easily purchased on the Internet and shipped to the US for drug trafficking purposes.

NBC News reported that flakka abuse has been linked to over 60 fatalities in Broward County alone. Remarkably, in some cases, flakka user’s body temperature can spike up to 40°C causing extreme dehydration, kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes, and aneurysms. Long-term effects include schizophrenia, psychosis, and permanent brain damage.

Dean’s Poly-substance Abuse Problem

Besides flakka, Dean was a heavy cocaine, crystal meth, and crack abuser. When he used flakka he smoked it with an electronic cigarette. Dean claimed that it was less dangerous than when it is injected directly into the blood stream.

Here is Dean’s first interview on July 2015.

And here is his latest interview last November 2016.

Dean’s new home

Dean is content with his new home at a South Florida sober residential facility. He is right where he belongs at this precarious stage of his life. Dean is well aware as an addict that he could slip and relapse at any moment. This is precisely why his sober home is the perfect place for him to be now.

The sober apartment facility houses his peers who are in various stages of their recovery. Dean gets along really well with them and everyone help each other get through their day to day recovery struggles. His life is so much less complicated now. Dean holds a steady job during the day and goes to NA meetings every night. And on occasion, hits the high seas, to go on fishing trips with his step dad.

Karen Corcoran-Walsh is an expert in the treatment of mental health and drug or alcohol abuse and addiction, also known as Dual Diagnosis, with a specialty in working with teenagers. Renowned as an adolescent addiction treatment centre professional, she has worked in the professions of education and drug treatment for approximately 20 years. Karen is the co-founder of Inspirations for Youth and Families, an adolescent treatment programme and The Cove Centre For Recovery, an adult addiction treatment centre. You can follow her on Twitter @AskAboutTeens