Crystal Clean

Crystal Clean

By: Kimberly Wollenburg

Crystal Clean is the emotional and honest story lived and told by a mother struggling with meth addiction.

Kim had low self-esteem through her adolescence and started using drugs and alcohol at a very young age to help her cope with her depression. By the time Kim was in her late 30’s, she was using every day. Kim tells her story starting from the way she was treated at school at a very young age up until she was in her early 40’s and had been sober for 4 years. She tells the story openly sharing both the good things that she learned and all of the negative things that she had to pull herself out of in order to survive and be there for her son. She talks about denial, loving yourself, and taking care of yourself.

It was heartbreaking to read everything that Kim had to go through and the lessons that she had to learn the hard way in order to come out on top of her addiction. It was a tear-jerker when Kim retells her stories about her son Andy, and it truly touched my heart the relationship that she had with her son and how a mother should be willing to do anything to protect their children, including sobering up. The most emotional part was when Kim was talking about being in rehab and having to confront her parents about how she felt.

Crystal Clean is a must read for anyone in this generation due to it’s powerful insight on life provided by the wonderful author and mother that dealt with it first hand. It was the most honest work of art that I’ve ever read and would greatly recommend it to anyone. Hands down, 10/10.


“For some people, it only takes one time. Others may use for a few days or a week before it turns on them, but it always does. And the result is always the same. One hundred percent of the time. Meth will rip you apart and destroy you, no matter who you are, and by then it won’t matter how thin you are or how clean your house is because the whole picture is uglier than anything you can possibly imagine.”

“Getting sober is hard. It hurts, mentally and physically. Staying sober takes true courage. The courage to heal not only the pain caused by addiction, but also all the pain that led to addiction.”

Let’s Run Away

I’ve never seen you before,

I don’t know you-

And yet

If you told me

You see me

Like the silver lining

On your ever present

Gloomy cloud

You hear me

Like the wind

Whispering the secrets

Of life into your ear

You feel me

Like your heartbeat

As your blood rushes

Through your veins

You know me

Like the abandoned home

You lived in through your adolescence

With the fondest memories

I’d drop

e v e r y t h i n g

Leave it all (behind)

At the chance

Of running away with you

For the rest