"THE METH-DRIVEN LIFE"

The sales of "The Purpose-Driven Life" shot through the roof after Ashley Smith, the hostage of courthouse gunman Brian Nichols, said that it helped her convince him to set her free.

In the wake of her inevitable book deal, it turns out that "purpose" wasn't the only thing setting Ms. Smith free.

From your Chicago Sun-Times:

Ashley Smith, the woman who says she persuaded suspected courthouse gunman Brian Nichols to release her by talking about her faith, discloses in a new book that she gave him meth during the hostage ordeal.

Smith did not share that detail with authorities at the time. ***

Smith, 27, a widowed mother who gained praise for her level-headedness, says the seven-hour hostage ordeal in March led to the realization that she was a drug addict, and she says she hasn't used drugs since.

And if you can't believe a self-described methamphetamine addict when she says she's quitting, who can you believe?