Dislike the Addiction not the Person

Before you hate an addict, STOP. Think! Use your reason. You know that you've wondered about "these" people and why "they" can't "just stop" ruining themselves, doing drugs, committing crimes, lying, hurting you...

What makes a person want something so badly they will give up all dignity (in some cases) for tiny specks of powder, empty prescription bottles, no more glamor alcohol? Try to imagine that something must take over this person's brain and body, something like a kind of cancer that eats through healthy tissue and overtakes it thereby altering it at a molecular level.

There is a great deal of pain on all sides of addiction and while society tries to "teach lessons" via punishment the recidivism rate doesn't decrease. If this method worked the jails and prisons would be much less empty rather than overcrowding, but instead the only business the keep counting on despite a downward economy is corrections.

At the very core, I don't think that most addicts wanted to end up being what it is you're seeing. It's a spiral out of control. Out of control.

Spotting Denial of Crystal Methamphetamine Addiction or Abuse

Methamphetamine Abuse or Addiction-- The Crystal Meth Difference 

Crystal methamphetamine is in a class of drugs called stimulants. Crystal Meth is always looking for new people to use her because if you like her, she'll control you in no time. Crystal Meth is a tricky bitch; she loves you because once she has you addicted, she controls everything.

Photo Attribution:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/waitingfortheword/8609401964/

Crystal Meth like all drugs goes by many street or slang names so people can talk about drugs in the open without everyone knowing their business.  Some street names for Crystal Methamphetamine are Meth, ice, crystal, crank, tweak, shit, shards, G, glass, Tina. Denial is hard to break.  Addiction holds on strong, mentally and physically, and most people don't want to believe they're addicted, like "those people", or most of all that they have lost control.   

The most important for you to understand is this:  even if someone really wants to stop using, abusing, getting high on Crystal Meth, well, they want to keep using it, too. They want to get high one more time, and it's the ONE MORE TIME that gets us.  If you understand that it's a normal feeling for every addict then you're a heck of a lot closer to spotting their addiction denial and get them the help they deserve.  

Breaking the denial of Meth addiction (or addiction to other drugs) can be a long, hard process that takes time.  Spotting Crystal Meth use is probably the easiest step; getting through the denial is the first step to help a Meth addict.  A lot of people call Crystal Meth addicts "tweakers," so I will sometimes refer to them as tweakers in the Crystal Meth Denial Checklist.

Crystal Methamphetamine - Spotting Denial of Use, Abuse and Addiction

All addicts justify their drug use.  Crystal Meth addicts are just a little bit different. Crystal Meth addicts are a bit more tricky to deal with (sometimes dangerous) because Methamphetamine can cause psychosis in people depending on how long they've been using, how much and how strong their Crystal, and how many days the person has been awake. If you use Crystal Meth see if you do these things (you don't have to tell anyone, yet). Watch for these behaviors in a friend or loved one if you suspect they're using Methamphetamine.  Once you're fairly certain you've talk to them about it at a time that seems safest.  Expect denial.  Hope for the best.

Crystal Meth Addiction or Abuse Denial Checklist - For Yourself or Someone Else

If you use Crystal Meth do you say these things to yourself?  If you're reading this because you love someone you suspect is using Crystal Meth do you hear him or her make the justifications below?

• "I control IT, IT does not control me."
• "I can stop using Meth; I just don't want to stop right now."
• "I am not hurting anyone else."
• "I only hurting myself."
• "I don't get high around my kids, family, or at work."
• "I take care of my responsibilities." 
• "My partner/spouse is just freaking out, and nagging me all the time just makes me want to get high, so she/he should back off." 

Comparison Statements Crystal Meth Addicts Use to Justify

Addicts compare themselves to other addicts.  Some things Crystal Meth addicts say:

• "I sleep every night."  
• "I don't crash after a meth binge."
• "I don't lose track of time when I'm using Meth." 
• "I don't get paranoid, hallucinate, or see tree people (I don't think)."
• "I’m not like _____ or as bad as _____."
• "I don't shoot it up."
• "I only snort Crystal."
• "I just smoke it."
• "I haven't used for that long."
• "I don't use it every day."
• "I don't have meth sores, pick at myself, or look like that sleazy tweaker over there."

So what?  Some tweakers work on Wall Street.  Some tweakers live on the street. Some tweakers see or feel (imaginary) bugs or have a sensation of things on their skin, crawling under their skin or are just so high that they pick at themselves creating sores and scabs.  I once thought Meth shards were coming through my pores; I can still see it in my head, but I couldn't grab the damn things.  To this day I don't know if I had sores or not. 

Drugs do not give a damn how they get into your bloodstream, as long as they get there.  Addicts are crafty and we will do whatever is necessary to get high, get well, escape reality, and get those drugs into our bodies. Any orifice is fair game.

• "I only party on weekends."
• "I use Crystal, but I take care of my kids and/or family (and my house is clean)."
• "I have a job."
• "I am too young to be addicted to Meth."
• "I am too old to get addicted."
• "This doesn't happen in my family or where I come from."
• "I have my teeth."
• "I don't have diseases like Hepatitis C, HIV."
• "I play safe when I get high."
• "I don't party and play (PnP)."
• "I always use condoms, clean needles, and never share any part of my works to shoot up."

Do you look at your possessions to make yourself feel like your Methamphetamine addiction is not that bad? I did, until I had nothing to look at anymore.  The process took awhile, but it did happen. Other common justifications and comparison statements used in the middle of addiction:

• "I don't steal...I just return."
• "I have good credit."
• "I don't pawn or trade my belongings (or my kids toys, wives jewelry, husband's tools) to get drugs."
• "I don't spend a lot of money. I get my dope for free."
• "I have a car (that’s not even stolen)."
• "I have my own place to live."
• "I have never been in trouble because I use drugs."
• "I don't sell or trade my body for it."
• "I have never been to jail."
• "I have only been to jail (not prison)."
• "I have not lost everything."

It's also important to look at the people you go to for Meth. That's easy to overlook, but every time you buy, you risk getting busted, wrong place wrong time, rolled, buying a bad batch, etc. Even recreational users puts themselves at risk because violence surrounds drug dealers and users. 

• Can you trust the people you're around when you get high on Crystal?
• Do you do other drugs when you can't get Meth? 
• Do you trust your friends?
• Have you gotten physical with someone you care about because one of both of you were high or coming down?
• Do your friends lie to you, steal from you, or use you for your hookup, pipe, car, money, a place to stay or get high? 
• Are friends gone when the bag is gone?  
• Will your friends support you if you quit using Crystal Meth? 
• Have you done anything while using Crystal Meth that you swore you'd never do? 
• Have you ever crossed your boundaries or personal morals and beliefs to get the drug or to stay high? 
• Do you feel regret, guilt, shame, remorse, surprised, angry, have a holy shit moment about something that you did or happened around you while you high on Crystal?

These are hard questions. A lot of times breaking through Meth denial doesn't last very long, but it might be just enough to get you to look at yourself and what is really going on a little more intently. It's a place to start. Prepare to talk to someone and ask for help.

Be safe.

Other articles that may be helpful:

• Are Crystal Meth and Methadone the Same Drug?
• Cocaine Causes Cognitive Mental Problems

Can't Michael Jackson's Drug Addiction Help Others

With the recent death of Michael Jackson and the uncovering of the depth of his drug problem, it's clear Michael was an addict. I've seen in the news that he went to drug rehab some time ago for his addiction to prescription pain medication, but what seems very clear to me is that for whatever the reasons treatment didn't work for him. In the weeks to come we will undoubtedly be inundated with reports about his private life and the extent of his addiction.

A report today said that he had enough drugs in his system to kill an average person. Well, of course it would. These statements can end up being so misleading because what an addict can tolerate is usually incredible amounts of alcohol or drugs. This is part of being an addict. Tolerance is one of those early signs that your body is building up to your consumption and adapting to your use. One of the signs of being in later stage addiction or alcoholism and having your body start to give out on you is when you begin to consume less amounts to produce the same high or drunk. In alcoholics this can be a sign of liver damage. But this is not just something that happens to alcoholics. These are the words of one former crystal methamphetamine addict, "at the very end I couldn't do much meth at all. Just a little bit had me spun for days. I could feel my body shutting down on me...it was as if the life was literally seeping from me; I was at my end."

I hope that Michael Jackson did not die in vain. His death is another tragic example, like the hundreds if not thousands that go by every day without anyone noticing, of the perils of addiction. With all the resources at his hands, he picked up pills. Instead of thinking he made a poor choice, imagine for just a moment just how incredibly powerful it must be to have an active addiction running through your veins.