Meth Awareness Campaign

[lovemysons]

I was just listening to a radio show that has, I believe, Senator Gonzalos on speaking of a nation wide Meth awareness campaign being held tomorrow. There will be many speakers at schools discussing the dangers of Meth use.

This is the drug that my oldest difficult child is now at State of Texas prison SafeP because of...Oldest difficult child was using this last year when he stole around 10k dollars worth of computer equipment from my husband and a client (where oldest difficult child was employed). It was after my husband found out (a few days after last Christmas) that husband fired oldest difficult child, told his employers what he believed happend and threw our son out of our home, along with filing charges against our son.

I picked him up 2 weeks later off the side of the road, took him to an AA meeting, he was told to do "the next right thing". He allowed me to take him to the investigators office the next day and turn himself in. It was hit and miss as to wether he would jump out of the car last minute, he was a mess with nothing to lose but his life at that point. He has been incarcerated since January 11th of this year. He is alive and for that my heart is grateful.

We had no idea, when his car came up missing and he told us it was impounded and we couldn't locate it...all the while he had sold IT in one night for this drug. He also lost his girlfriend because of this drug. He will be in state of texas prison safep rehab til at least next July. Then released to an area half way house on 5 years of a deferred felony sentence.

Dad hasn't visited him, nor written him. easy child is sad that she can only see her brother behind bars. Young difficult child, 17 is doing better without oldest in the house...but it's still a guessing game as to young difficult child's long term sobriety. However young difficult child has gone with me to jails (before oldest was finally transported to safep) and has seen up close what it is like in adult jail. It is pretty ugly to say the least. I asked him to go as my "bodyguard".

Anyway, just a heads up on the Meth Awareness Campaign. It is highly destructive, highly addictive, causes paranoia and can be seen through weight loss, facial sores, lack of sleep and obviously theft, amongst other things.
Also, from what I understand, more girls use meth...because of the weight loss. The ages 18-25 are at the greatest risk for using this drug.

Hope this helps someone.
Here is a link to "Faces of Meth"
https://web.archive.org/web/2010062...al/DrugIssue/MethResources/faces/photo_3.html


lovemysons

ps...I have seen oldest difficult child on a near weekly basis til he was transported down near Houston, we live in Dallas area. I have seen him once at safp prison. I will visit him again weekend after this upcoming weekend. He still has "user" mentality.

 

[KFld]

Wow, it's been quite a year for you. I'm sorry to hear he still has user mantality. I'll say a prayer that one day this will all kick in for him and he will eventually turn this experience into something positive.
Mine also lost a beautiful car overnight from drugs. It's really a shame what they are willing to do when they are in the midst of their using.

 

[skeeter]

have you seen the "before and after" pictures of some of the meth users? When we were going though our Citizens on Patrol training we were shown a picture of someone I would SWEAR was about 60 - 70 years old. Gray, whispy hair, missing teeth, haggard geay pallor to his face, etc.
Then we were shown a mug shot of him that was taken ONLY 2 years before - when he was NOT using meth. The guy was only 35!!! I swear he had aged 30+ years in those 2 years.
Some of the stuff they use to make this drug (WD-40? Lighter fluid?) and then injest is just incredible.

And don't even get me started on all the hassles I have to go through to now buy allergy medicine!

I'll pray your son stays well after his release. This is a horrible, horrible drug.

 

[PonyGirl]

Oh, man, LMS, thanks for sharing that. My difficult child stole from us, too, and we put him OUT. DEX pressed charges, and difficult child spent 15 months in county jail.

Praise Be, he never got into the meth. I'm sure things would be much more awful today.

I'm glad to see you have survived, and will keep a good thought for oldest. :warrior:

Peace

 

[Lori4ever]

You're right, it is a horrible drug. I hope you can keep youngest difficult child from playing with it and oldest finally realizes before his release. The damage that one does is severe. All of them are bad, but this is the worst yet. You're all in my prayers. You have had a long road and done well with handling it.

 

[Sue G]

I have never seen meth and Alex never used it. But I have seen stuff on television and the internet about it and it just blows me away. It is so horribly addictive and destructive. Alex said when he was in Residential Treatment Center (RTC) that they brought kids in on meth and he couldn't believe the condition they were in. He said there was one youth who would stare and rock from side to side if someone lit up a grill lighter or anything with a flame.

Thanks for posting the link, lms. I will pray for you and yours. Maybe the imposed sobriety will have some impact on his thinking and the choices he makes when he is finally free.

 

[TYLERFAN]

Thanks for the info LMS.
Mine blew $8500.00 in 3 weeks on drugs.
You have been going thru so much. I am praying for you.

Blessings,
Melissa

 

[gottaloveem]

In my area, the drug seems to be heroin, we haven't had meth impact our area yet, but I am sure it is on it's way. Not to say there aren't kids doing it, but it hasn't been a major problem like heroin is here.

Our kids sure don't know what they are doing to their lives when they start doing such awful dangerous drugs such as meth and heroin. I believe there are three options when they go down this path, quit the drug and do a total turnaround, go to jail, or die.

they are too young to understand all that these drugs do to you. Three weeks to the day that Alex died, his friend was found dead in his bed (on mothers day) from heroin use, he was so shook up at Alex's funeral. He also was in recovery for two months before Alex died. You think seeing a friend die would keep him straight forever. But these drugs are so strong and so tempting. It truly is a miracle if they can get off and stay off.

LMS, thank god your son is locked up right now. I hope he sees the light and continues on the right path when he gets out.

 

[judi]

Gottalovem - I think of you and your dear Alex all the time. My son also lost a friend two years ago to heroin. My son is smoking pot (caught him) and who knows what else. These kids just don't know they are playing with fire.

 

[envisablepuppet]

That drug was my difficult child's demon. I live in a very small community (under 2k ppl)surrounded by many even smaller communities. The biggest cities are 1 and 2 hours away from us. We are plagued with the stuff. Here we call it the meth epidemic. We have had ppl die here for and because of this drug. Now remember, this is very small town USA.

We have community meeting, panels, and task forces trying to get a handle on it but to no avail it seems. Some of the kids here using this stuff are as young as 12 yrs old for pity's sake. This is just so heart breaking. When I hear of another kid I've known since they were in preschool is hooked on this stuff it just depresses me for days.

If I were to list all the precautions being taken to protect property and all the new laws and regulations they have had to put in place here you would all be amazed. It's mind boggling. It's a nightmare.

I've gotten to know this drug quite well I'm afraid. I can spot a tweaker pretty well now and here there are a lot of them to spot. How sad is that.

My difficult child is a success story and there are others here in town that have turned it around but many are lost to it. I came back to the CD board because of her successes this time not her failings. By posting about her now I'm hoping it gives someone going through what we did a ray of hope. I owe that to a lot of you here because you gave it to me when I most needed it. I don't think you'll ever know just how much you did help me. Because of you, I'm still standing

Lea

 

[DDD]

LMS, I too am thankful that meth is not a factor in our family. Recently I saw a documentary that gave the very sad
and depressing percentages on drug recovery...meth had the lowest percent.

The one thing that I believe about your son (and used to believe about mine prior to his surgery) is that once HE makes up his mind he wants something..he'll get it. Although that has caused problems in the past, once he makes
the choice to be clean his determination gives him a better
chance at recovery than most.

It's just a matter of "when", I guess. DDD

 

[lovemysons]

Thank you for all of your kind thoughts and prayers on behalf of my son.
It is amazing what they are willing to sacrifice for their drug of choice. One thing I have learned about this particular drug is that they lose all sense of fear, sort of a superhuman mentality while on it then serious paranoia while coming off of it.

Last visit, the first to the prison rehab...I mentioned that I had met a man who had a cocaine addiction and whata "sales guy" attitude he possessed. Like cocky and once proud that he could swindle so many people so easily. My difficult child actually said "Ya, that's why I wasn't into cocaine, they're all so arrogant".
I thought to myself, YOU aren't arrogant??? Roll Eyes, shake head.

Sadly, I have heard him in fits of defiance (in jail) exclaiming a joyless life without this drug. As though there is no better reason to simply Live, no (fill in the blank) better no nothing better than being on it. That was the last panic attack I had. Fear can paralyze me.
At the meetings I was reminded to "Check your motives".
They suggested not to see him again if it had Anything to do with what I thought I could do for him or could receive in return for my visits, go with no expectations, go Only as a "gift" or don't go at all.
That has helped me place my heart and my attitude into higher hands.
If I continue to fall apart and behave according to what his addictions tell Him, then I am letting his addictions have power and control over me.


I hope all of our children who struggle with addictions will wake up and reclaim their lives. I see so many young people at AA meetings. They are the mirror image of my sons. Usually intelligent, handsome, beautiful, charming or endearing...FULL of so much obvious Potential. So hard to resist for our mommy hearts.

thanks again.
lovemysons

 

[everywoman]

LMS---Amen. I am so sick of watching young people lose control of their lives because of a chemical. I have seen so many people with wasted lives because of their addictions. It breaks my heart to see what is going on all around me. I see it everywhere. What can we do? What's the answer? How can we teach that there is no peace in a life filled with drugs?

 

[lovemysons]

Katmom...I have no idea what to do except what is suggested in the program of AA and Al-Anon (for the family members who live with an alcoholic/addict).

I have observed alot of common threads in the personalities of those of us and our children who are addicted.
Many have secrets in their pasts, things they can't reconcile as just part of being a human being/learning experiences. Substance abusers seem to be very hard on themselves and very hard on the world around them. Overly sensitive, things just seem to affect them in degrees that the average guy goes unaffected.
Being a perfectionist is Very common place for the wives and mothers who live with addicts/alcoholics. Guilt, shame, denial, fear and anger seem to dominate the lives of the family members. Many say, "We are complicated people who need easy instructions and simple messeges".
The 12 steps involve waking up to a reality that "Im not G-d and neither are you" in my humble opinion. Also, coming clean...sharing the ugly secrets with G-d and another human being. Realizing, that you are like hundreds of thousands of people before you, no big surprises about your human experience. Nothing that can't be loved and accepted. Nothing that can't be apologized for or learned from.

I am of the belief that most people will experiment with an altered reality state at some point in their lives. Drug addicts and alcoholics do not like the real or perceived truths they have gathered from their understanding of themselves in this life. They are not balanced people.
LOL, I am often amazed at how some "creep" can live with himself, when if it was me, I would "want to die", etc. It's that overboard kind of mentality. Extreme. Just like drugs...nothing in balance.
One is too many for an addict and 100 not enough. Any dependence on something else (with the exception of G-d) for inner security begins to take over.
Addicts hate themselves. They never feel "good enough". Nothing satisfies. They are constantly in a state of need.
Anyway...Its built in. People who don't wrestle with these kinds of "mental problems", "spiritual problems", have NO clue whatsoever as to what is the big freaking deal...they just expect others to get over it, make a better choice, blah, blah, blah. It's not as simple as others would like it to be. And it makes no sense to others because people on the outside can See how much most addicts/alcoholics have going for them. There is no compassion to be had. Not that compassion from others would "cure" anything anyway. But the outside world does not/cannot get it.

Having a sponser, a phone list, people to call and bouce off feelings, thoughts, dilemma's with, is very helpful. Addicts/alcoholics who have had some sober time, sober thinking are convincing to the newcomers. They've been there in their heads too, they understand and they can often help with coming to a more balanced reasonable conclusion. Alot of faulty thinking goes on in the mind of an addict/alcoholic. I would never say that your average alcoholic/addict is lazy or dumb or even insensitive. Many of them are extremely hard thinkers, highly sensitive, and put out a great deal of effort to contend with life. But the thing is, many in AA find out that THEY made it harder than it needed to be. It's just part of being an addict/alcoholic. Family members contribute but many are wonderful, hard working, very conscientious families. So many moms who have done their almighty best. There are ALOT of good souls in AA and Al anon.
Like the ones here too.

Our kids beat themselves up. We beat ourselves up...it's a vicious cycle.
I'm really happy I've gotten so much "live" support this past year from people who will lovingly, knowingly, look me in the eyes tell me the truth and remind me that I'll be okay and that I'm not so bad after all and neither are my sons.

Hang in there.
You can be okay and so can your children.
lovemysons