From time to time, there are shocking and painful news articles that feature a person who was using methamphetamine heavily before the event reported in the news. For example, this story from Utah, June 2014. A woman apparently gave birth to seven infants over a period of time and killed six of them, hiding the babies’ bodies in the garage. (The last baby was stillborn.) She was a methamphetamine addict. In the news report, the police stated that she did not want to deal with the responsibility.
A heavy methamphetamine addict is nowhere near this coherent. This may be what she told the police, once she wasn’t high and was trying to answer their questions. But it’s probably not the real story.
When a person uses methamphetamine heavily, they often stay up for days. Meth is an extremely strong stimulant that makes a person abnormally energetic. If they have enough of the drug, they will stay up for several days. They don’t feel hunger so they don’t eat. The body will finally collapse and then they might sleep for 24 hours or longer.
While they are in this condition, they will very often be delusional or highly paranoid. They may imagine that their children are demons or trying to harm them. They may think that old friends are actually from the police. It’s not that they are murderous, they simply imagine terrible danger where none exists.
A young mother in Fresno, California filmed herself smoking meth and then soon after killed her children and another family member. Who knows what she thought was going on once she was high?
Children very often bear the brunt of this delusion as they can’t get away. If they are lucky, someone sends them to another home until their parents can get sober. If they are unlucky, they may be harmed, killed or at the very least, neglected, even down to the changing of their diapers and preparing of meals.
There is no understanding a person in this condition. He’s not able to be understood because he is delusional, seeing some reality that is only in his (or her) mind, created by the drug.
Methamphetamine is one of the fastest drugs to addict people. It creates some of the most intense cravings that overwhelm a person’s sanity. For some people, it only takes one use for them to be driven back to use the drug again and again.
If you care for someone who is using meth, it’s vital that they be sent to an effective, long-term rehab as soon as possible. It is best if you can remove them from their usual environment so their normal contacts are out of reach. Meth addiction is not something that can wait – especially if there are children. Act now. Call us to find out how we can help.
