Methamphetamine - Facts and Statistics

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New Do's and Don'ts.
FOR THE FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF METH AND ADDICTS

… talk to someone who understands drug addiction.

… learn the facts about Meth addiction.

… develop an attitude to match the facts.

… go to Nar-Anon, Al-anon and/or seek professional help.

… learn about yourself, your needs, desires, reactions and behavior patterns.

… maintain a healthy and consistent atmosphere in your home as much as possible.

… take care of your needs and let the addict take care of their needs.

… share your knowledge with others.

… be committed to your own growth, health, and life goals – be constructively self-caring.

dont

… preach and lecture to the addict.

… make excuses for the addict.

… make threats you won’t carry out.

… believe that you are the cause of the other person’s drug addiction.

… suffer for the addict.

… protect the addict from drug situations whether using or in a program of recovery.

… make an issue over the addict’s choice of treatment. Like you, they have the right to choose what they want.

… rescue - let the addict clear up their own mistakes and assume the responsibility for the consequences of their using behavior.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I am a drug abuser. I need help.

Don't solve my problems for me. This only makes me lose respect for myself.

Don't lecture, moralize, scold, blame or argue whether I'm stoned. It may make you feel better, but it only makes the situation worse.

Don't accept my promises. The nature of my illness prevents my keeping them even though I mean them at the time. Promises are only my way of postponing pain.

And don't keep switching agreements;if an agreement is made, stick to it.

Don't loose your temper with me. It will destroy you and any possibility of helping me.

Don't let your anxiety for me make you do what I should do for myself.

Don't believe everything I tell you. Often I don't even know the truth let alone tell it.

Don't cover up or try to spare me the consequences of my using. It may reduce the crisis, but it will make my illness worse.

Above all, don't run away from reality as I do. Drug dependence, my illness, gets worse as my using continues.

Start now to learn, to understand, to plan for your own recovery. Find Families Anonymous, Nar-Anon, Al-Anon or CoDa; those groups exist to help people in just your situation.

I need help - from a doctor, a psychologist, a counselor, from some people in a self-help program who are in recovery from a drug problem themselves and from a Power greater than myself.

Love,

Your "User"

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…

… accept you are NOT in control of other’s lives, chemical use, lies, actions, emotions, finances, or feelings.

… seek out other people who have been where you are now and listen to their comments without getting defensive. Know they are trying to help, not be critical.

… take a personal inventory of the way in which you interact with the meth user and determine if you are in any way, preventing their recovery. Also determine if you are in any way enabling them to continue using or being an umbrella or safety net for them.

… get on with your life as best as you can. They may not ever get WELL, you must realize this and accept it. If you can not get your self to the point where this fact does not wreak havoc on you personally, then YOU MUST put distance between yourself and the user. This sounds cold but it is actually the opposite as you need to realize that you must take care of you.

… understand the dynamic of the relationship between the addict and their addiction. They are not the person you love and yet they are at the same time. The person you love is not really in control at this point. Their addiction is. This addiction really does not care about you or your loved one’s. It has NO conscience. It cares only about satisfying it’s chemically derived need. This is not personal or meant to be vindictive; it’s just the nature of addiction. It is overwhelmingly powerful. Your loved one is powerless against it on their own.

… realize that the person you love can eventually come back.

… learn everything you can about the drug, addictions, and co-dependency. The more you know the better prepared you are to take care of yourself and be an assist in any hope of recovery that the addict may have.

… try and help others who are hurting in the same way that you are hurting. This does two things:

It allows you to gain a better understanding of your relationship with the user. (You can see similarities and know you are not alone).
It will make BOTH of you stronger (iron sharpening Iron).

don’t

…

… allow yourself to be manipulated by the user. It’s NOT your fault they are an addict. It’s NOT your fault that they are not in control of their lives. It’s NOT your fault that they are broke or losing their children. It’s THEIR fault and the result of choices that THEY made. The very first step towards recovery for them will be the recognition of this fact.

… fall victim to guilt. EVERY addict will try and blame someone else for their situation. The first step in their recovery will be accepting responsibility. You MAY actually BE DOING something that IS contributing to their problem but they are not going to be in a sound enough mind set to determine what that might be. They will just be trying to run a guilt trip on you if they say it is something you are doing.

… “ride the roller coaster” during their recovery. Addicts almost never “get it right” on the first attempt. Watch yourself and your feelings and don’t get sucked back down or back in. They will be going through an emotional roller coaster themselves also. Try and be understanding of this. Also know that if they were heavy users, it may take a month of abstinence before they return to anything near normal.