Methamphetamine: One sister's story (New Mexico)

BY MONICA M. BROWN STAFF WRITER

When it comes to problems caused by methamphetamine use, the physical difficulties faced by users are generally those thought of first. But beyond the tooth decay, mental problems and cardiac difficulties, there are the problems of the heart: family members and friends whose hearts are broken when their loved ones set out on the road to addiction.

Researchers agree that methamphetamine addicts are a unique group of subjects who exhibit different characteristics than those who are addicted to other drugs like heroin, cocaine and marijuana.

Santiago Rodriguez, program director of the Otero County Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,believes these addicts require different treatment routines than other addicts and have far different problems when it comes to relating to family issues.


"It's very, very different," Rodriguez said, "from the way we do the assessment on the client to their after care planning. I haven't been able to prove it or not, but from my personal observation (with methamphetamine), the drug is so powerful, the draw to it is so powerful that they (addicts) will consciously .... not having any physical effect, not being high, will straight to your face tell you 'I don't care about the kids (or family members), I just want to get high. I don't care about my job I don't care about my house I just want to go out and party.'"

One local woman, who has asked to remain anonymous, recently related her experiences with her sister's addiction to methamphetamine.

Jane Doe works in the healthcare industry and had a little knowledge about methamphetamines and methamphetamine abuse. About a year ago some phone calls alerted her to a possible problem with her sister.

"Her co-workers called me," Jane said. "They said she was exhibiting erratic behavior. She was 'subject jumping' a lot, couldn't keep a train of thought and wasn't showing up for work."

Jane's sister owned a thriving business at the time of the phone calls.

"This was the girl who, for 20 years, never missed an appointment," said Jane. "She had great pride in her profession."

Concerned, Jane went to visit her sister at her lavish home.

"She had it all," Jane said.

But as soon as her sister opened the door, Jane said, the fact that something was wrong was very apparent.

"The first thing I noticed was the weight loss," Jane said. "She had dropped a good 40 pounds. Then her skin. She always had beautiful skin and she had sores all over her face."

During the visit Jane's sister wouldn't look Jane in the eye even when speaking and seemed unable to go for long without a trip to the bathroom.

"She wouldn't look at me," said Jane. "She would look at the floor. And she went to the bathroom a lot. Sometimes she was in there a long time. It was very apparent there was a problem."

Jane was unwilling to ignore the situation, but was concerned about making sure her suspicions were correct.

"I didn't confront her because I wanted to be sure," said Jane.

Instead, she contacted her sister's husband (who was working out of town at the time) and asked him about the situation.

"He told me she was using meth," said Jane.

It turned out to be a family affair. The sister's husband had also been using methamphetamine.


The rest of the story can be read at:
http://www.alamogordonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060418/NEWS01/604180303