How Meth Affects Relationships

Meth and Its Effects on Families and Intimate Relationships

Meth addiction is a terrifying form of substance abuse. Take it from someone who struggled with meth use for over a decade. My mental health never suffered more than when I had an active addiction to crystal meth. If there’s one drug that truly makes you feel crazy, it’s meth. The damage done by meth to the mind and body cannot be overstated.

If you have come to find out how meth affects relationships, I will break down my own experiences to give insights that should help it become more clear.

We know that meth wreaks havoc on the user, but what does it do to your personal relationships? To start with, it is hard to have any kind of healthy relationship with anyone when you suffer from a substance use disorder.

And when it comes to meth, there’s really no way to have a normal relationship with anyone, even fellow meth users. Of course, this perspective comes with the benefit of hindsight, so let me tell you a but more about my own story and how I arrived at this statement.

Why Healthy Relationships Don’t Exist For Meth Addicts

Having an active meth addiction leads you to an exhausting life that is full of high highs and very low lows. There is no in-between. My meth use led me to stay awake for days on end. I would have auditory and visual hallucinations. I thought everyone I came in contact with was out to get me. Living any kind of normal, productive life was out of the question, at least for me.

My meth addiction caused serious trauma to family members and everyone that I came across. I was pushed toward treatment many times, and I finally got it through Icarus Behavioral Health. Achieving sobriety and leaving my meth addiction behind took every bit of energy that I had, but I did it. Want to leave your meth addiction behind? Keep reading to see what your options might be.

Unrelenting Chaos – A Personal Story Of Meth Addiction

I got into drugs in high school and began using meth in my early twenties. I was hooked from the first hit. Crystal methamphetamine (also known as tina) became my go-to drug, and I would do anything to get more of it. I surrounded myself with the worst possible people through my addiction and pushed away the people who truly cared for me.

As my crystal meth addiction progressed, my mind and body deteriorated rapidly. The physical symptoms are pretty stark. I lost all the color in my face. I was constantly covered in meth sores and scratches, a result of endlessly picking at my skin. Methamphetamine leads users to pick at their skin until it becomes raw and damaged, sometimes irreversibly.

When Drug Use Is All That Matters To You

Nothing mattered to me except getting high. Any healthy relationships I had began to crumble. I even missed my grandmother’s funeral because I was too busy trying to score more meth. My family knew what was going on, but there wasn’t anything they could do. While I did not have any childhood trauma to blame for my meth use, I certainly created some traumatic memories for my family members.

As I spiraled further into meth addiction, I viewed them as enemies. They were a roadblock to my addiction.

They didn’t resort to enabling behaviors. Eventually, they cut me off after multiple attempts to get me clean. Even when I lived on the street and needed a place to stay, they wouldn’t allow me in their homes. I felt betrayed and angry, but it was the only thing they could do to protect themselves. You can’t have that kind of behavior around you without it affecting your life.

Addiction Leads To Unhealthy Relationships

Every relationship I had through my meth addiction was toxic. Whenever I got into a romantic relationship, it was full of enabling behavior and co-dependency. Drug-addicted couples don’t exist in the same way that normal couples do. There is no accountability and no trust. One addiction feeds the other. It’s an endless cycle of drama and mayhem.

When I was addicted to meth, I ultimately found myself completely alone. Many addicts find themselves in this position. A highly addictive stimulant like meth leads to relationships that revolve around money and drugs. I reached a point where the only person that I talked to was my dealer, and they certainly didn’t care about me as a person.

After years of crystal meth abuse, I sought treatment at Icarus Behavioral Health because I was at the end of my rope. I ended up in the hospital after a meth binge. I stayed up for nearly a week and thought a gang of people was trying to kill me due to a deep meth psychosis. I ran out into the street and got hit by a car. This is where you eventually end up as a result of meth.

Seeking Meth Addiction Treatment – And Rebuilding Relationships

After a week in the hospital at Presbyterian, I ended up at Icarus in Albuquerque, to try and get my addiction taken care of once and for all. I figured it would be a solo fight, as I had pushed everyone away following years of crystal meth abuse.

When my family learned that I was giving drug rehab treatment a proper chance, they came back and were fully supportive. Their emotional support helped guide me in the right direction.

I had a long way to go to rebuild the trust that had been broken long before, but I was willing to do it. The fact that they even wanted anything to do with me after all I had put them through said a lot. Forgiveness is a very powerful thing and it helped me work on forgiving myself for all the hurt I had caused.

What Meth Addiction Does To Families

Drug addicts do just as much harm to their loved ones than themselves. Having a loved one struggle with addiction makes you feel helpless. It’s hard for it to not affect your life in some way. This is why many people engage in family therapy as a way to deal with having a loved one suffering from addiction. You grapple with many emotions while dealing with an addicted loved one.

You can only be lied to so much. You can only hear so many excuses. How long do you put up with it? Do you cut them out to protect yourself? Is tough love the right choice?

These are all common questions that people struggle with when dealing with tweakers. It can be very traumatic to witness someone you love destroy themselves. How can it not affect you?

There Are Many Resources For Addicts And Families

If you have a loved one suffering from addiction, you are certainly not alone. There are a lot of options for the loved ones of addicts. Whether it’s your partner, parent, child, or friend, there are ways that you can protect yourself and overcome the dilemma of dealing with an addicted loved one.

If you don’t deal with all of the emotional problems that this situation can cause, you may be setting yourself up for more problems down the road.

As a former meth addict in recovery, I know now what I put my family through. I don’t beat myself up over it, because that would be detrimental to my recovery. All I can do is show them who I am now, and that is someone who fights every day to do the right thing. The fight is never over, but it does get easier with time.

Getting Support for a Loved One is Possible at Icarus

Because of my time at Icarus Behavioral Health, I have my life and my family back. I wouldn’t be here today without the help of my treatment team, and the counseling that I still receive to this day. Struggling with addiction or know a loved one who is? There are options out there, as long as you are willing to put in the work.

If you or someone in your life is involved with meth, reach out for recovery and a chance at a new life with Icarus. I know they helped me achieve things I could never have even considered when I was out there ‘ripping and running’ and I know they can help you and your family heal too.