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Long Term Effects of Crystal Meth


mel Long Term Effects of Meth
Hello all- I haven't been on this site in quite some time. Last summer my fiancé and I broke up because he refused to acknowledge his meth addiction. Finally in October, he hit bottom and entered a rehab program. We got back together in November. The last day he used was September 30, 2005.

The first couple months we were back together, everything was great, then we started arguing quite a bit. i noticed when he would get mad, he had a hard time controlling his anger, often yelling and cussing a lot. He's never physically hurt me, but he does scare me when he gets really mad. He has major mood swings and can go from happy go lucky to hating the world from one minute to the next. About 1 time every month he gets upset saying I don't pay enough attention to him. That I don't show him enough affection. It's like he has a big pity party and I'm the bad guy not putting forth any effort. This happens over & over again. There have been a few times that I have suspected he is using again and have asked him. He says NO! That he is absolutely done with that. I believe he is done with meth, but what I'm wondering is if this drug has permanently damaged his brain somehow, where his way of thinking is totally off the wall. He will also obsess on 1 thing until it becomes a major issue. He never used to do that.

I'd like to know if anyone else has been through something like this after quitting meth? I suggested we go to couples counseling & that maybe he needs to take some type of antidepressant to help regulate his mood swings. He's not very open to this, but i don't know what other option there is!
     Replies...
Crystal
Clear
Re: Long Term Effects of Meth
I have noticed a lot of the same things .... no doubt, for both of you, its a hard road ahead.

We didn't stay together, but I saw him for the first time in six months last month. Same thing .... very obsessive, distorted thinking, mood swings ....refuses care of a doctor .... rehab. is out of the question, Same "friends" around ... admits snorting cocaine when he feels like partying .... we all know where that leads.

I know what my gut is telling me.
messed
withmeth
Re: Long Term Effects of Meth
I have been clean for almost 3 years now, and I still struggle with rage issues. I have learned to control it to an extent, but usually not until after I have an initial spat out. It takes a lot of concentrated effort on my part not to just fly off the handle, and like I said it does take time and patience to get it under control.

You are probably right, he likely has quit, but be vigilant or you could end up blindsided
mara
kris
Re: Long Term Effects of Meth
My husband is exactly the same way. He is totally irrational. I'm pretty sure that he is brain damaged now. He doesn't even remember where and when he proposed to me. His memory is unbelievably bad about everything. On the outside he looks perfect. He doesn't even remember the months of the year..."where is October, before September or after November?"
Anger seems like it will never end. It is all part of the damage that meth does to the brain.
I have noticed that it has effected me in similar ways, but I used it a lot less. It's like being in a fog. And it is easy to get angry, like all of the patient and positive energy has left you and frustration, impatience and bitterness replaces it. This hasn't gone away for me yet. But for him, a long term user, any type of meaningful conversation turns into a huge argument. We cannot resolve anything. And he has been clean for 1 year.
nine
years
clean
Re: Long Term Effects of Meth
Hi me.

I have many long term effects from my 13 year addiction to meth.

Most of them are internal problems.

Here's something I posted on another thread in this regard:

I used to think I was invincible.

Did you?

I used to think I could do what I want, whenever I wanted, and never have to have consequences.

That is, once I moved out of my parent's house.

I was a very good girl until the day after I moved out.

And I moved out the day after high school graduation.

Know what?

I couldn't have been MORE wrong. Sincerely.

OMG, the HORRIBLE choices I made after that. HORRIBLE. STUPID. BRAINLESS.

And come to find out, my IQ is near genius, NOW. Or, at least, a couple of years ago, according to a counselor I was seeing.

OK, so if could be that good a couple of years ago, HOW GOOD WAS IT BEFORE I FED UP MY BRAIN FOR 13 YEARS WITH METH???? Even if we give or take 20 points?????

Are you guys hearing me? You, who wonder if NOW is the time to finish with the meth thing or not. Are you hearing me?

I am only beginning to realize the long term damage that my addiction caused me brain-wise.

Medically, I have been battling with odd afflictions for the last couple of years, because of the damage done to my internal organs by my meth addiction.

I almost died a year and a half ago, when my pancreas (yeah, I didn't know what that was either until it decided to turn against me...thank God for the internet) got jacked for some reason and because of that, all of my major internal organs began to shut down.

And of course there's the teeth thing...or the NO teeth thing, actually. By the time I got clean, at 40, after 13 years of use, I only had a handful of teeth left, all in the front, and very, very loose.

Now, and for some time now, they are all gone. It sucks. No pun intended, and I really mean that because I'm very sensitive about this, and I can't even believe that I post this information, but you know, I feel like people should know the truth about the destruction meth causes.

Anyway, my whole point is this: I am not invincible; you are not invincible; nobody is invincible. We are flesh and blood, human beings, and we reap what we sow, in every way possible.

So be kind to yourself, and be kind to each other, and thank your maker for this life we have been blessed with, for it is precious.

It's time to come in from the rain.


Hope that answers some of your questions.
GREN
EYED
KELLY
Re: Long Term Effects of Meth
YES THERE IS A LOT OF EFFECTS FROM USING! THIS IS THE EFFECT IT HAD ON ME, SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER. AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT. PROLONGING MY LIFE AS LONG AS THEY CAN AND AS LONG AS I CAN TAKE IT!!! YOUR LIFE SHOULD MEAN MORE TO YOU, I MISS MINE!

See also:

What is the long term damage from Meth?

What happens with long term meth use?

Physical Damage of Crystal Meth


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