Many people become unexpectedly hooked on drugs. The ways in which this happens can vary, and it is common for people to wonder how their lives spiraled so out of control. Unfortunately, an addictive substance can easily take over a person’s life, and you may have a loved one in this type of situation.
Though you never used the substance yourself, you understand the dangers of drugs like methamphetamine in a broad sense. You likely even witnessed some of the effects in your sibling or even your child. Because you love the person whom the drug has so negatively affected, you want to help.
Understanding the substance
Addiction can cause individuals to act in questionable ways. They may lie, sneak, manipulate and carry out other actions that put themselves and others in stressful and possibly dangerous situations. Changes in behavior and attitude are common when a methamphetamine addiction has taken over a person’s life, and other effects of long-term use include the following:
- Sleeping problems
- Paranoia
- Extreme weight loss
- Anxiety
- Memory loss
- Hallucinations
- Violent behavior
- Confusion
- Intense itching
- Dental problems
- Changes to brain function
Watching your loved one experience some or even all of these effects may have left you feeling helpless. You may have heard that he or she was going to try to fight the addiction only to find out the attempt was unsuccessful, as it often is without the proper help.
Additional consequences
Because methamphetamine is an illegal substance, your loved one’s life may have taken another difficult turn when the police took him or her into custody. Possession of meth or distributing the substance can have major legal consequences. Though you undoubtedly hoped that your loved one would get clean before ending up in this type of predicament, that was not what happened. Now, addressing a criminal case is another burden with which you will have to watch him or her struggle.
In a best-case outcome, criminal charges will be the catalyst your loved one needs to get his or her life back on track and kick the habit of meth use. Of course, you hope that the negative legal consequences that result from this situation are also minimal. In efforts to fight against the drug-related charges, you may want to encourage your loved one to seek legal counsel from a Florida attorney.