Crystal Meth (ICE) Addiction Ripping Families Apart In Australia

A surge of Ice addiction is sweeping across Australia. Desperate parents are taking drastic measures to protect themselves and to help their Ice addicted teens and adult children who quite often become violent, display erratic and out of control behaviour, steal from the family and in some cases become suicidal.

ABC News reported that Senator Jacqui Lambie has called for drug reforms after having to ask her 21 year old Ice addicted son to leave the family home. Jacqui was quoted as saying about her son’s behaviour, “He was becoming erratic and I just had no Idea what he was going to do next.”

The Australian Government has conducted online campaigns warning others about the dangers of becoming addicted to ice. However senator Lambie is calling for laws to be changed enabling parents to force their drug addicted sons and daughters into drug detox & rehabilitation centres.

One desperate mother built a cage within the walls of her family home to protect her addicted son.

In Sept 2015 The Morning Bulletin reported of a mother who in her desperation spent $3k to build a cage inside her home to help her 17 year old ice addicted son. The woman stated that she didn’t know what else to do for him after hearing his pleas for help for his addiction for a over a year.

She also stated that her son had had attempted suicide over a dozen times and she didn’t know what else to do for him. “I’m just one person begging for help and there’s no one to help us,”

What is Crystal Meth or Ice?

Ice or Crystal Meth are both street names for Crystal Methamphetamine. Looking like sheets of glass or ice and people snort, smoke, swallow or inject it. It’s also known to be called meth, shard, crystal, shabu and glass. it can increase blood pressure and cause heart palpitations. People who use ice regularly look older than they normally would. Their teeth can get badly damaged and they pick at their skin leaving sores and scabs. Users can lose a lot of weight and look unhealthy. Coming down off the drug takes days and can make a person paranoid, depressed and anxious. Frequent high doses of ice can cause, ‘ice Psychosis’ with paranoid delusions, hallucinations and aggressive, strange or violent behaviours.

There are three main ingredients that make up Ice

• Pseudoephedrine
• Iodine
• Hypophosphorous acid

Back Yard Meth Labs on the Rise

According to a Sydney Morning Herald exclusive, the price of ‘ICE’ has dropped due to chemical ingredients being readily available to order online and are easily imported from China due to lack of Australian laws to prohibit them. As result we are seeing the rise in numbers of back yard Meth labs.

The enormity of the problem in Australia is evident in the popularity of crystal meth. Studies have shown that frequency of its use has surpassed heroin, cocaine and even marijuana. Its popularity amongst today’s teenagers is probably due to ice being a cheaper drug that provides up to a three day high for around $40.

Matt Noffs, CEO of the Noffs Foundation has stated, “What we know now from our data is that ice has definitely soared above everything else.”

The American Crime Drama Series ‘Breaking Bad’ is thought by critics to have glorified and normalised cooking, selling and taking the drug. The main character of the show, Walter White, a middle aged chemistry teacher who after being diagnosed with lung cancer realises that he doesn’t have money to leave his wife and children. He comes across a former student Jesse Pinkman, a small time methamphetamine user, manufacturer and dealer running from the law. Walter discovers that there’s a lot of money to be made in manufacturing and selling synthetic drugs. He soon becomes the mastermind of a drug manufacturing empire raking in millions of dollars after joining forces with Pinkman to manufacture and sell Crystal Meth to major crime syndicates.

Crystal Meth’s Impact on Mental Health

The use of Crystal Meth (Ice) can cause serious mental health problems and worsen existing mental conditions.

Short term effects

• euphoria
• talkativeness
• increased alertness and energy
• increased physical activity
• increased aggression or hostility
• heightened sexual arousal
• feeling very powerful or better than others
• feeling anxious, agitated, panicked or exited
• Symptoms of psychosis – hearing voices, hallucinations, paranoid delusions, and aggressive and violent behaviour.

Long term effects

• paranoia, anxiety & depression
• reduced concentration and poor memory
• insomnia
• mood swings
• homicidal or suicidal thoughts
• psychosis or psychotic behaviour
• brain damage – Unlike amphetamine, methamphetamine is neurotoxic to humans, damaging both dopamine and serotonin neurons in the CNS.
• suicide / Death (risk increased when mixed with other drugs or alcohol)

Sources

Mother builds cage for ice addicted son
http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/woman-builds-cage-for-her-ice-addicted-son/2759100/

Government Ice Campaign – Ice destroys lives
http://www.drugs.health.gov.au/internet/drugs/publishingcp.nsf/content/home

Australian Government’s Anti-Ice campaign video on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfB3iK9jQ_I

ABC NEWS http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-10/jacqui-lambie-reveals-son27s-ice-addiction/6685980

Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/price-of-ice-plummets-in-sydney-as-legal-ingredients-flood-australia-20150606-ghi61b.html

Wikipedia (brain damage)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetamine

National Alcohol & Drug Knowledge Base
http://nadk.flinders.edu.au/kb/methamphetamines/methamphetamine-and-health/what-are-the-mental-health-risks-of-methamphetamine-use/

Wikipedia – Breaking Bad – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_Bad

Image of Crystal meth By Radspunk – Own work, GFDL – A Macro shot of shards of Chrystal Methamphetamine.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3475149

Breaking bad normalises Meth argues Prosecutor – Black Ewing, Time.
http://ideas.time.com/2013/09/20/breaking-bad-promotes-meth-use-argues-prosecutor/

Seeking Help

Crystal Meth Anonymous help centres are located in Sydney, Melbourne and The Gold Coast

Counselling Online – is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week across Australia.

Kids Help Line – a telephone, web & email counselling is available 24/7 for children and young people aged 5–25.
Phone: 1800 55 1800

Headspace – provides information and free counselling services for 12–25 year olds. Centres located around Australia.
Phone: 1800 650 890

Lifeline – a 24-hour crisis phone and online counselling service.
Phone: 13 11 14

Family Drug Support – For families and friends of people who use drugs or alcohol.
Phone: 1300 368 186

National Drug and Alcohol Service Directory – Search for treatment and support services by State, Suburb, Distance, Drug of Concern, Age and Sex and also search for services that are free of charge.