The Effects of Crystal Meth on Family & Friends

The term "crystal meth" refers to a glass-like form of methamphetamine, a man-made stimulant that leads to violent and psychotic conduct. While meth addicts suffer side effects such as paranoia, hallucinations, memory loss, aggression and decreased appetite, their family and friends often endure far worse consequences.

Prenatal Exposure

• An unborn baby suffers the repercussions of his mother's meth addiction even before he takes his first breath. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports common side effects experienced by these babies include "increased rates of premature delivery, placental abruption, fetal growth retardation, and heart and brain abnormalities." In 2004, pediatrician Barbara Knox told Minnesota Public Radio that meth use near the beginning of pregnancy increases the baby's chances of having a stroke in the womb or severe brain problems.

Abandonment

• Changes in brain functions due to meth addiction bury the mothering instinct, causing children to face abandonment and bear responsibilities fit only for adults. Because crystal meth decreases hunger, meth addicts often forget to feed their children. According to Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson, 11-year-old Leah from Park Rapids, Minnesota, said in 2004 that she and her siblings regularly went without food when their mother used meth. She also recounts how she tried to fill the mother role by caring for her little sisters.

Lab Fires

• Because meth costs less to create than to buy from dealers, drug addicts resort to constructing meth labs on their property or even in their homes. MethResources.gov reports that blending the necessary substances for methamphetamine involves a high-risk recipe for chemical fires and poisonous fumes. Most often, the children, friends or elderly parents of lab operators become victims, and those who escape lab fires frequently experience burns to their lungs and damaged respiratory systems.

Higher Risk to HIV/AIDS

• Methamphetamine, like many illegal drugs, leads to dangerous sexual behavior which could result in contracting HIV. Unfortunately, sexual promiscuity isn't the only way meth can lead to contracting this deadly virus. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that the "injection of drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine accounts for more than a third of new AIDS cases." Whether the user gets HIV from drug needles or sex, crystal meth creates an opportunity for HIV to be brought home to innocent significant others and children.