Can you recover from the brain damage of METH?
My dad has been on this for more than ten years and he has lost everything. I haven't even heard from him.
Friends tell me he's out walking in the streets with a backpack and he doesn't remember anyone. Is there anyway I can help him??

If your question is whether he can recover from brain DAMAGE, the answer is no. That's why it's called DAMAGE.

How to help him? Locate him and find a safe place for him to stay. Living on the streets is most definitely not safe.

Is he a Veteran? Does your City have a temp or permanent shelter for the homeless? Is he eligible for some type of psych treatment and residence?

jayrod,

Addictions can cause temporary memory problems, permanent memory problems,and all points in-between.

I am not sure how they would diagnose permanent brain damage, as I am not in the medical field.BUT!

I do know that people,once removed from the atmosphere of drugs and the streets, in a safe environment, DO RECOVER some of who and what they were.Naturally age, amount of use and a myriad of other factors are involved, but I have been witness to many who have recovered some semblance of 'normalcy' after being taken from addictions to sobriety.

Look for him,ask if he WANTS to change how he is living, as you know,people don't want to change because you want them to,they have to want it for themselves.. He very well could be content living the way he is.

If you are interested in further comments about this,please write back in.

KBC

There is no reason to think in the terms of brain damage. Memory deficits and other behavioral abnormalities are functional and almost invariably result from suppression of brain activities, not organic (structural) damage. Upon clearing the drug, and over a period, normal function returns. In 30 years in the field I have never encountered irreversible brain damage regardless of the severity of the addiction in any patient.

The imminent danger is environmental, the surrounding conditions and dangers of his lifestyle, as the others have noted.

Even the most obstinate forms of addiction are treatable. The first step is intervention. His age and duration of the disorder are actually favorable indicators. Those over 40 are better candidates for recovery than younger subjects.

Good luck in your efforts.

When I attended a seminar on the effects of drugs I was told (and I am looking for the source) that abuse or incorrect use of drugs can cause (permanent) brain damage in the same manner that abuse/incorrect use can cause (permanent) damage to any other organ of the body. I am not asking you to dispute what you cannot read but you do not believe this is true - ?

It was part of a continuing ed seminar for Pharmacists concerning the reasons Pharmacists are sued, the grounds, the settlements.

Hello Judy:

Now, of course, I know NOTHING about pharmacology.. However, I DO know drug policy...

Yes, it would SEEM that a seminar produced by pharmacists FOR pharmacists would be based on solid grounds... It would also SEEM that a nations drug policy would be based on solid grounds too...

But, the latter is ABSOLUTELY not true, therefore, there's reasons to suspect the former too. Besides, the basis for the seminar you attended was legal rather than pharmacological.

excon

Let's please keep this on focus for the original poster please, this is not about law suits and such, this is about a missing father and his child's care for him.

Drug use, including alcohol, can lead to a myriad of related conditions. These are too often (in literature) carelessly attributed to the drug when in fact they are secondary. So, for example, vitamin deficiency, as a consequence of improper diet, leads to physical disorders and conditions. Such conditions are not consequential to drug toxicity or any chemical component of the drug.

The human brain is the least apt to be affected due to a process called the blood brain barrier which selectively filters circulating elements.

Here, in addition, I am focusing on irreversible brain damage. As example, memory integration is impaired, perhaps blocked, and chronic drug use can result in memory problems after and well into a sober state. However, this is not due to lesion or atrophy and with time will recover. So, through disuse a brain process may be dysfuctional but not irretrievably broken. Organic brain syndromes (OBS) such as Korsakoff, attributable to chemical toxicity of chronic drug use, are very, very rare.

Hey hun... you can help your dad if he wants the help. And yes he can recover in all aspects of his life . I can relate I haven't spoke with my dad in years too he is a meth addict as well . Try findeing your dad and asking him if he wants help because if he doesn't than you can't help him . Call 211 tell them your situation and ask for some refearl num there are so many programs ,organzations there all kind of options . Or go on inteventions.com tell them your story maybe they will help good luck