Impacts-of-methamphetamine-in-Victoria-Community-Assessment-Penington-Institute

Compared with other substances, a number of people with years of experience working with peoplewho use illicit drugs noted that, in their opinion, there seemed be a particularly fast trajectory fromoccasional use to problematic and harmful methamphetamine use.“It happens rapidly... I think the associated behaviours and emotions are so exaggerated...”The trajectory of harms impacting on relationships, finances, legal issues and the like occurredrapidly, according to some workers. For example a nurse said:“I think about my clients... generally those things were medium to long term consequences ofsubstance use, but with ice it happens very quickly” [Nurse].Another worker noted:“You see a perfectly ‘normal’ individual – [they] have children, working, have a partner, no historywhatsoever – [then they] get stuck into ice then everything goes belly up... it’s a really sneaky drug,it’s really insidious”.A parent has written:“It is killing my son from the inside out .I'm losing him. There is no help out there for parents thisdrug which is killing our kids. Where do we turn to get help?” [33].A person with direct experience has also commented on the short time in which use can becomeproblematic:“There is nothing good about using it from either the point of view of someone who is effected byanother persons use of it and the person who is using it. They may start out thinking it is great, but,that great feeling doesn't last too long at all from my experience. In a very short time life is chaoticfor them and all concerned” [33].An NSP worker told the story of a family losing everything:“They were working, they had kids ... everything was going really well. He was kicking goals. Both ofthem [a couple] were on the methadone program, doing really well. Then they discovered ice. Withintwo weeks they had lost the housing, they’d lost their children ... everything blew up. Twelve monthslater they’re coming around … now they’re using recreationally – doing it when they get paid.They’ve just managed to secure housing, he’s trying to find a job and they’re on the road to trying toget their children back. When I talk to them they acknowledge... it was the ice.”A youth AOD worker said when clients moved from cannabis to methamphetamine, the effects of thedrugs and their behaviour was often something young people were not prepared for. This workerdescribed how, on cannabis, his clients would stay at home, inside for a weekend playing computergames, and when they moved to methamphetamine, would be awake for days or weeks at a time, ona ‘bender’.There was a belief from some workers that36