KCI The Anti_Meth Site

Odd behavior when you're high on Meth

jorjeenz	Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth I'm doing a research study on behaviors exhibited when a person is high. We all know the usual red-flags; borrowing money, blood-shot eyes. What I'm looking for are things that were done when you were high that if other people knew about them, they would have known you were using. An example of such is: When a person is smoking crack, they always have their head down, looking at the ground for crumbs, picking crumbs up and laying them in a row in front of you. If someone knew about that behavior and saw a row of "crumbs" laying on the table, they would know you were using. If a person was snorting Oxycontins, they would peel off the outer layer and rub it on their clothing, leaving streaks of blue or yellow on their clothes. Those are the things I'm talking about, the odd not-so-textbook sign that a person is using. And I'm talking about all illegal drugs. Are there any strange things that you did when you were using that if someone were aware of them, they would have known you were using?
Replies...
no more mething around	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth Disappearing, becoming unavailable, especially for family events Change in style, dressing differently Change in music taste change in friends change in hours kept physical appearance change change in skin condition change in eating/sleeping patterns Did I just list a parental pamphlet for teenagers? Didn't realize it till I wrote it. God, I'm just old....... picking at clothes, skin carrying around a ton of stuff disorganization taking things apart and not putting them back together spray painting, redecorating Just trying to think of weird/classic things for you...
silly veronica	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth Finding dirty q-tips or q-tips with the cotton pulled off them. My addict was always washing his car (2-3 times per day) - later found out that he was using in the car wash because nobody could see him. Eating lots of candy, popsicles, sweets. Constant sex drive and lasting for hours Sweating profusely
Naiev Newly wed	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth empty bottle caps everywhere small glasses of water everywhere constant digging at a part of their body (ears, nose) unusual high drive for self gratification disappearing for hours when they say they'll be right back missing light bulbs pieces of cut straws baggies with the corners cut off collection of lighters blow torches
forget suzette	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth my mom could tell by my breathing on the phone.. ....she said it was labored, and a dead give away. I was very metaphorical, just one after the other...plus real bad musical terret, flight of ideas... ..meaning skipping subjects, singing in between, doing metaphors... ....major manic...I was a very happy idiot. I use to cut my hair, every time I got too high...and way short on top like rod Stewart...it was an obsessive compulsive thing, I'd cut and cut, until I was wearing a hat. ....pixie haircuts were another obvious sign. sweating. motor cortex retardation (standing/sitting in odd positions)(for hours) .....I'd be looking very pale and greenish after a few days. translucent skin, especially my upper thighs, you could see the pattern of veins and arteries in them. ...dark circles under my eyes when I hit my 30s... real bad. I dressed in some strange clothes too.
mara kris	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth For me.... and everyone is different. I'm normally very introspective.....deep, reflective.. On meth....too much talking, hyper-social (for me).....new "friends"..... Emotionally colder, able to block out emotions...... or become overly emotional, crying ........ over things that normally would not make me cry..... I had a hard time focusing, except at work.....working long hours......at the end of the day.....last person in the office......or absent.....coming down.....late, tired....overwhelmed to do it without drugs..... Constant drama....because things that aren't drama, get turned into it..... Hanging out with people that normally would repulse me...... Getting caught in lies..... forgetting what I told people.... I could have a conversation with a client....and forget the entire conversation before we were even off the phone, or 2 sentences into it....I faked it....hoped I made sense to them...... Super paranoid. Everyone is talking about me...... but they probably were cause I got caught making out with a 19 year old guy in the office....... Morals change.......total personality changes......Total confidence ....then real insecurity..... Long 7 hour conversations on the phone....not letting anyone else get a word in edgewise.... Not having the patience to listen to anyone else....HURRY UP AND MAKE YOUR POINT..... I started really hating "nice" people, unless I had a purpose for them.....which I was pretty good about.....(I didn't realize this)..... Not being genuinely friendly.....but fake, or needy... Bottomless pit of attention, reassurance, validation....could never get enough.....complete opposite of my regular healthy self. Arrogance vs. Confidence..... endless list......skin didn't look good. Too skinny. Dry hair, dry lips, huge pupils, repetitive behaviors.....could fix my hair for hours....twisting it turning it, moving it around.....I hated when someone was late....cause I couldn't get away from the mirror. Love/Hate relationship with looks. Looked like a demon....evil cold eyes, looking for the worst in everyone....feeling like a victim.......pretty much everything that is fundamentally important changes, in order to empower more shallow priorities. Success in $ vs. spirit.
le grumps	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth jaw clenching, lip sucking, sucked in face. emotional outbursts when coming down, lots of crying. dirty hands, sweaty gunk on skin. excessive makeup to cover sores on skin. nodding off as soon as you sit down (when coming down). talking very fast, and in spurts. "AnywayIneedto... callyoubackbecause... iamjustdoingto"rinseoff"intheshowerfor... 5minutesand..." doing strange projects at strange hours. first time I slammed, I ended up stacking the recycling outside my apartment building on the coldest San Francisco night ever... in my underwear.
Brn7 more	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth Bunch of black marks on the bottom inside of your t-shirt from wiping the pipe off in a hurry... re-arranging coffee cans of screws, nuts, bolts and nails like it really matters HOW they are arranged! chewing up the filter of your cigarette...or lighting one and letting it burn up because you don't have time to smoke it!!!!!
UCL Angel	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth Hmmm,...OK,...I am resisting the temptation to wonder if stating these sorts of "non-routine signs of meth use" will only be helping using meth addicts who might read this to "hide" their using more efficiently. (And I say that because I have had the unfortunate experience of being around someone who has tried to "hide" their using from me and from others for a long time.) But,...in the interest of helping others who want or need to know if someone in their life is using meth, I will forego any skepticism, and instead post all of the signs I've witnessed as a sober person who has seen others on meth. The following are lesser-known signs and symptoms of meth use, and may or may not not be common to everyone who uses: 1. Pulling at hair nervously or unconsciously, until the hair falls out, leading to sudden appearance of "new bald spots" or patches of very little hair coverage on the head. 2. The "flat effect" : As is common with with schizophrenic patients, meth users when high develop the inability to show emotions of shock, empathy, compassion, when presented with a situation which should normally evoke such emotions. For example, a meth user responds to news of a horrible tragedy or someone's death with a blank facial expression, and only a superficial comment of recognition spoken in a voice devoid of emotion, such as, "Oh. That's too bad." 3. Constant humming of repetitive tune, especially while doing tasks such as cleaning, working on computer, or any chore-related activity. 4. Odd and superfluous repetition of words, phrases, sentences which have no context to the current conversation or situation, such as is the case with some autistic patients. For example, a meth user is driving down the road with passengers in the car, talking about a certain subject. For no reason whatsoever, the meth user passes a billboard and blurts out a word or phrase from the billboard which has nothing to do with the conversation, leaving the other passengers puzzled as to the relevance. 5. Clenched jaw, grinding teeth constantly. Very loud grinding of teeth when sleeping. 6. Marked increase in psychic or clairvoyant abilities, especially if the person has a propensity for such when not using. (I realize this subject is often approached with much skepticism. My theory is that meth and other stimulants may have some sort of "amplification effect" on whatever cortex of the brain controls intuition or psychic activity to begin with. I'm not a scientist, so I don't know the facts of why - all I know is what I've witnessed as a sober person who's spent time around clairvoyant meth addicts.) 7. Quieter speaking voice, almost hushed, as if they are not wanting to be overheard. Tone of voice often changes to less-baritone, possibly due to labored breathing and not enough air taken in before speaking. 8. The inability to be still. Involuntary movements of fingers, hands, picking of fingernails or cuticles, wiggling of feet or toes while sitting, lying down, watching TV or sleeping. 9. The inability to be still while sleeping - constant or frequent leg or arm movements while asleep, ranging from twitches to full-on calisthenics-like motions. 10. Development of dark or twisted fascinations, such as a fascination with the darker realms of the occult, joining cults, or even partaking in black magic. Development of sadistic tendencies, either emotional or physical, coupled with the need to shock or scare others. 11. Blisters on or around lips/mouth from burning skin with lighter or pipe. Lack of facial hair around nose and mouth, from singeing with lighter. 12. Frequent cold sores, and frequent acne, from toxins and immune system impairment. 13. Severe rigidity of neck and jaw muscles, even when at rest or relaxing. 14. Disappearance of lighters or matches around the house. Tweakers often develop a fixation with compulsively stealing lighters, and may accumulate dozens of them from other's property or possessions. 15. A smell similar to Drano, or strong cleaning chemicals on breath or emanating from skin/sweat. 16. The possession of and overuse/abuse of anti-psychotic drugs such as Seroquel or Risperdal in an attempt to sleep or to hide symptoms of being high/spun. 17. Compulsive need to eat sweets, particularly upon waking in the morning or when waking from sleep in the night. 18. Avoiding brightly lit places with crowds, such as grocery stores, malls, shopping centers. 19. Hiding or destroying phone bills to hide calls to dealers, or suddenly carrying around lots of quarters. (for using payphones) 20. Frequent and often unsolicited rationalizations/explanations for why they have so much hyperkinetic energy...such as "I had too much coffee today", or, "my antidepressants make me hyper". 21. Inability to stop talking, and periods of time when they speak non-stop for several hours, often about a variety of unrelated topics run together in rapid succession. 22. Fascination with "dumpster diving"...compulsively searching through others' trash to salvage and collect various items, both usable and non-usable. 23. Finding excuses to leave the house for a few minutes and returning shortly afterward in a dramatically altered mood. Nervously offering an unsolicited explanation of where they went and why. 24. Dilated pupils and increased sweating, coupled with any or all of the above symptoms. ........................OK, that's what I've got to offer as info. Again, these signs may differ from addict to addict, and may not always indicate meth use, but if two or more are present, it's a reasonable suspicion to have. I've used these signs as indicators that tell when others are doing meth, and I've never been wrong yet.
nine years clean	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth I couldn't look ANYONE in the eye. Not even myself.
le grumps	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth Oh my god, the singing and humming! I was the worst offender at that, and never realized I was doing it unless my roommates complained about it. UCLA, I realized that everything I would try to do to mask my tweaking always made it even more obvious. I thought your list was really good, really thorough.
gillian marie	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth I am cracking up at all you guys...its funny to hear you talk about yourselves and how stupid you were... like a motivation to stay clean!! Don't want to be so lame anymore!! Suzette...I'm dying laughing at work! I had hundreds of coffee cans at home of my husbands collections of nuts and bolts that were rearranged millions of times! He would collect them every tweeker house he went to. The most apparent thing that I didn't know at the time is the twitching at night. He would sleep every night...but jump and twitch all night long. Like when you are half asleep and you dream you tripped down some stairs and you jump and wake yourself up...he did that continuously. Never figured it out...thought it was stress. No secret anymore!
mara kris	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth My husband would twitch in his sleep too. I thought he had Parkinson's or something.....I would get out my medical guide and try to help him.....we were dating. He would fall asleep mid sentence......have a "dream" in a few seconds and tell me about it..... like once we were lying in bed talking in the middle of the day .... he said something totally off subject about vampires....and fell asleep, then immediately woke up and said "I just dreamed that we got married"....... I didn't know about meth then, and just thought he was energetic and interesting........and a sex machine. another time he was having a conversation on the phone but I could hear the loud BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP sound that the phone makes when it's off the hook.......did he think that I couldn't hear it?? He also saw ghosts. Heard voices. And was paranoid. Oh yea another guy I knew......would hum between words....like I'm coming over hmmmmm...I at my friends hhmmmm...somebody had a gun hmmmmmm.. I got some energy bagged....hhmmmmmm And first thing in the morning....In the shower after doing a couple lines.....and getting maybe 2 hours sleep.....he would scream..."oooooowwwww!!!!!!!" "Yeeeaaaahhh!!!!!!"........I did stuff like that too, all alone and having a loud party....
Brn7 more	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth What about the search mode? I once searched this abandoned property for like 8 hours for a match to light a cig????? Talk about stupid...Sometimes I would just be searching thru or for nothing really just searching................
forget suzette	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth it'd kind of like we did port reporting, and angel did the starboard report. we're in the astro dome and she's Geraldo on the bridge. ....and it looks as bad from the outside in, as from the inside out.
UCL Angel	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth ROFL!! You are correct about that one - I have been sort of like Geraldo on the bridge. I've definitely been through the trenches too with watching for tweaker behavior. I've been lied to quite a bit by using addicts who apparently think I'm deaf/dumb/blind/stupid, but, when someone is lied to enough in that situation, soon that need for the truth turns into super-sharp affinity for perception of details. I've probably got about 20 more fine-print signs and symptoms to add to my list, but no time to type them now....on my way to a late-night 12 step group.
chris gonz	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth Laying still acting like I was asleep, an attempt to stay in routine with the house. Working a fake (bail bonds) job that took me out at odd hours, usually late at night when everyone was falling asleep or was already asleep... and get home like a half hour before everyone woke up to leave and then I'd do whatever in the day after they left. Hiding places in the corners of the closet...
love manhate meth1	Re: Odd Behavior When You're High on Meth My boyfriend took to collecting rocks. One day he spent (no kidding) 9 flipping hours cleaning a rock with a toothbrush! Taking things apart and never putting them together again.