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My son is 26 years old and on methamphetamine: How can I help him?

Posted by jtimko80 @jtimko80, Mar 13, 2025

My son is 26 years old and on methamphetamine. He has started to show signs of severe mental decline. CHATGPT being the catalyst. He thinks that chatgpt has given him the instantanious ability to recognize 40 different computer languages, that he can cause lightning to strike, that he knows karate black belt level even though he has never taken a single class, that he is creating an app that can alter anyones brainwaves, also that he can sneak around undetected and somehow dangerous. These are just a smidge of examples of his so called "abilities". He is in obvious distress but he refuses to listen to reason from anybody. Delusions of grandure is very apparent and he cherry picks facts that fit his narrative. Ive brought this to his attention several times. I think because of the drug use, his mind is fracturing. He is a legal adult, so I cant force him to do anything. Undiagnosed bi polar, might be an isssue as well. He has stopped taking Buspirone. Im not sure but I think that may play a part as well. I live in California, Does anyone have any advice you can give me on not just mental health counceling that he wont go to.

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joeyjensen1959 | @joeyjensen1959 | Jan 23 10:56pm

You yourself may not have the ability to help your son....
Addiction is a disease and it needs to be treated like any other disease, by a professional.
If your son fell down and broke his leg would you just tie two sticks to his leg or would you take him to the doctor?
Joseph

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christopherscott3 | @christopherscott3 | Feb 16 3:57pm

As someone with over 3 decades in recovery, his symptoms sound a lot like like meth psychosis which I have heard of many times from others who experienced it. Some of his symptoms also seem in line with the onset of schizophrenia which often manifests in the mid-20's but please keep in mind, I am not a medical professional and I am not giving a diagnosis-only one possible ideas based off experience. I would suggest talking to a medical professional who deals with addiction and mental illness and lay out the case and symptoms to get their input. I would also suggest contacting an attorney or social worker to see about getting him help which could be a commitment while he is refusing to address his issues. It is long shot (especially in California) but you may have grounds for an involuntary hold at which time they may be able to deal with his issues and get hm to a place where he may consider in patient drug treatment. Again, it is a longshot... Lastly, I would seriously recommend getting in touch with and to start regularly attending a (or several) Al-Anon groups which if fully utilized can be a great source of information and strength for you (and your family).

Best of luck and if you need anyone to talk to, feel free to reach out to me and I will offer what I can within the confines of recovery.

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joeyjensen1959 | @joeyjensen1959 | Feb 17 12:39pm
In reply to @christopherscott3 "As someone with over 3 decades in recovery, his symptoms sound a lot like like meth..." + (show)
Profile picture for christopherscott3 @christopherscott3

As someone with over 3 decades in recovery, his symptoms sound a lot like like meth psychosis which I have heard of many times from others who experienced it. Some of his symptoms also seem in line with the onset of schizophrenia which often manifests in the mid-20's but please keep in mind, I am not a medical professional and I am not giving a diagnosis-only one possible ideas based off experience. I would suggest talking to a medical professional who deals with addiction and mental illness and lay out the case and symptoms to get their input. I would also suggest contacting an attorney or social worker to see about getting him help which could be a commitment while he is refusing to address his issues. It is long shot (especially in California) but you may have grounds for an involuntary hold at which time they may be able to deal with his issues and get hm to a place where he may consider in patient drug treatment. Again, it is a longshot... Lastly, I would seriously recommend getting in touch with and to start regularly attending a (or several) Al-Anon groups which if fully utilized can be a great source of information and strength for you (and your family).

Best of luck and if you need anyone to talk to, feel free to reach out to me and I will offer what I can within the confines of recovery.

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@christopherscott3 I hope you can find away to have your family living clean and sober....

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christopherscott3 | @christopherscott3 | Feb 17 1:54pm
In reply to @joeyjensen1959 "@christopherscott3 I hope you can find away to have your family living clean and sober...." + (show)
Profile picture for joeyjensen1959 @joeyjensen1959

@christopherscott3 I hope you can find away to have your family living clean and sober....

Jump to this post

@joeyjensen1959 thank you. I have been clean and sober for 36 years and plan to stay that way. have a wonderful week

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joeyjensen1959 | @joeyjensen1959 | Feb 17 2:28pm

Thank you....
Joseph

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