Mothers' experience of methamphetamine addiction: A case-based analysis of rural, midwestern women

Engaging mothers who are abusing methamphetamine in services is an important goal for rural child welfare. Four rural, white, mothers in recovery from methamphetamine addiction described their life experiences through in-depth interviews. Three of the women grew up with parents who abused drugs, and all had experienced trauma as children and used other illegal drugs before methamphetamine. Mothers vividly portrayed the rapid loss of control that can occur with methamphetamine use, as well as the power of the addiction. They became "obsessed" with the drug and nothing was more important to them, not even the children whom they loved. They lost the ability to think "rationally," experienced serious lapses in judgment, lost motivation, and lived in a "fog." They described their illness as impacting their children's physical and psychological well-being including through exposure to domestic violence, adult substance abuse and other anti-social behavior, and loss of important relationships. They expressed concern that their children would abuse drugs. Women described recovery as possible only with significant external support, and they reported lasting physical, psychological and social side effects of their illness. Understanding mothers' experience of methamphetamine addiction can increase our awareness of this illness thereby reducing stigma and suggesting strategies for engaging them in intervention.