In Vino, Veritas? 

It’s not a secret that alcohol and drug addiction can take some dark and unexpected turns. When people are heavily under the influence of drugs or alcohol, behavior can become less predictable. Everyone has at least one person they know who has a complete personality shift when they drink or use mind and mood-altering substances. 

For some people this is just as simple as removing their ‘filter’ so they speak more freely than they might otherwise and say things perhaps they shouldn’t. But for a small percentage of the population, the right amount of a substance can lead to strange drug behavior that no one could have predicted.   

The Mysterious World of Wild and Weird Drug Behavior

Some of the most bizarre real-life examples of drug-fueled behaviors find their way into the news headlines a few times a year. No one can be sure why this stuff only seems to happen to certain people – but we’ve all heard the stories. We’re not talking about urban legends though. We mean the stuff that actually happened. 

Stories you see on CNN or on the Reuters website. Lots of people have wild stories from their college days, but they don’t usually make the news. There are a rare few who seem to push it past the redline though. The 31-year-old Miami man high on bath salts who ripped off his clothing and gnawed at a homeless guy’s face back in 2012 is a perfect example of the sort of extreme behavior we mean. 

Some key facts about substance use and mental health disorders:

• Treatment rates for mental health and substance use disorders are low, with only about 1 in 10 people with a substance use disorder and 1 in 3 people with a mental health disorder receiving treatment.
• At least 20% of people with a mental illness have a co-occurring substance use disorder. For people with schizophrenia, this number may be as high as 50%
• Serious mental disorders associated with chronic drug abuse include antisocial personality disorder (15.5%), manic episodes (14.5%), and schizophrenia (10.1%)
• Common risk factors can contribute to both mental illness and substance use and addiction, including genetic vulnerabilities and epigenetic influences

Who is Taylor Schabusiness and What Did She Do?

Taylor Schabusiness is a 25-year-old Wisconsin woman who tragically earned her 15 minutes of fame by strangling her lover, Shad Thyrion, during a meth-fueled sexual encounter back in February of 2022. Prosecutors argued that after smoking methamphetamine and engaging in a sexual encounter, Schabusiness fatally strangled Thyrion before dismembering his body and leaving body parts in the basement where his mother found them. The erotic asphyxiation was consensual, and it wasn’t the first time they’d both engaged in this behavior. Except this time metal chains were used and Schabusiness choked the man until he was dead. 

Taylor was arrested and taken into custody soon after. It took less than an hour for a jury to find her guilty of first-degree intentional homicide, third-degree sexual assault and mutilating a corpse. She struggled with ongoing substance abuse disorder and diagnosed with several conditions including ADHD, long before the incident which made her infamous

Where Mood Disorders and Addiction Meet

Taylor Schabusiness’ attempt to use an insanity plea failed, but they usually do. Unlike what we see in TV and movies, insanity pleas are rarely accepted. Mental illness or addiction is not enough to absolve someone of any amount of blame for a crime.

For one thing, the case must be made that the defendant could not tell right from wrong and that’s very hard to do. Suffice it to say, anyone with an existing mental health disorder or the symptoms of one has even more reasons to avoid drugs and alcohol than most people. 

What you should know about substance use and mental health:

• Research suggests people who have mood disorders are about twice as vulnerable to addiction as people who don’t.
• At least 70% of the people who are admitted for addiction treatment also have a diagnosable co-occurring mental health disorder.
• Drinking or using drugs often worsens the symptoms of a mood disorder, it can also complicate treatment and interfere with medications. 

Why Do Some People Exhibit Weird Drug Behavior?

We still don’t know for certain why some people exhibit these bizarre behaviors on drugs. Research is still being conducted to understand better how drug abuse may interact with mental health disorders, but we have a lot left to learn. 

Much of the way the brain works is still a mystery to science, it’s undoubtedly the body’s least understood organ overall. What we do know is that people who have an existing mental health disorder are frequently more vulnerable to addiction and that drug use can often exasperate their symptoms. 

Sobriety and Better Mental Health Are Just A Call Away

Believe that you or your loved one can overcome addiction and manage their mental health – because they can. We won’t tell you that recovery is easy, but with the right kind of help, plus willingness and persistence, we have seen some amazing things happen. 

North Jersey Recovery Center has helped thousands of people just like you recover from addiction and heal from co-occurring mental health disorders. 

We’d like to help you or your loved one too. Call us now at (877) 790-5873 or submit your information here to see how we can help.