Methamphetamines in America

What is it and how does it affect your brain and body?

Methamphetamines are a psychoactive stimulant drug, when used it raises your heart rate, energy and alertness. It works by activating the physiological reward system with increased levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain; this causes an extremely high risk of abuse/addiction. Use of methamphetamines often causes enhanced self esteem and euphoria, as well as a heightened sexual pleasure.

Despite the outlaw of methamphetamines in 1986, use of the drug expanded throughout rural United States. There are many street names coined for the drug including Speed, Meth, Crank, Crystal, Batak, Bathtub crank, Batu, Beanies, Boo, Crypto, Go fast, Go, Spoosh, Tweek, Bikerdope, Blanco, Candy, CR, Devil dust, Dope, Gak, Juice, Junk, Smack, Rock, Tish, Whack, and White death. There are literally thousands of slang names for the drug and it seems more surface almost daily. The most popular ways of using methamphetamines are snorting, smoking, injecting, and ingesting; addicts will find new and interesting ways of doing each as the need for change arises.

Meth is considered one of the "designer" drugs and although it is extremely harmful and dangerous it has somehow maintained its appeal and is still very popular. The physical effects of meth are generally overlooked by users largely due to the psychological effects. Side effects start almost instantly and can last hours, even days in some cases and create an intense need for more as they wear off.

The term most widely used for the wearing off of the drug is "coming down" because the "high" that was experienced is no longer evident. When a person begins to come down from the drug they are often irritable, moody, tired, hungry, and disoriented; to someone who has used there seems to be only one solution for the horrible feeling, to use again. The withdrawal effects are often serious and quite uncomfortable. A person going through methamphetamine withdrawals can experience increased appetite, depression, anxiety, excessive sleeping and drug craving.

The scientific reasons for all of the feelings associated with both the high and the coming down are quite scary, more often than not a user has no idea what is happening inside their brain and body that is causing the symptoms nor does he/she care. Addiction to this drug means that you will be faced with a lifetime battle against the desire to use. Meth has been responsible for bringing successful people to ruins; turning college graduates into bums, preachers into thieves. The most noted long term consequences for the user are death and imprisonment, but what happens in between your first high and your last can devastate the lives of everyone that knows you and many who don't.

Let's go through a head to toe rundown of exactly what can happen when Methamphetamines enter your system, beginning with the psychological effects.

The most obvious psychological effect is euphoria, here is a list of other effects that can happen when you use; increased libido, aggression, alertness, energy, self-esteem, self-confidence, concentration, irritability, psychosomatic disorders, sociability, hubris and psychomotor agitation. The drug causes excessive feelings of power, invincibility, anxiety, along with repetitive/obsessive behavior, and paranoia. With chronic/high doses a condition called amphetamine psychosis can occur.

The physical effects are even scarier in nature; none of them will seem like something a person would want to invite into their life. They include; acne, pallor, hyperactivity, flushing, dizziness, dilated pupils, hypotension, hypertension, headache, restlessness, dry mouth, blurred vision, twitching, insomnia, diarrhea, constipation, numbness, tremors, palpitations, arrhythmia, itchy/dry skin, bradycardia, tachycardia, tachypnea, hyperthermia, and diaphoresis. The effects worsen with chronic/high doses and can include convulsions, stroke, heart attack, and death.

Methamphetamine causes a condition called meth mouth, users teeth will rot very quickly due to a combination of the decrease in the production of acid fighting saliva and poor oral hygiene. The lack of basic hygiene can also cause excessive skin picking which can lead to abscesses and cause significant scarring. Use of the drug causes an impaired immune system making it difficult to heal from even minor ailments; users will likely get sick more often as well as stay sick longer than normal. Meth can also cause permanent damage to the kidneys, liver, and heart as well as to the circulatory system.

Meth is labeled a recreational drug; truth is that it is no more "recreational" than jumping out of a plane without a chute. Chronic users who are lucky enough to live will suffer some sort of long term/lasting effects of the drug 100% of the time, some of these effects are devastating in nature. Meth's path of destruction is wide spread and completely non discriminatory. It can be found in upper class neighborhoods, urban areas, schools, parks, virtually anywhere that has a population of at least 1.

If you need help taking your life back from the grips of this (or any) drug please seek help. There are many treatment centers, programs, groups, and individuals out there who can offer support. You don't have to go through this alone and with a good support system your odds of relapse are greatly reduced. Although the contact people and numbers are different for each city they are generally very easy to find. A great place to start is The Narcotic Anonymous (NA) program, to find a meeting near you or read more about NA please visit the Narcotics Anonymous World Services web site www.na.org.