What Is Meth?
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There is Hope
Recovery-
As one of the most addicting substances, meth is extremely difficult to stop using. Without proper help, almost all addicts return to meth use. A detox facility can help curb drug cravings, as well as ease withdrawal symptoms. Although detox will successfully cleanse the body, more action is required to avoid relapse. Inpatient and outpatient drug treatment offer cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques in order to help prevent relapse and sober living houses offer a method of reintegration back into everyday life.
Addiction-
Once crystal meth addiction has fully taken hold, it is a tough road to recovery. The strong physical addiction created by the brain’s adaptation to having meth present makes it very difficult to quit. Immediately after the effects wear off, the addict feels like they need another dose. Serious problems with priority begin to be apparent, as meth use becomes the main motivating factor for the person. Problems with anger, unstable emotions, paranoia, and delusions may occur.
Habitual Use-
Dependence-
As tolerance increases and the user begins to feel as if they need meth in order to feel normal, dependence arises. In the dependence stage of crystal meth addiction, the user develops a psychological dependence upon the feelings created by the drug. Without the presence of meth, the person may have difficulty experiencing pleasure. At this point, they may begin to choose meth use over daily obligations, and problems may begin to appear.
During the habitual use stage of crystal meth addiction, the potential addict begins using meth on a regular basis. As the user begins ingesting the drug more frequently, tolerance begins to develop. In this phase of meth addiction, the increased tolerance causes the user to need more of the drug in order to achieve the desirable effects, leading them into the next stage.
Experimentation- The first stage of crystal meth addiction is experimentation. During this stage, the user is trying meth for the first time. Due to its addictive properties, this stage does not generally last very long in comparison to other drugs.
Meth destroys families and relationships. It changes the person quickly. Meth takes away their morals and values. It makes a person lie, cheat, and steal. It takes the persons appearance. The drug becomes the most important thing to the addict. It even becomes more important than their children.
METH is an extremely addictive drug. It is a growing problem in the United States. METH destroys the lives of the user and their loved ones. Dependency develops very quickly.
Long term effects of METH include:
- brain damage
- coma
- stoke
- death
- meth mouth
- sores
- boils or infections on the skin
- psychosis
- cracked teeth
Short term effects of METH include:
THANK YOU
SANDRA CARDENAS
I would like to add my personal story of Meth Use.
- effects similar to cocaine abuse
- erratic behavior
- violent behavior
- suppressed appetite
- poor sleeping or insomnia
- mood swings
- unpredictable behavior
- tremors
- convulsions
- high blood pressure and increased heart rate
- suicidal thoughts
- anxiety
- paranoia
Heart
- Meth can severely increase heart rate and blood presser. Extended use can result in a irregular heartbeat, heart attack, and stroke.
Muscle
- Meth can cause involuntary muscle contractions, uncontrollable twitching, and strange movements like facial tics.
Immune system
- Meth restricts the skin's blood flow and its healing process, resulting in graying skin, acne, and open sores.
Skin
- Meth users often hallucinate that bugs are crawling under their skin and they try to dig them out, leaving open sores.
Meth suppresses the appetite and can cause users to become extremely thin and frail, losing muscle tissue and bone density.
- Meth raises the body temperature to dangerous levels, which can lead to a rise in heart and respiratory rates, as well as organ failure and brain damage.
Meth-induced psychosis cause users to see, hear, or even feel things that aren't even there.
What Is Meth?
The toxic chemicals in meth combined with
malnutrition and a user's obsessive plucking
can cause hair to fall out.
What does Meth do to you?
Using meth can lead to rotting teeth and gums from poor hygiene, bacteria, grinding, and the acidity of the drug.
More Facts
- Many meth abusers use the drug in a pattern known as "binge and crash," because the effects of the drug wear off before the level of the drug in the blood stream significantly decreases. Users try to maintain the high by taking more of the drug.
- Some abusers go on a "run," which is a form of a binge during which they don't eat or sleep for up to several days at a time.
Reasons why people use METH
The high, the rush, the sense of power, SEX, sexual endurance (lasting longer), relieve feelings of loneliness and depression, weight loss, to stay awake, to ease social anxiety, to feel confident, boost creativity like hobbies and art, and to do house cleaning.
Why is METH used?
- Some people take meth because of the long lasting high that it gives. Meth causes numerous neurotransmitters to be released in the brain, producing a sense of euphoria that may last as long as 12 hours.
- People often take crystal meth because it can cause extremely rapid weight loss. However, the effects are short term. As you can see, weight that is lost is regained once a person stops taking meth.
How is METH used?
- Because meth is produced in several different forms, it can be smoked, snorted, injected or swallowed. Currently, the most common method of abusing meth is by smoking it.