Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine, which is commonly known as "crystal meth", "speed", "meth" or "ice" is a central nervous system stimulant. Why is methamphetamine so popular? The first time one uses methamphetamine, they feel increased energy, they may be overly talkative, confident, more sexually active and irritable. After the first use, one becomes addicted almost immediately, and the amount of drug required reaching the same desired effects as the first time increases each and every time it is used. All drugs of abuse release dopamine; however, methamphetamine releases the most. Studies show that methamphetamine releases approximately 12 times the dopamine that food, sex or other pleasurable activities release. Due to this incredible high, there are also incredible lows, where one would feel extremely depressed, complete loss of energy and absolutely incapable of having sex.

Methamphetamine is made by crushing cold medicine pills or weight loss pills. It is then blended with starter fluid and boiled into a bubbley substance that once it dries crystallizes into a rock form which is then chopped or crushed and injected in several different ways. It has become a very popular drug over the last few decades. It is one of the least expensive drugs to manufacture and once it is introduced to a community, its use spreads very quickly.

There are several ways to ingest methamphetamine, it can be swallowed, snorted, smoked or injected. Swallowing would take about 20-40 minutes to feel the effects, snorting may take up to 10 minutes, while smoking or injecting will cause an immediate effect. The effects of methamphetamine can last from 6 hours up to 12 hours, while the effects of same amount of cocaine may only last 20 minutes.

A sign that one may be addicted to methamphetamine is their appearance. They may lose an unhealthy amount of weight in a short period of time. Another common sign will be tooth loss or decay, also known as "meth mouth". Due to the lack of nutrients and the highly dangerous chemicals being ingested, you may also notice hair loss or breakage, but the most noticeable sign will be their skin. Methamphetamine addicts are prone to obsessive picking of their skin. It may look like an extreme case of acne, or even open sores. They may complain about "crawling skin" or that they have "bugs" in their skin, a disorder known as formication. They may not sleep for days at a time, their appetite will decrease or they may not eat at all. Additionally, one may become extremely paranoid, as if someone is chasing them or following them. The chemicals in methamphetamine can impair ones judgment and increases the individuals’ sexual drive. They may share needles and have more aggressive, unprotected sex that increases the chances of sexually transmitted diseases and injury.

Methamphetamine addiction is one of the hardest drug dependencies to treat. Although one may only test positive for meth for approximately 3 days, the long term effects of the drug can take years to recover from.