The Many Faces of Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a synthetic, stimulant drug substance that has a white, crystalline appearance, no odor, and a bitter taste. How meth is used depends on the user and what effects they wish to achieve. The most common ways to use meth is through snorting it, smoking it or injecting it. Some individuals will even take it orally. Regardless of how the individual uses the drug, they experience a false sense of happiness, well-being, confidence, hyperactivity, and energy. These states are considered highly desirable, and therefore cause the individual to want to use the drug again as soon as the effects begin to wane. This can quickly result in a methamphetamine addiction that destroys the individual’s life.
Dangers of Meth Production
While there is no arguing the fact that methamphetamine is a highly addictive and dangerous drug substance, this is further compounded when one considers that there is no traditional meth production method or traditional form of meth. What this means to the consumer is that each batch of meth they come into contact with, even from the same manufacturer, can have different ingredients and therefore different purity and potency levels. Most commonly, meth is produced through the combination of some form of amphetamine with other substances like battery acid, drain cleaner, lantern fuel or antifreeze. There is no way for an individual who is buying street meth to know for certain what ingredients were used during production, and whether the meth they are buying was further cut with substances like talcum powder, salt, sugar, antidepressant medications, HIV medications, laxatives, Epsom salts or more in order to further stretch supply and profits. This means that a single hit of meth could easily prove fatal for the individual, as their body may have little or even no tolerance of the other substances contained in any particular batch.
Crystal meth is one well-known form of methamphetamine. Rather than presenting in a white, crystalline powder, crystal meth presents in a crystallized rock form that looks similar to shards of glass and is most commonly smoked in order to create an immediate, intense high. Some common meth nicknames include crank, crystal, ice, meth, shards, and speed.
While the different ingredients contained in a particular batch of meth can obviously change how the individual is affected by the drug, there are some common short-term effects of meth use, including loss of appetite, increased body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate, pupil dilation, nausea, bizarre, erratic and violent behavior, hallucinations, hyperexcitability, irritability, panic, psychosis, convulsions, and seizures. Some of the common long-term effects of meth use include extreme weight loss, insomnia, nausea, irritability, confusion, memory loss, hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia, depression, severe tooth decay, aggression, psychotic behavior, increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, damaged blood vessels in the brain, liver, kidney, lung, heart and brain damage, and much more. It is not at all unusual for even relatively short-term meth users to appear far more advanced in age than they actually are, as this drug substance will quickly burn up the very resources the body needs in order to remain healthy.
Different Forms of Meth Abuse
When an individual first starts to abuse meth, they normally swallow or snort the powder form of the drug. This provides them with the stimulation or energy they desire to stay awake longer and push their body harder, or with the appetite-suppressant, they want in order to assist with weight loss. When they tolerate this level of meth abuse, they normally move on to binge meth use, either smoking or injecting the drug. This causes a more rapid and intense rush than swallowing or snorting the drug. When they tolerate this level of meth abuse, they normally move on to full-blown meth addiction. A meth addict will focus all of their attention and energy on maintaining a high level of the drug in their system at all times in order to avoid the crash that occurs when they come down off the desired rush. Unfortunately, each time they use meth they experience a less intense high than the time before, which can cause them to increase the amount and frequency of their meth use. Needless to say, this places them in mortal danger, and eventually, they do experience a crash that can leave them unconscious for long periods of time—even several days.
Getting Help
Fortunately, an individual who is experiencing any stage of meth use can yet get the help they need to take back control of their life. If you are concerned that someone you know may be addicted to meth, contact Narconon Arrowhead immediately at (855) 646-8505 so they can receive the help they desperately need.
