This is a Hub about Methamphetamines and How Meth Effects Lives

This is an article about Methamphetamines also known as Crank, Meth, Ice and Speed. I have been doing research for this hub for a few months now, and what I found, was the same information-over and over again. I decided if I was going to write and publish this it needed to state things that are either not addressed or sugar coated in the majority of articles I gazed upon. Hopefully I can share some insight about this substance, if not-just pass it off as another article about Methamphetamines.

Said to be derived in Japan in both 1893 and then in 1919, Meth was fed to troops and industrial workers during WWII, to maximize productivity. The Japanese synthesized meth in government facilities under the strictest quality controls. With the exception of Korean and Taiwanese free base version of Meth,” Ice", it is probably the most potent meth ever produced. The currently used American meth - is manufactured in clandestine labs with shortcut recipes and then laced with adulterants. This is part of what is different about Meth than other drugs which ingredients are grown such as heroin and cocaine. Because meth can be manufactured in an apartment, a house or even a moving RV Camper using common household cleaners and pseudo ephedrine or ephedrine, the active ingredients in drugs like Sudafed and Contact its popularity has grown within the last 10 years. In 2005, I am sure that you noticed that you could no longer go into your local grocery store and buy cold medicine, as you did before. It is now kept behind the counter and dispersed a package at a time. The reason for this was the passing of the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act which limited the number of medicines which ingredients included pseudo ephedrine and/or ephedrine one can buy.

Pretty much every person has heard the saying, “Speed Kills!” Is this true? The Department of Transportation began using the slogan following the “1968 Summer of Love”. Speed may kill when it is in reference to the way one drives but research says speed does not kill when it is in reference to the substance people use. From the end of WWII to 1975 (35year time span) meth was linked to only 43 total deaths in the world. Some of which had other unlined health concerns contributing to their deaths. So the concept of Meth = Death, only sounds good, because it so cleverly rhymes. Can a person using Meth overdose on the drug? I suppose, but all of the research I have done over the past few months turns up with, a person said to OD on the drug-in fact has other health issues which were aggravated by the drug-but the drug itself is not what causes a person to die. What will happen is the person will pass out, not actually pass away. Again this finding is based on my research.

The stereo type that Meth makes a person more violent is it true or false? In actuality, meth floods the brain with serotonin and dopamine, giving a person using it pleasure. It also affects the libido of its users, making them feel somewhat aroused. Meth contributes to violence, perhaps because it’s abusers are sleep deprived and need a nap (kind of like when a child begins to get cranky half way through the day when their bodies are nearing exhaustion). In fact, Sleep Deprivation caused by excessive use of the drug is what causes many of the issues said to be caused by the drug. So Meth does not directly cause a person to become violent, it assists a person in becoming sleep deprived.

The definition of ADDICTION has changed over the years. Here are the definitions I found for Drug Abuse vs. Drug Addiction;

Drug Addiction is; (dependence) is compulsively using a substance, despite its negative and sometimes dangerous effects. Drug Addiction is when a person experiences physical side effects with out the drug (withdraw).

Drug Abuse is; using a drug excessively, or for purposes for which it was not medically intended.

So is Meth addictive or do it’s users simply abuse the drug? It depends on who you speak to. A person that is ‘Addicted’ to meth is said to stay up for weeks at a time- something that is referred to as ‘Tweaking’, when the person runs out-or the body stops responding to the drug-they person may sleep for days at a time. I am sure people will disagree with me saying this but if a person hasn’t slept for two weeks and finally passes out and sleeps for 2 or 3 days, it isn’t necessarily because they are an ‘Addict’ going through ‘Withdrawal’, they haven’t slept in 14 days; their bodies are exhausted, and are now attempting to rest and recover from the abuse it has just endured.

If a person using Meth can not sleep (even if they are trying to), can not eat, even with the want to eat -THEY ARE NOT ADDICTED TO THE DRUG-THEY ARE ABUSING IT.

The people that I would consider to be addicts are the ones that wake up every morning and use it to regain normal functioning abilities. They can eat on the drug, they can use the drug and sleep when they are under the drugs influence-because their bodies are now accustomed to having the substance and have re-adjusted the chemical balances within the body to allow for these things that the drug is known to prohibit or effect. Without the drug-the person can not function during the day-with it they are a closer version of the expectable ‘normal’ of other sober functioning people. This is who I feel is the addict. The addicted are those who are no longer able to be ‘normal’ without the drug-because the drug in essence has become a part of who they are.

The people that are Addicts are the people that you would never expect to be addicts-why? Because these are the people, that everyday, you see them, you speak to them-you relate to them. They are socially accepted and enthusiastic in nature. These people-even when they lose their temper, it is brief. Some days they are irrational and then some days they are the life of the party. This is like every other person on the planet, some days you just don’t want to be social, and some days you are happy and giddy-ready for anything. The High Functioning Addicts are people you could very well be going to lunch with. You meet them at a bar and they never seem to be intoxicated, but you swear that they had more shots of tequila than you did, and you are slammed. This is the business professionals, who works late and show up early and always looks focused and busy. Because they have adapted to the drug-and can eat, they do not have hair loss like many of the proclaimed ‘Addicts’ (when people lose their hair and the loss is blamed on meth-it is not the meth, it is the lack of nutrition going into the body ).

How does meth affect the long time abuser or addict? Meth messes with the chemical balance within your body. Serotonin and Dopamine is naturally released into your body. Meth effects mood, memory and reflexes. Meth is a foreign substance which is forcing the body to release serotonin and dopamine-rather than your body telling your brain to release it as needed. When drug use stops-the body has to now readjust to release serotonin and dopamine on its own without being forced by the substance. Even once meth leaves the blood stream-it can take the body months even years to re-stabilize. What this means is-things that you use to do (even before you used Meth), like cleaning, organizing, reading, writing or drawing-become difficult. You lose the want to do them. This is why many people coming of off Meth become depressed and revert back to the drugs. When they say I can’t focus or think straight without it-they are right they can’t. On the same token they can’t thinks straight on it any longer either.

So if addicts can be just about anyone, how to you know if someone is an addict? Well, you can’t necessarily know someone is putting meth up their nose, unless you see a donut around their nostril (when you snort meth into the nasal cavity your nose with drip, the drip has the drug in it and it dries around the nostril-which is commonly referred to as a ‘donut’). People who are under the drugs influence can act a certain way or end up destroying their bodies.

Here are some ways to spot a person under the influence of this drug.

Complexion- still this is no guarantee, but people that are addicted, tend to pick. They feel a breakout or notice a blackhead, ten minutes later their face is red, swollen and bleeding in places.

Teeth- Meth deteriorated teeth, and if a person who is addicted becomes enthralled in something such as a TV show or craft project, they may grind the teeth, without knowing

Movement-many people have a movement which is repetitive that they display when they are under the influence. A hip thrust or shaking leg- twirling of the hair in a repetitive motion.

Heightened Sensitivity- Many people that are on Meth become aroused. They may sit and massage themselves or become focused more so on sex or the sexual release that they can not concentrate on anything else.

Acute Attention to Details- OCD has been heightened with Meth. People become so obsessed with the minute, insignificant details that the project that they are working on either never gets completed, or takes longer to complete than it should.

Focus- ADD- it becomes harder for a person with ADD to focus on anything when on Meth. They will start a dozen projects-be busy all day, and not complete one of them.

Once again-just because a person may display some of these characteristics, does not mean that they are on the drug-this could very well be who they are. What this list is for is if you have a sister or child that has had a personality change and you are wondering what is wrong with them, consider that they be doing something you may not approve of.

Meth is on the rise, and is becoming more popular than ever. It is in big cities, and small towns. It isn’t a drug that is only used by teenagers or young adults. It isn’t found primarily at raves and parties. Meth has no gender or race. It caters to rich as well as poor. This is a drug that is for everyone. It can work its way into the lives of anyone including; Soccer Moms, Business Professionals, New Moms, Teachers, Teenagers, College Students, Convicted Criminals, Politicians and Humanitarians. Pay attention to the people you love, and help them help themselves if you can.