Crystal Meth Addiction

Facts of Crystal Meth

Crystal meth is a drug that is used mostly for recreational purposes. However, occasionally it is used to treat certain conditions such as ADHD and narcolepsy. This is only done when all of the other drugs used to treat those disorders no longer work for the person. Otherwise, crystal meth is a very dangerous drug that should not be used or abused.

Crystal meth is mostly manufactured in home-based labs that are not very sophisticated. Anyone can find a recipe for meth on the internet, and it does not take very much talent to make the drug. Most, if not all, of the ingredients in crystal meth can be purchased at local stores, so therefore the drug is very hard to control. When it can be made by anyone, anywhere, at any time, no government can do a very good job of controlling it.

When crystal meth enters the brain, it immediately causes a euphoria and energy that is felt on the part of the user. These things happen very soon after it has been taken. When someone is operating on crystal meth, they might easily become obsessed with certain things or items, and they also might perform repetitive tasks, such as washing their hands, cleaning, or putting together and taking apart certain objects. These behaviors are some of the behaviors that are indicative of a drug addiction and associated with long-term meth use, and they are one of the ways to guage whether or not someone has been using crystal meth.

Coming Off Crystal Meth

When a person stops using crystal meth, they are going to experience a withdrawal-like state. They will have an increase in the amount of time that they spend sleeping and eating, and they will report that they feel depression, or symptoms like depression. Often times, when someone has not used crystal meth and they are a regular crystal meth user, they will experience anxiety, and a craving for the drug.

Crystal meth comes in many different forms in the US. Many times, the average price of crystal meth is about $150 per gram of pure crystal meth. It is sold on the street as a colorless solid, and meth can also be sold as a powder form, which is often less pure. Often, people take colored pills, which are full of meth and caffeine. These are called yaba, which is Thai for “crazy medicine”. At its most impure state, crystal meth is sold as a brownish colored crumbly rock. This is sometimes called “peanut butter crank”. Most of the time, when crystal meth is found on the street, it is not very pure at all, but has been cut with many different chemicals, which are used in synthesizing it. Many times there are substances that are put into the crystal meth in order to dilute it.

The users will experience a feeling of fight or flight, and will also have symptoms such as increased heart rates and blood pressure. The high will usually result in an increase of focus and also of mental alertness. Many times the user will report that their fatigue and appetite have been eliminated. This can lead to dangerous territory, because oftentimes people with crystal meth addictions fail to eat and sleep, which adds to the general decrease in their health.

There are also side effects that are associated with crystal meth use. These might include things such as twitching, repetitive behaviors, diarrhea, nausea, insomnia and restlessness. Users might also report talkativeness, irritability or panic attacks. A drug rehab center helps crystal meth users through the addiction recovery process.

New Intelligence Report by the DEA on Making Meth

New Stategic Intelligence Report by the Drug Enforcement Adminisrtaion - Calcium Nitrate and Anhydrous Ammonia.

Read more on the potential to limit the use of anhydrous ammonia in the local manufacture of methamphetamine.

Incentive-Based Therapy Improves Outlook For Methamphetamine Abusers

New research suggests that offering methamphetamine abusers an incentive-based behavioral therapy program called contingency management (CM — also known as Motivational Incentives), along with psychosocial therapy is more effective than psychosocial therapy alone. The study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, and is published in the November 2006 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Read More
More Articles on Methamphetamine Addiction

Meth Facts

Dangers of Meth