The Effects of Methamphetamine as an Addictive Substance by William Kent McGregor, M.S.W., A.C.S.W.
The
Effects of Methamphetamine as an Addictive Substance There are many myths and/or justification for taking all mind-altering substances and the use of methamphetamine, (meth, crank, crystal, speed, etc.) certainly has its share.
Probably the most detrimental myth about his drug is the idea that it is not addictive. Users of this drug will equate it to a potent caffeine-type substance, and in some ways they are correct. Methamphetamine and caffeine are both stimulants, but that is were the similarities end. A drug can be addictive at the psychological or physical level or both. However, all psychologically addictive drugs have a physical addictive component as well. The level of addiction is directly related to the amount of discomfort one experiences during abstinence from the drug. Everyone is familiar with the headaches that one can get when they have been drinking coffee on a regular/daily basis and then they abruptly stop.
The body gets accustomed to having coffee as an external stimulus and when that is removed, there is an adjustment that happens physiologically that causes stress. However, when a person uses methamphetamine on a regular/daily basis and stops, you find dramatic effects on the body. It isn't uncommon for a person to sleep for over 48 hours after being on a "meth" run. The over-stimulated glands, especially the adrenals, will under-produce until they can re-establish normal activity again, and in the absence of these hormones, a person is barely able to keep bodily functions alive, so it becomes necessary for a person to sleep for long periods of time while normal equilibrium is being renewed.
Whenever the body is under extreme stress, the person's emotions become unstable. In the case of the cessation of methamphetamine, one experience mild to severe depression, leading to suicidal thoughts. Knowing that one can stop these uncomfortable feelings by the use of more "speed" is the simplicity of this psychological addiction and the reason that most people will need professional care to progress without problems through this recovery.
Kent McGregor,
ACSW, LADC
Drug rehab centers services
About the Author
Mr. McGregor received his B.S. degree in psychotropic pharmacology and drug interactions and his Masters of Social Work from the University of Houston. He has served for the State of New Mexico as Director for Drug Treatment and Prevention. He is currently a surveyor for the national Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.
Labels: CrystalClear, CrystalClear™, Effects of Crystal Meth, help for meth addicts, Meth, treatment from meth addiction
Meth-A demon drug even in small doses
Drug Addiction - Meth Has Plagued America for More Than a Decade
The short term risks are significant and include death, repercussions of regular use are physically devastating and mentally anguishing. Meth addiction results in tremendous personal torment. Desperate meth users who’ve been deprived of their fix have been observed picking and eating scabs off of their bodies, along with going to the extreme of drinking their own urine in an effort to try to find enough meth chemicals to get high.
(PRWEB) February 28, 2006 -- Crystal meth has become the new crack with the exception that making meth is easier than making crack The National Association of Counties, surveyed 500 law enforcement groups in 45 states, found that 58% rated meth as the number one drug problem.
Long-term methamphetamine abuse results in many damaging effects, including addiction. This is characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and drug use which is accompanied by functional and molecular changes in the brain. In addition to being addicted to methamphetamine, chronic methamphetamine abusers exhibit symptoms that can include violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. They also can display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions (for example, the sensation of insects creeping on the skin). The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts.
The short term risks are significant and include death, repercussions of regular use are physically devastating and mentally anguishing. Meth addiction results in tremendous personal torment. Desperate meth users who’ve been deprived of their fix have been observed picking and eating scabs off of their bodies, along with going to the extreme of drinking their own urine in an effort to try to find enough meth chemicals to get high.
A demon drug, even in small doses it’s deadly, 99% of first-time meth users are hooked after the first try. It is also known as ice, jib, glass or speed and it has become a major worry in North America because of its increasing popularity and its devastating effects.
This synthetic stimulant is made of ghastly array of over-the-counter chemicals such as battery acid, brake fluid, floor-stripper, drain cleaner and flammable retardants found in fireworks. These are just a few of the ready-made products that make up the glass-like shards that users usually smoke or snort. Meth can also be injected, or ingested orally.
Nationwide, 7.6% of high school students surveyed in 2003 as part of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System reported using methamphetamine during their lifetimes. Male students (8.3%) were more likely than female students (6.8%) to report lifetime methamphetamine use. Hispanic (8.3%) and white (8.1%) students were more likely than black (3.1%) students to use methamphetamine within their lifetime.
According to data from the 2004 National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health;
110 million Americans age 12 or older (46% of the population) reported illicit drug use at least once in their lifetime 15% reported use of a drug within the past year 8% reported use of a drug within the past month.
Among students surveyed as part of the 2005 Monitoring The Future study, 3.1% of eighth graders, 4.1% of tenth graders, and 4.5% of twelfth graders reported lifetime use of methamphetamine. In 2004, these percentages were 2.5%, 5.3%, and 6.2%, respectively.
During 2004, 5.2% of college students and 9% of young adults (ages 19–28) reported lifetime use of methamphetamine.
These statistics show that meth is no joke. Ninety-nine percent of first time users are hooked after their first try and the life expectancy of a person who uses meth regularly is as little as five years. A 1999 study of the methamphetamine problem reports, methamphetamine abusers were characterized as low socio economic status, less educated, relatively young white males. Today the majority of methamphetamine abusers still tend to fit that profile.
Joanna Young, national president of the www.DrugAddictionHelpLine.com, adds, "Illicit drug use is associated with suicide, homicide, motor-vehicle injury, HIV infection, pneumonia, violence, mental illness, and hepatitis. It is harmful to not only the individual but the community."
For answers on how to overcome drug and alcohol addiction, go to;
http://DrugAddictionHelpline.com/
http://AddictionHelpRehab.blogspot.com/
http://www.DrugAddictionSolutions.com/
http://www.DrugAddictionTreatment.ca
http://centralcalcoalition.org/
http://www.addiction-rehab-success.com/
Labels: Crystal Meth Addiction, CrystalClear, help for meth addicts, Meth, meth addiction treatment
Author: Todd LangeCrystal meth is a derivative of methamphetamine. If methamphetamine can be considered to be one of the most addictive drugs known to us, then crystal meth can be easily included in this category. In fact, being a more concentrated form of amphetamine than methamphetamine is, the chances of crystal meth being more dangerous of the two are quite high.
There are several centers for crystal meth treatment in Alabama, most of them following the rehab treatment policy. These centers are finding a high rate of admissions of late, which is making the issue seem to be more problematic than ever before. In addition, the age of the people that are getting into crystal meth treatment in Alabama is also quite low; it generally lies in the range of 18 to 25 years.
This makes it clear that crystal meth addiction is a youth-centric addiction in Alabama and that makes matters more serious because the younger the people are when they get into a crystal meth habit, the greater are the chances that they will enter into a full-blown addiction as they grow older, and the more difficult it will become to treat their condition.
The first step you have to be sure of when you are planning a crystal meth treatment in Alabama is whether the person is really in a crystal meth addiction or not. This can be difficult to find out, because several drugs have similar symptoms. If the patient shows a temporarily boosting effect such as feeling more happy than required, having a tendency to work surprisingly more, looking more bright eyed and cheerful than normal and having an elevated blood pressure, then it could be indicative of a crystal meth addiction.
You must read for detailed signs and symptoms of crystal meth addiction which you will easily find on the Internet. Visiting federal websites such as those of the organizations such as Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Institute of Drug Abuse and National Clearinghouse can help you in learning more about these symptoms.
Get in touch with a counselor on substance abuse treatment in Alabama who will help you plan the addiction treatment. This is also important because it helps confirm whether it is actually a crystal meth addiction or not. The counselor will tell you how you can plan an intervention program to get the person out of the denial phase and into a treatment center. You might want to use an intervention specialist.
Using an intervention specialist, also known as an interventionist, for crystal meth treatment in Alabama is a good idea because they can accurately guide you on what you must do at every step of the treatment, including which treatment center you must choose for the patient's particular condition. They become of invaluable assistance because they will also help you convince the patient to accept that there is a problem and to seek treatment for the same.
Your next step, i.e. when the patient is convinced about getting into treatment, is to choose a treatment center. The interventionist and the substance abuse counselor both will guide you on this, but you have to make sure that the treatment center you are selecting has special expertise for dealing with meth rehab treatment. They must ideally have a license stating the same. You will also do well if you check the credentials of the treatment center as to since how many years they are providing crystal meth treatment. Check also the credentials of the treatment providers. Ideally, they should be qualified from an organization such as the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
Distance is not quite important when you are planning a crystal meth treatment in Alabama. If there is a good treatment center with a good program in another city, you may consider enrolling the patient for a program there. Since most meth treatments are inpatient and will go on for several weeks, this will not be much of a problem. You can always shift the patient to a local center when the aftercare therapy gets underway.
You must remember that at every stage the crystal meth treatment proves to be more difficult than any other form of drug treatment. It is definitely much more difficult to convince a patient of this form of treatment, the detox program is quite long and a very elaborate counseling program needs to be used in which the family will also be expected to participate. Even so, aftercare is quite important, because there is always a very high chance of relapse with this kind of treatment.
About the Author:Click on crystal meth treatment in Alabama to know more about how it functions.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/planning-a-crystal-meth-treatment-in-alabama-492840.html
Labels: Crystal Meth Addiction, CrystalClear, help for meth addicts, Meth, meth addiction treatment, speed
Author: Christin ShireCrystal meth is the most destructive drug in America today. Teens can get it, they love to experiment with available drugs, and they are not well aware of the real risks of meth use and abuse.
There are few drugs more addictive than crystal meth, and the intense and pleasurable high so easily seduces recreational users into abuse and addiction; and with addiction, the physical, mental and spiritual devastation is tragic.
Meth addicts age by literally decades in a few short years of abuse. Meth mouth (meth destroys the teeth) is but one of the obvious and external faces of the damage of meth, and the internal damage is just if not more severe. Meth use increases the risks for a host of cancers, for fatal heart disease, for Parkinson's and even for very early dementia.
Meth takes happiness away
And the soul suffers most of all. There is a price to be paid for the extreme pleasure of a meth high, and meth addicts soon find the depression and dysphoria of sobriety unbearable, and need continual meth intoxication just to avoid the soul crushing feelings of normalcy. Those meth addicts that do conquer the cravings and the physical addiction are faced with months or even years of lingering depression, and some meth addicts report never truly feeling happy again after prolonged addiction(How to beat a meth addiction).
Parents need to protect their kids from the dangers of meth, but astonishingly, about half of all parents never even bother to speak with their kids about the dangers of the drug. Reflecting this, today's teens are very ill informed as to the real dangers of meth use, and a recent study commissioned by the Meth Project (a non profit group) found that about one in three teens did not see much harm in experimenting with the drug, and an even scarier 25% even saw some benefits to meth use (weight loss, and enjoyment).
How to keep kids safe
There are a number of things that parents can do to keep kids safe from meth, but everything needs to start with a dialogue that continues throughout the years about the dangers of meth.
Additionally, parents need to stay involved and active in their teen's life and make sure they are close and involved enough to be ready to spot any signs of drug or alcohol abuse, and if so, to get help at the earliest possible opportunity.
Parents need to make clear the family policy on drug and alcohol, discuss the reasons for your concerns, and also the consequences for breaking the family no-substance use policy. Parents also need to set a good example, and kids are quick to spot a hypocrite; and don’t often listen to a "do as I say and not as I do" type of parent.
Parents can set a good example by using alcohol only in moderation, and by never using illegal drugs.
There are no guarantees
There are no guarantees, and every time your teen leaves the house they step into a world of danger and temptation. All you can do is give them the tools they need to stay drug free, educate them as to the dangers, and stay involved enough to be able to spot a problem at the earliest possible opportunity.
You do your best and hope for the best; but if you don’t talk to your kids about the dangers of meth, you are taking a very big gamble with their health and happiness.
About the Author:Christian Shire is an addictions professional writing about all matters pertaining to treatment and recovery. If you need help making a decision about treatment visit Choosehelp to read more.
Read the daily addiction blog Troubleblog for stories of recovery and the latest news on treatment options.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/a-parents-guide-to-crystal-methhow-to-keep-your-kid-safe-227374.html
Labels: CrystalClear, help for meth addicts, Meth, meth addiction treatment, Methamphetamine addiction treatment
rehab and that kept me clean for four months. I have always been so head strong and so independent that this makes me sick! I have never been controlled by anyone or anything, then came meth! 
