Crystal Meth
Effects, Addiction and Recovery
As with many other drugs, Methamphetamine can be
snorted, smoked, injected, and eaten. How it is
introduced into the body has a lot to do with how hard
and fast the effects take place and, to a degree, how
damaging the Drug is for that one instance. It can
even effect how quickly the abuser becomes addicted.
First Date
Smoking the drug or injecting it intravenously, the
user experiences an intense that lasts only a few
minutes and is described as extremely pleasurable.
The initial effects of meth can last from a few
minutes to a half hour, until the body becomes more
tolerant to the drug's influence and the feelings
subside to some degree. But the effects of the drug
aren't over at that point.
After the initial rush subsides there is a "high
period" of wakefulness and hyperactivity that can last
several hours to half a day.
Both the rush and the high are believed to result
from the release of very high levels of the
Neurotransmitter dopamine into areas of the brain that
regulate feelings of pleasure and wakefulness.
That first intense experience can be alluring and when
the rush passes, some users will try to maintain the
high by continuing to use more and more of the drug.
This leads to a phenomenon known as binging and
crashing. The user attempts to keep the highly
pleasurable sensations of the rush going while trying
desperately to avoid the pain of coming down, known as
the crash.
Now the rush is over and to experience it again means
to take more of the drug. But this time the body has
developed a bit of a tolerance to this particular
toxin, meaning it will require a higher and higher
dose to approach the feelings of that original high.
This tolerance builds faster in some drugs than in
others. Methamphetamine is one drug to which the
body builds a tolerance relatively quickly and higher
doses and faster re-dosing only serve to further speed
the addiction process along.
The Thrill
is Gone
As a tolerance to the drug builds, users tend to take
higher and higher doses with greater and greater
frequency, eventually leading to addiction. Now the
pleasures experienced when first using the substance
are only memories and the goal now is to simply
maintain.
But that is getting harder and harder too.
The toll that methamphetamine takes on addicts is
tremendous and is much less obvious to the drug user
than to those around him or her. Appearance and
hygiene are all but ignored. Sleep is rare and
unsatisfying and body weight drops like a rock. Other
side effects include:
Dependence
Addiction
Psychosis
Paranoia
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Stroke
“Meth Mouth" (Rapid rotting of the teeth and gums)
Aggression
Cardiac arrhythmia
Welts or sores on the skin
The term “Tweaker' is a pretty descriptive slang term
referring to these meth addicts. Reality is not their
strong point anymore. They've whittled themselves
down to shadows of who they were before meth and one
of the things they've lost most is judgment.
Meth
Robots
Meth addicts are functioning for one purpose, to use
methamphetamine and kill the pain or get high.
Whatever they say or even think is colored by their
addiction and cravings. An unfortunate fact with
addicts is that their honesty and dignity are,
although loudly proclaimed, non-existent. Compulsive
drug seeking and intense cravings don't leave much
room for things like integrity.
As counselors in the rehabilitation field, we know
that the person who walks in for help with meth
addiction is merely a shell of who they really are.
The actual person is likely to not show up for a week
or two, and then only briefly. Until the drug is out
of their system and even the toxic residues that lodge
in the fatty tissues of the body are eliminated, we're
only going to see the actual personality of this
individual moments at a time.
In our centers, we address both the physical and
mental aspects of Meth addiction. The process of
withdrawal is gone through with a minimum of
discomfort and in all but the most extreme cases
without the use of other drugs.
Then the toxic residue is cleansed from the former
addict's body, removing the most major impediment to
recovery.
Finally, the process of rebuilding begins. Already,
the robot is gone and the person who was buried under
addiction, perhaps for years, re-emerges.
Recovery
from Meth Addiction
Although meth is a very addictive drug and one of the
hardest to recover from, rehabilitation can be
achieved. Everyday in our centers, former meth users
are accomplishing goals and reaching for the lives
they deserve, without the fear and ruin that WAS their
only possible destination had they continued to use.
This recovery cannot occur unless the first step is
taken. Whether the user is a family member or friend
or even yourself, the first step is to ask for help.
Waiting can only make recovery more difficult and the
outcome less assured.
Toll Free:
888-800-8331
