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Please Note: This website contains pictures of Methamphetamine, Crystal Meth, Crank, Ice, JIB, andSpeed.

Do not look at the pictures, if they are going to trigger cravings!

General Recovery info website: www.RecoveryRoadMap.com

Helping you to find your path to freedom from addictions!

Recovery Help Section: How to help a Meth addicted person, and how the person can help them self (more detailed info for donors). This includes intervention and support info for parents, and family members.

My Addiction:

You can't describe it, unless youve seen it.

You can't explain it, unless youve done it.

You can't imagine it, unless youve been there.

Then, it never goes away.

Methamphetamine, also referred to as crystal methamphetamine, is a white, odorless, bitter tasting crystalline powder that acts as a powerfully addictive stimulant dramatically affecting many areas of the central nervous system. The immediate “high”, or expected and desired meth side effects (or symptoms of meth use) include euphoria, increased energy and attentiveness, diarrhea, nausea, excessive sweating, loss of appetite, insomnia, jaw clenching, tremors, agitation, compulsive fascination with repetitive tasks, talkativeness, irritability, panic, increased libido or sexual desire and dilated pupils. Health conditions associated with meth abuse include memory loss, aggression, violence, psychotic behavior, heart damage, neurological damage, weight loss, rapid tooth decay (“meth mouth”), meningitis, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, severe headaches, skin sensations, compulsive picking, skin infections, muscle tissue breakdown, kidney failure and increased occurrence of communicable diseases such as HIV, AIDS and hepatitis. Street names for methamphetamine include: meth, crystal meth, speed, chalk, ice, crystal, crank and glass. Different street names are used depending on how methamphetamine is used or taken. It can be taken swallowed, snorted, smoked, injected (with or without being dissolved in water), as well as inserted anally and into the urethra. Between 1994 and 2002, the country experienced a 113% (more than double) increase in emergency room visits associated with methamphetamine and similar stimulants. While originally primarily used on the West Coast (San Diego has long been considered the crystal meth capital), meth labs began appearing all over the country and its use is now widespread. To date there are no pharmacologic agents developed or proven to be effective in treating crystal meth addiction and current treatment methods available to the meth addict consist largely of behavioral interventions and have been disappointing.

WHAT IS METH: How is it different from other stimulants like cocaine?

Methamphetamine is a very addictive stimulant drug that activates certain systems in the brain. It is a Schedule II stimulant, which means it has a high potential for abuse and is legally available (under the brand name Desoxyn) by prescriptions which cannot be refilled for the treatment of certain ADDH, sleep and eating disorders that persist despite the use of other pharmacologic agents.

Meth differs from cocaine as follows:

METH HISTORY

Legally, methamphetamine use is considered a second-line of treatment and uncommonly prescribed narcolepsy (sleeping fits) and obesity under a brand name. It was first synthesized in Japan and was commonly used by Adolf Hitler and German pilots and soldiers in WW II. In the 1950’s meth use increased in the US. It was legally prescribed for narcolepsy, some forms of Parkinson’s disease, alcoholism, certain depressive states, and obesity. The rise of recreational meth use, from meth manufactured in meth labs for personal use and distribution, began peaking in the late 1980’s and continued to rise into the new millennium.

THE SPRAWL OF METH ACROSS THE US

In 1983 the US passed laws prohibiting possession of precursors and equipment for methamphetamine production. Federal and state governments continued passing laws to curb the manufacture of crystal meth, including the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005. In 2006, the US Department of Justice declared November 30, 2006 as Methamphetamine Awareness Day, dedicated to increasing the availability of meth information to the general public.

METH ADDICTS AND USERS

Traditionally meth use was associated with white, male, blue-collar workers but is now reportedly being used by diverse groups in all regions of the country. According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 10.4 million people age 12 or older have tried methamphetamine at some point in their lives. Approximately 1.3 million reported using methamphetamine over the past year and 512,000 reported using meth within the last month. The 2005 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey of study drug use and attitudes reported 4.5% of high school seniors had used meth, 4.1% of 10th graders had used meth and 3.1% of 8th graders (approximately 14 year olds!) had use meth within their short lives. Admission to methamphetamine treatment programs represented 8% of all admission to drug rehab in 2004. In 1992, only 5 states reported high numbers of methamphetamine addiction as the primary problem reported at treatment admission. In 2002 more than a third of the country (21 states) reported high numbers of methamphetamine abuse as the primary concern at admission, a greater than 400% increase in 10 years.

Increased use is also reported among young adults and associated with those who attend private clubs and ‘raves’ as well as homeless and runaway populations. Commercial sex workers, motorcycle gang members and gay populations are all experiencing an increase in the use of meth, potentially contributing to the spread of sexually transmitted disease, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. Occupations that require long hours of alertness and physical endurance, such as long haul trucking, have also seen a rise in methamphetamine use.

METHAMPHETAMINE EFFECTS

The effects of methamphetamine are primarily related to is action as a potent central nervous system stimulant affecting the body’s mechanisms for regulating heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, apetite, attention, mood, alertness and alarm responses. Meth can be taken in a number of ways: swallowed, snorted, smoked, injected, anally and through the urethra. Methods which increase the brain’s uptake of the substance have been increasing; snorting is faster than swallowing, smoking is faster than snorting, etc… The drug alters the mood in different ways, depending on the route of administration. Immediately after smoking meth or injecting it intravenously, the user experiences an intense rush or “flash” that lasts only a few minutes and is described as extremely pleasurable. Snorting or swallowing meth resulting in euphoria, described as a high but not a rush. While the effects of smoking and IV injection are instantaneous, smoking meth produces effects within 3 to 5 minutes and oral injection can take up to 20 minutes to produce a high.

The pleasurable effects of crystal meth disappear even before the blood concentration of the drug falls significantly; in other words, it just stops working. Thus, more meth and increasing frequency of use are necessary to maintain the high. Users indulge in binge behavior for days at a time; foregoing food, hygiene, sleep and other necessities.

Recent research shows methamphetamine abuse and dependence to be associated with long lasting alterations in brain electrical activity and function. These changes in the brain are similar to those seen in people with degenerative brain diseases. It is believed that methamphetamine use actually ‘trims’ the nerve cells in the brain, rendering the pathways incapable of communication and resulting in the state of anhedonia or the inability to experience pleasure.

In addition, side effect associated with meth overdose include brain damage, meningitis, neurotoxicity, sensations of flesh crawling with bugs, compulsive picking and infecting sores, severe headache, muscle breakdown and kidney failure. There are currently no medications available to treat methamphetamine overdose.

METH REHAB AND TREATMENT

The most effective means for dramatically impacting meth use is prevention strategies aimed at local communities. In general, prevention program should start early, be comprehensive and repetitive. Family-focused prevention efforts have been found to have a greater impact than strategies that focus on parents or children/adolescents only.

Withdrawal from methamphetamine is typically characterized by intense drug cravings, depression, insomnia, and increased appetite.

Several cognitive behavioral interventions designed to help modify the patient’s thinking and behaviors, and to increase coping skills related to various life stressors are considered promising when conducted long term. Due to the degenerative effects on the brain, and the slow readjustment and compensation efforts of the brain following cessation of use, most short term treatment strategies have yielded little if any results.

There are no medications available to treat addiction or overdose to methamphetamine.