Metamphetamine is an extremely addictive drug. Similar to most drugs, once abused, it could result to harmful effects towards the user’s body. Upon entering the brain, methamphetamine triggers the rapid release of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine which control feelings of pleasure. It is very active in mesolimbic reward pathways of the brain which causes intense euphoria.
Meth has a stimulating consequence on sex, mood, and energy. It may cause weight loss and appetite suppression. Also, it gives our body with alertness and the ability to concentrate. Like most drugs, overusing meth develops tolerance. Methamphetamine exhausts the brain’s store of dopamine and destroys the wiring of dopamine receptors. The drug’s pleasurable effect is not everlasting. As the user takes in an increasing amount of the drug due to tolerance, negative effects to the body begin to take place. Users usually elicit poor judgment and harmful behaviors such as committing petty and violent crimes. To maintain the pleasurable effect of the drug, the user is likely to take in increasing doses which in turn results to the damage of body organs, mental disorders, and even death. Long-time users of this drug have been known to develop symptoms of psychosis, like paranoia, aggression, hallucinations, and delusions. Furthermor, physical effects of meth use are diarrhea, palpitations, and dizziness, jaw clenching and facial ticks. It also increases the heart rate that it could lead to sudden heart failure. Some costs include bronchial dilation, dilation of the blood vessels to the skeletal muscles, dilation of pupils and the emptying of the bladder and intestine.
In the United States, methamphetamine addiction is quite common. There are 1.4 million meth users in America, and it does not stop there. With the number of meth users increasing, the government is quite helpless. While readily available, meth is very inexpensive. Meth’s main targe is the youth most especially those problematic ones; ravaged by broken homes, neglect and little parental influence. A report from the National Association of Countries revealed that meth users comes from the different spectrum of the youth: from high school and college students to white and blue-collar workers.
What is the driving force that makes people to get addictive to meth Meth is easy to use, cheap, and could work as an energy booster. The attractive part of this drug is that it’s benefits even if temporary are very immediate.
Methamphetamine addiction greatly damages a person’s life. Once addicted to it, the symptoms could lead to undesirable and unhealthy behaviors. Moreover, depriving the body from taking in meth would lead to depression, aggression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, and intense craving for the drug.
Getting away from this kind of addiction is quite a daunting task. It is like pulling your hair on your head one by one until everything is gone. Imagine the pain. It is not a one-time thing. Most of all, things work if it is a forced thing. Meth addicts should be first of all, be very willing and determined to battle the addiction and get rid of it for good. The enthusiasm should not come from the people around the meth users. It should only come from the self. One should first accept the problem before doing something about it. Quite a number of meth-specific program solutions have been developed. The aim of treatment is to train the user new skills that will help cope with the user’s drug cravings and prevent relapses. Meth treatment therapies involve individual and small group approaches. Treatment allows the patient to see beyond the immediate positive effects of drug use and lead them to see the negative effects that inevitably follow. Moreover, recovered addicts are taught to deal with their lives more successfully, increase their confidence and self-esteem, and set positive personal goals.
One easily gets addicted to something, yet it is so difficult to become “un-addicted” if there is such a word. Addiction is like letting go of a loved one, we know that letting it go is the correct thing to do, but we find it difficult to do it because we know it would hurt so bad. Before anything else, the determination should start with the self.
