Dangers of Meth
Methamphetamine, or Meth, is a very powerful stimulant. Meth is a controlled substance that is frequently manufactured in illegal Meth labs throughout the country. Meth is fairly easy to make using common household goods and no formal chemistry training is required to make Meth.
Meth can be ingested by swallowing, inhaling, injecting or smoking and is considered to be highly addictive.
Street names for Meth include speed, ice, crystal, fire, glass and chalk.
Side effects from using Meth include irritability, nervousness, insomnia, nausea, depression and brain damage.
There are many dangers to using Meth, which include mental confusion, severe anxiety and paranoia. Meth users are typically very aggressive and paranoid which often results in extremely violent behavior. There have been studies conducted, which illustrate a strong link between Meth use, and domestic violence and child abuse.
Long-term dangers of Meth use include:
- Dependence
- Drug Addiction psychosis
- Paranoia
- Hallucinations
- Mood disturbances
- Repetitive motor activity
- Stroke
- Weight loss
Although there are no physical manifestations of a withdrawal syndrome when Meth use is stopped, there are several symptoms that occur during withdrawal, which include depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression and an intense craving for the drug.
Meth can also cause a wide variety of cardiovascular problems, which include rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure and stroke-producing damage to small blood vessels in the brain. Hypothermia and convulsions occur with Meth overdoses and if left untreated, can lead to death. Heavy users of Meth also show progressive social and occupational deterioration. Psychotic symptoms can sometimes persist for months and years after use has stopped.
In addition to the dangers of use, the manufacturing process is also considered to be extremely dangerous because the production of Meth requires the use of extremely hazardous chemicals. Many of the chemicals used to make Meth are highly flammable and corrosive. Vapors that are created by the chemical reaction of making Meth attack mucous membranes, skin, eyes and the respiratory tract. Some chemicals may also react dangerously to water and can cause fire or explosion.
Manufacturing Meth also results in a large amount of hazardous waste. The manufacture of one pound of Meth results in six pounds of waste. This waste typically includes corrosive liquids, acid vapors, heavy metals, solvents and other harmful materials that may cause disfigurement or death when direct skin contact is made or if these materials are breathed into the lungs. Illegal Meth lab operators almost always dispose of this waste illegally in ways which have severely damaged the environment.
The rate of addiction to this toxic substance is very alarming. Over six months of use, 94% who smoke Meth become addicted, as do 72% who snort Meth. That is in comparison to the 14% who inject heroin and 8% who smoke marijuana.
In the 50’s and 60’s, Meth was very popular as a weight loss drug. Today, Meth continues to be very popular with females, particularly housewives, due to its extreme weight loss effect. However, because the Meth of today is much more potent, people who use Meth for weight loss purposes don’t look skinny, they look emaciated. High intensity users can shed 50 to 100 pounds in a very short amount of time.
Meth abusers die at higher rates than average from suicide, traffic accidents and murders. Many Meth users commonly succumb to overdoses or malnutrition.
Drug Specific Information and Facts
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