Are you worried that someone in your life is addicted to meth? Methamphetamine abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. It can no longer be characterized as a drug for poor, rural people, having now permeated every segment of our population. The rapid spread of meth abuse is due to several unique factors.
- Meth traditionally has not required smuggling.
- The drug can be produced using substances that, until recently, have all been readily available to the public (drain cleaner, battery acid, paint thinner, iodine, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, among others). Only recently has the government placed precautionary restrictions on over-the-counter forms of pseudoephedrine in order to reduce the domestic production of meth.
- Meth can be obtained at low cost by the user.
- Lastly, meth is extremely addictive, but traditionally perceived to be less addictive or harmful than heroin.
How addictive? Meth prompts the release of norepinephrine (naturally triggered by a stressful event to raise heart rate and energy) and dopamine (which can cause a sense of euphoria). Every drug affects our brain's release of dopamine, and drug use obviously isn't the only activity to incite dopamine release; sex and food consumption, among other pleasurable activities, all carry with them various levels of dopamine release. But while sex generally doubles the brain's dopamine release, and cocaine roughly triples it, meth use triggers a dopamine release that is about twelve times the normal level.
Lack of health insurance or enough money can tragically discourage people from seeking drug rehab. But there are options even for those with extremely limited resources. We recommend The Complete Guide to Affordable Drug & Alcohol Rehab.
Here are some signs that a person might be addicted to meth.
- Obsessive, fidgety behavior. As a stimulant, meth can cause users to suddenly start exhibiting behavior more commonly associated with people who suffer from OCD (like compulsive hand-washing, cleaning). Sometimes a meth user will repeatedly perform the same task over and over again....
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Author: Staff Writer