Methamphetamine Research Paper

Methamphetamines (Meth) cause a wide array of problems with its users, a lot of which are permanent. Meth’s affects range from neurological issues, alertness, paranoia, and aggression. It also leads to psychological and physical disorders. Because Meth is a stimulant, it can cause the user to be up for days and even weeks at a time causing stress to the body and can result in over exerting oneself and inevitably something will give. Personal problems from users will be talked about, as well as scientific studies on the Meth epidemic.

Methadone is a strong drug that can overtake your body and start to deteriorate your body slowly but surely. Methadone can change the effects of your body physically, mentally, and emotionally. Methadone also changes your physical appearance to your skin and begin to either stretch or change your features.

Eventually, meth ruins the lives of its users and often even leads them to their

The Mouse Party interactive experiment, released by The University of Utah, was quite an interesting and bizarre way to learn how drugs affect the brain. My prior knowledge on this subject matter was rather small, therefore my interest in this experiment was elevated. I chose to discuss three drugs that interested me the most in this reflection. LSD was the first drug that struck my curiosity when learning about the compound components to. Thus to no surprise, the rat that was on it was picked first.

Meth, also known as methamphetamine, is a man made drug with some nasty effects that change your body physically and chemically. Physical change is the change in shape, size, and color, it affects the structure of the substances, not the substance itself. A chemical change is changing the substance, this creates new substances and is irreversible. Chopping wood is a physical change as it’s still wood, just in a different shape, burning it on the other hand is chemical change, you can’t un-burn wood, this also creates new substances like ash and carbon. The article “The Horrors of Meth Use” talks about the effects meth has on your body, it shows and tells you what happens when someone is on meth. Meth affects you physically and chemically, again, these things are not the same, there are differences between the two, these changed may seem like they’re chemical but may be physical and vice versa.

Some behavioural symptoms might be depression, delusions and hallucinations, obsessive behaviour, uncontrollable movement, addiction and aggression, paranoia and tolerance to the drug. ‘Body by Meth’, the users’ hair will start to fall out due to the toxic chemicals mixed with malnutrition, it can lead to rotting teeth and gums due to poor oral hygiene and the acidity of the drug, meth raises body temperature to dangerous levels and it severally increases heart and blood rate. They often hallucinate that bugs are crawling under their skin causing the users of the drug to try and dig them out leaving them with open sores, meth users also become very frail and thin due to the absence of appetite. Users of meth lose all self-respect for themselves, almost as if they’re becoming a slave to the drug. They become vulnerable and the risk factor increases while their care factor drops and they tend to be less selective when choosing their sexual partners. Meth users are more likely to engage in unsafe sexual behaviours such as unprotected sex, this increases the risk of STI’s (sexually transmitted diseases) like Herpes, Chlamydia, HIV and

“On the streets it is referred to as Crystal, Ice, and Crank. Methamphetamines are viciously addictive and provide the hyperactivity effects of cocaine along with the delusional effects of lysergic acid diethylamide known as LSD.” Rehabs can be found in almost every community from the smallest to the largest cities and affects through all social classes from the lowest to highest. “It is estimated that there are twenty-six million and counting worldwide users of this drug.” Meth is a typical high around six to twelve hours on a small quantity. It's so easy to make; if you know how to make chocolate chip cookies then you can make meth simple as that. The documentary the world's most dangerous drug, talks about what meth is and how many people

The addiction of methamphetamine amongst juvenile’s and adults has reached epidemic proportions that affect the individual, families and communities. Methamphetamine abuse has crossed all social economic boundaries that have negatively impacted law enforcement, social and clinical services. According to Anglin, Burke, Perrochet, Stamper and Dawud-Noursi (2000), methamphetamine, also known as meth, crystal, or speed, is a substance that affects the central nervous system creating a stimulant effect that can be injected, smoked, snorted, or ingested orally. Individuals who use meth for an extensive period of time tend to become addicted and will likely need to continue to use meth at high levels for its effects to continue to provide the euphoric symptoms and sensations. Anglin, et al, also describe methamphetamine as a derivative of amphetamine, this form of amphetamine was often used for medication purposes in the 1950’s and 1960’s to treat symptoms of depression and obesity. Durell, Kroutil, Crits-Christoph, Barchha, and Van Brunt (2008), also stated that illicit methamphetamine use is a public health concern in the United States with an increase use among teens and young adults in the 1990s. The Mental Health Services Administration conducted a national survey on meth use in the United States and found that currently as least a half a million of Americans used or have used methamphetamine. Meth use is an epidemic that is slowly becoming a destructive

The Article discusses how the meth rampage in America, has essentially destroyed people, and their communites. This drug started on the west coast but eventually spread to the east. Meth is easily, and cheaply made. Yet has permanent effects, and destroys lives, and town. The toxic ingredients in meth lead to server tooth decay known as meth mouth. The teeth become black, stained, and rotting. The teeth and gums are destroyed form the inside, and the roots rot away. It also causes open sores, weight loss, and will make you look twenty years older than you really are. One puff will keep you up for 24 hours. Methamphetamine is a manmade chemicals, battery acid, drain cleaners, and anti-freeze., as well as amphetamines, which is from cold medicine.

Some of the dependence people would do to take methamphetamine is having more time. One addict took meth so he can work 24 hours a day up to two weeks. Taking meth can have serious side effects like severe depression and inability to eat or sleep. The body also gets affected; one of the affects is called meth mouth. The teeth starts to deteriorates due to grind and the chemicals, which wear away the enamel and the gums, the salivary glands dry out which causes the teeth rots and decay. The appeal of methamphetamine is that it gives the brain high levels of dopamine. They contend to use the drug because of the high levels of dopamine and it’s hard to get off the drug.

I found this documentary to be very sad to watch and I could see how this drug can really destroy the addict’s life and those around them as well. Some of the themes that I saw within this video were feelings of shame/guilt, hating themselves, confusion, using meth to self-medicate, and giving into peer pressure. I also noticed many addicts not wanting to use the drug anymore, but still continuing to do so and feeling a loss of control in their lives overall. Meth was referred to as the “devil” and I can see why many people would say that because it can destroy every aspect of your life if you abuse it.

Even though Desoxyn (pharmaceutical grade of methamphetamine) is a medication advised for weight reduction, ADHD, narcolepsy and depression. Methamphetamine is a life-threatening dangerous drug. because it 's highly addictive stimulant that burns up the body’s resources, creating a devastating dependence that can only be relieved by taking more of the drug. In addition when repeatedly taken over time, methamphetamine can damage nerve cells located in the brain’s pleasure center, causing irreversible harm to the brain. Making meth is also, an extreme hazard because meth labs produce severely toxic fumes. So toxic that homes/locations priorly containing meth labs can not be resold for an extensive period of time. The epidemic of methamphetamine abuse, causes devastating damage to teeth and oral tissues. Considering I want to be a dental hygienist, it important that I know what to look for, how to treat, and how it affects my patients.

Methamphetamine is an acutely dangerous problem in the United States because of its powerful and extremely addictive qualities. It is frequently termed in the gay community as Tina, crystal, the girl, meth, and the bitch. According to National Institute on Drug Abuse ([NIDA], 2013), over 4.7 % of the U.S. population has tried methamphetamines at least once, and national trends demonstrated that in the first half of 2012 methamphetamine remained categorized as the first in drug associated treatment admissions in Hawaii and in San Diego, second in San Francisco, and third in Phoenix and in Denver. Methamphetamine use has been identified as the most rapidly emerging crisis in the United States (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014).

Personally I do not know why anyone would want to feel that way constantly. The rush or high feeling from an adrenal rush sometimes is ok but in my opinion to feel that way continually would make it hard for me to function daily. Also looking at all the health conditions and even death from using meth make it hard for me to understand. I understand people become addicted to things but it’s really sad that these people who are addicted to meth didn’t have anyone in their lives that tried to help them early and didn’t give up on them. I also wonder how much peer pressure is involved with the epidemic of meth use. Knowing the psychologically, medically, and social consequences of using the drug baffles me. Numerous government websites as well as the video from Frontline made it very clear the effects of using meth. How it effects more than you, it effects your family and community. It has been shown to increase crime in a community, unemployment, child neglect and abuse. (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Meth abuse can be prevented and addiction to the drug can be treated. People can recover over time if they have effective treatment. ( Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center) Knowing that meth usage effects the human organs at so many levels, including the brain, would certainly lead me to belief that some type of counseling early on would perhaps prevent some addictions including meth. I feel

The abuse of methamphetamine is a very serious problem in the United States. According to one national survey, approximately 10 million people in the United States have tried methamphetamine at least once (Meth Abuse and Addiction, 2010). Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. Although most of the methamphetamine used in this country comes from foreign or domestic super labs, the drug is also easily made in small clandestine laboratories, with inexpensive over the counter ingredients. Methamphetamine is commonly known as “speed,” “meth,” and “chalk.” In its smoked form it is often referred to as “ice,” “crystal,” “crank,” and “glass.” It is a