What Is The Potential For Addiction?

“Meth, not even once” is a popular phrase that is associated with this drug. This drug has many known horrible effects associated with it, plus many effects more I am sure are going to be discovered over time. I am intending to cover the history, effects, the different categories of meth abuse, and the withdrawal effects of Methamphetamine in this paper, and what to do if you suspect someone you know is using meth.

Substance abuse during pregnancy can have a negative force on the health and wellness of not only the fetus, but that of the mother. The harmful effects of medications, alcohol and illegal drugs on an unborn child can be devastating and can have significant consequences to its use. Sometimes the effects can be faced and treated, and other times the outcome is a lifelong challenge. During the prenatal period, it is important that new mothers are informed of the different types of abuse, how they may affect the fetus, and the adverse conditions their child may be faced with before and after birth.

When a woman uses heroin while pregnant, her baby is at risk for many challenging effects that will ultimately follow him or her as they grow into an adult. As heroin enters a mother’s system, the drug crosses into the child through the placenta (“Heroin Addiction”, n.d.). While a baby is in utero, a mother’s substance abuse can cause a fetus to grow at a slower rate, lead to the rupturing of the membranes surrounding the baby that results in premature labor, and cause a possible stillbirth, which means the fetus dies in the womb (“An Overview of Heroin”, n.d.). Substance abuse can also cause the placenta to separate from the uterine wall leading to dangerous heavy bleeding, which is a threat to both mother and child (“Heroin and Pregnancy,” 2015). Along with possible placenta abruption, the use of heroin can lead to the intrauterine passage of meconium (“Opioid Abuse,” 2012). After labor and delivery, the effects

Addiction can be separated into three categories: mind (neurological), body (physical), and spirit (psychological). Within in this breakdown addiction can possibly be explained and properly understood.

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.

Generally, a person will go through a cycle of predictable behavior after starting meth. Immediately after taking it the user will feel a rush which involves the most exhilarating feelings. Next, they experience the high which can last for several hours. The actual rush and high is what everyone is trying to achieve. In order to keep this high the user will often binge, meaning they will continue to take meth for hours. This binge can last for days. Eventually the user will experience “tweaking” which may cause the user to become violent or delusional. Finally the user will experience the crash. Since the addict has been using meth for several days they may have had little or no sleep and their bodies have become

Methamphetamines affect the human body in a physical and neurological and psychological way. The use of meth can lead to devastating effects to the nervous system for example leaving the user with nervous ticks and body jerks similar to a person suffering from Parkinson’s disease. On a physical level, the user may show skin sores and tooth decay. Last but the not least, the user may develop psychosis including hallucinations and paranoia.

Substance abuse has been a worldwide problem at all levels of society since the beginning of time. Attention has been made toward the use of legal and illegal substance by pregnant women over the past several decades. Almost all drugs are known to cross the placenta and have some effect on the fetus. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (2013) the first studies of the effect of substances consumed by a pregnant women to the developing fetus were identified in the 1960’s of prenatal tobacco use. These studies opened the door to further research and studies. The effects of Alcohol and opiate use have been studied since the 1970’s (Jones, Smith, 1973) and the effects of a variety of other drugs have been studied since 1979 and early 1980’s (Flinnegan, 1979).

Meth users can stay awake for days at a time, without wanting food, water, sex, etc. These natural things that create pleasure and release dopamine in a normal person won’t have the same effect, or any effect, on a meth addict. This makes it hard for addicts to overcome the addiction because they physically won’t enjoy life if they don’t take the drug. In addition, withdrawal symptoms of meth are similar to those of other addictive drugs. A lot of users fear withdrawal, and therefore continue to take the drug.

In the United States, there has been a growing concern for the number of newborn children that have been exposed to drugs while in utero. The defenseless fetus is subject to any and all substances that the mother ingests, injects, or inhales into her body. Significantly decreased gestational ages as well as low birth weight have been linked to infants that have been born to mothers who are engaging in substance abuse. Marijuana, cocaine, cigarettes, methamphetamine, heroin, and alcohol are some of the more widely abused substances among pregnant mothers (Bailey, McCook, Hodge, & McGrady, 2012).

A common teratogen that causes problems in pregnancy is the use of methamphetamine, a stimulant that affects a person’s central nervous system, by the potential father or mother. Research on methamphetamine abuse among pregnant women is in progress and has been for several years, but the exact effects of prenatal exposure to this drug are still actually limited. It is common for a child of a mother who used meth during pregnancy to have brain development problems. The National Institute on Drug Abuse(NIDA), (2013) informs us that there have been only small samples of pregnant women researched for only using methamphetamine, therefore, the results are limited to knowing that “neurobehavioral problems such

Still, Meth has a strong hold on individuals. Takes young adults for instance, most young adults are trying to adjust to the whole responsibility of being adults. Many have not figured out how to manage time properly and try to multitask to keep up with this fast-paced world. Some young adults turn to coffee for a boost of energy and some turn to drugs. There are many different drugs that young adults experiment with but none as high in demand as Methamphetamine. Not only is Meth an easy drug to come by, it is available to all age groups and social classes. In 2001 a study was held and submitted to the journal Addiction about Methamphetamine. The study shows that they interviewed 14,000 adults between the ages of 18-26 nationwide. The study showed that 3% of young adults have used Meth in the past year. That is double the 1.5% that was reported by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) the year before. (Iritani, B. Addiction, July 2007; vol 102: pp 1102-1113) Because Meth affects the human body the same as Amphetamine, today young adults use’s the drug as a source of energy. Meth has become a college students “cup

Addiction can become more important than the need to eat or sleep. The urge to get and use the drug can fill every moment of a person's life. The addiction replaces all the things the person used to enjoy.

All types of addictions should be looked at from a philosophical and psychological point of view. Those in the fields of neuroscience, psychology and philosophy often compare their views to show the similarities of addictions whether they be substance induced or behavioral. “Behavioral science experts believe that all entities capable of stimulating a person can be addictive; and whenever a habit changes into an obligation, it can be considered as addiction” (Alaghemandan et al 290). Some addictions can affect people physically. Caffeine and nicotine provide prime examples. The body’s physical state becomes dependent on its effects and causes withdrawal symptoms without use. One of the main differences in behavioral and substance addictions is that behavioral addictions have no apparent physiological or physical withdrawal symptoms. It is not the physical body that is addicted, but the feeling that one gets mentally. The physical body is only affected by the

The basis for addiction can be assigned to a combination of social, physiological and psychological aspects. Social factors highlight the fundamental tendency for humans to interact and form social groups which contributes to the commencement of addiction. The intricacy of the human brain has slowed the understanding of physiological and psychological factors, however experts agree the neurotransmitter dopamine is instrumental to explaining the cause of addiction and ascertaining successful pathways to assist addicted individuals. Analysing addiction within the domain of methamphetamine use provides an insight to the causes and potential treatment strategies for these individuals. There is no single treatment for methamphetamine addiction,