Meth Addiction
Find more information about meth and meth addiction with professionally reviewed up-to-date articles. Getting informed is the first step in overcoming meth addiction.
MoreMethamphetamine is a strong synthetic stimulant made in labs in the U.S. and Mexico. It is distributed on the street as a white powder or as crystalline clear or blue-white rocks. It can be swallowed, smoked, snorted or injected. When smoked, it produces a brief, intense rush. When swallowed or snorted, the effect is longer lasting. Meth is very quickly addictive and some become hooked after a single use.
Find more information about meth and meth addiction with professionally reviewed up-to-date articles. Getting informed is the first step in overcoming meth addiction.
MoreMethamphetamine can have such immediate and profound effects on a person’s physical and mental health that it’s essential to get them help as soon as the signs of meth use show up.
MoreStay informed on the latest news, trends and statistics on methamphetamine addiction and meth-related news.
MoreMeth is incredibly toxic and damaging, both physically and mentally.1 Those who chronically use meth lose their appetites and fail to eat. Because of the stimulating effects of the drug, they may stay up for days or as long as they have a supply of the drug. Eventually, they crash and sleep around the clock, only to get up and find more meth.
Those addicted to meth often become paranoid, anxious, confused, aggressive and even psychotic. A meth user may become homicidal or suicidal. Users suffer memory loss, malnutrition, severe tooth decay and damage to both their brains and cardiovascular systems.
The grip of methamphetamine is powerful. Those who become addicted often become completely compulsive about getting and using more of this drug. They may become drug dealers to support their own habits. Their grooming and personal care go out the window. They neglect their children, their homes, financial situations and other responsibilities.2 Terrible child abuse has resulted from parental use of methamphetamine.
Methamphetamine use is often associated with crime, including a high association with violent crime.3 One study into the national cost of methamphetamine use looked at how much violent and property crimes contributed to national losses. This report calculated that crimes attributed to people using meth or seeking to finance their meth addictions resulted in a cost of $1.8 billion each year.
It is possible to fatally overdose on meth.1 As a stimulant, meth speeds up the heart and increases body temperature. If the body can’t take it or too much of the drug is consumed, cardiovascular collapse is possible, accompanied by death. Strokes, heart attacks and multiple organ collapse can also result from the stressful effects of this drug.
It is common for meth users to also abuse other drugs, particularly opioids.4 Methamphetamine supplies are sometimes contaminated with fentanyl, increasing the danger of using this drug.
Withdrawal from methamphetamine can cause severe depression, anxiety, and even psychosis. The person trying to withdraw from meth should be prepared to experience intense cravings for more of the drug.
Sources
DEA. “Methamphetamine." Drug Enforcement Agency, 2020. DEA. ↩︎ ↩︎
NIDA. “Methamphetamine Research Report.” National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2019. NIDA. ↩︎
RAND Corporation. “The Costs of Methamphetamine Use.” RAND Corporation, 2009. RAND. ↩︎
CDC. “Other drugs.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021. CDC. ↩︎