Methamphetamines are extremely addicting and the withdrawal symptoms are severe, making it difficult to quit. And as if meth addiction wasn’t bad enough in itself, new research shows that most meth addicts also grapple with many health problems, behavior problems, and sometimes life-threatening hardships.
Meth addicts are likely to find themselves in serious and complex life situations, making it even more difficult to quit the drug. With an estimated 1.6 million meth users in the US alone, it’s a situation worth understanding as solutions evolve.
Even long term meth uses can recover. Though the side effects of meth use are grave, with help you can end your addiction.
What is meth?
Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive, dangerous stimulant. The drug affects the central nervous system, stimulates activity and causes an altered state of mind. Also called “crystal meth” or simply “meth”, this drug appears in the form of glass fragments or shiny, bluish-white stones. Meth is very similar to amphetamine in its chemical composition.
People use meth by:
- Smoking (the most common form of use)
- Swallow it
- Snorted it
- Injecting meth powder dissolved in water or alcohol
A meth high comes on quickly and fades quickly. While taking meth, users may experience a surge of energy and a sense of euphoria, often accompanied by a sense of invincibility or immense courage. Meth increases dopamine in the brain, stimulates more body movement and motivation, and enhances rewarding behavior. Because methamphetamine has a strong impact on the reward area of the brain, users often consume meth repeatedly even after its harmful effects have become apparent.
What are the short and long term effects of meth?
Meth abuse leaves harmful traces in humans after just one use.
Ingesting even a very small amount of meth can lead to:
- Increased alertness and physical activity
- Decreased appetite
- Interrupted sleep pattern
- Breathe faster
- Fast and / or irregular heartbeat
- Increased blood pressure and / or body temperature
The more you use meth and the longer you use it, the more likely it is to have serious harmful effects. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, some of the long-term effects of meth use are:
- Unhealthy weight loss
- Seeks
- Serious dental problems
- Intense itching that leads to skin wounds and lesions from scratching
- Serious concern
- Changes in the structure and function of the brain, sometimes permanent and irreparable
- Confusion and disorientation
- Memory loss, sometimes permanent
- Difficulty sleeping, unable to keep a regular sleep schedule
- Violent, aggressive behavior
- Paranoia, including extreme and unreasonable distrust of others
- Hallucinations and delusions
Perhaps the most worrying long-term effect of meth addiction is the potential of meth use to cause permanent brain damage in addicts. Quote from NIDA Research: “The continued use of methamphetamine causes changes in the dopamine system of the brain that are associated with decreased coordination and impaired verbal learning. In studies of people who used methamphetamine for long periods of time, severe changes also affected areas of the brain that are preoccupied with emotions and memory. Although some of these brain changes may regress after a year or more without the drug, other changes may not recover even after a long period of time. A recent study even suggests that people who have used methamphetamine once are at increased risk of developing Parkinson’s. ”Given the risks of permanent harm from meth use, it is important that meth addicts as soon as possible Searching for help.
Serious Health Problems – What They Won’t Tell You About Meth Use
The above information on meth (definitions of the drug, how it is used, and the short and long-term effects of using meth) is readily available information. However, New York University researchers made some alarming and new discoveries regarding meth that were not previously discussed. The researchers found that people who use meth were more likely to develop serious health problems, mental illnesses and Others Substance abuse problems than people who don’t use meth.
In addition, meth overdoses are on the rise, suggesting meth users are at risk of more serious health problems and even death. The researchers also found that ingesting meth can cause permanent damage to the heart, lungs, liver, and neurological system. People who use meth are at higher risk of developing infectious diseases.
The researchers found that people who use meth are almost twice as likely to have medical multimorbidity (two or more chronic conditions). The researchers also found that meth users were more than three times more likely to develop mental illness than those who did not use meth, and more than four times more likely to have a different drug problem than those who did not use meth. The researchers found that people who use meth are likely to have a complex and serious combination of physical, mental, spiritual, and behavioral health problems.
One of the study authors, Dr. Benjamin Han, clinical researcher in the Department of Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative Medicine, commented on the results. “The consumption of methamphetamine increases the complexity of the already demanding care of adults with several chronic diseases. Integrated interventions that can address the diverse conditions people live in, along with the social risks associated with them, are required for this population group. ”
Meth Overdose Deaths – A Growing Problem
The National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worked together to list the deaths from drug abuse in the United States. According to NIDA reports, 16,167 people died from meth or meth-related overdoses in 2019. When compared to the only 1,854 deaths from meth-related overdoses in 2010 or the only 547 such deaths in 1999, it is clear that the critical nature of meth addiction and the sheer threats it poses to people’s lives becomes clear much, much worse.
Addiction treatment, meth addiction relief for life
Meth addiction is a serious, frightening, and severely debilitating crisis that can ruin lives. Addicts are at risk not only of death and severe lifelong harm, but also their families of losing a loved one and suffering various kinds of harm.
If you know someone who is addicted to meth, they need to get to an inpatient drug and alcohol addiction treatment center as soon as possible. Meth addiction isn’t often viewed in the context of a fatal habit, but fatal meth overdoses are becoming more common each year. Make sure your darling gets help before it’s too late.
