Addictions

Explores addiction to Crystal Methamphetamine, in the United States. Describes the ease in obtaining the drug and how it afficts the brain and general health.

Ice, crank, meth, crystal, tweak, go fast otherwise known as Crystal Methamphetamine, in the United States is at epidemic levels. 1
Meth is not only highly addictive it is easily “cooked” in homes across the country. Unlike some drugs, which are derived from natural sources, meth includes an array of dangerous chemicals. These chemicals can include battery acid, rat poison and motor oil.

Crystal meth is a sub-category of amphetamine. Amphetamines are synthetic amines- which are similar to the body’s neurotransmitter: norepinehrine and the hormone epinephrine (adrenaline). Amphetamines stimulate the reticular activating system. This activation is transmitted to all parts if the brain. This process causes the user to become aroused, alert and hypersensitive to stimuli- such as sun light.

Like other amphetamines crystal also causes increased brain activity, decreased appetite and general sense of well being- that can last for approximately 6-8 hours.

Furthermore, Crystal is a highly addictive stimulant that affects the brain, respiratory, circulatory and central nervous system. Crystal also affects the nerve synapses of the pleasure center by increase dopamine production and blocking its reuptake. Dopamine is responsible for “reward.” This affect causes the user to experience a sometimes severe decrease in excitability and happiness about things that used to bring pleasure to the user. Receptors become insensitive and extreme depression occurs.

Because of this extreme depression the user is almost forced to use again to alleviate depression. The tolerance level of the user thus increases. Tolerance refers to the fact that through continued use of a drug, users often feel the need to increase the “dose” to produce the kind of pleasure experience they once had.

Most casual users become addicted. 2 Addiction occurs quickly, often times after only a single use of the drug. Crystal abusers become so heavily reliant on the drug that they will go to any extreme to get more- including violent crimes. Due to the manor in which meth is produced the users have no way of knowing what is actually in the product. Along the distribution path the product is cut- to increase profit by creating more product, which puts the user at increased risk of danger. Which brings out many questions, such as: why start, why continue and most of all, why not just quit?

Whether in their teens, twenties or beyond the subtle urgings from friends can seem more like a test, or a dare. Many potential users feel desperate to fit in with peers. Sometimes it is not a peer pressure issue at all; it is an issue of curiosity. Some may wonder what the entire “buzz” is about. While others may see their friends have been losing outrageous amounts of weight, or an increased energy level, they want to see how well and how quickly it works.

“The temptation, from peer pressure or just plain curiosity gets to be too much and I thought what is one time going to hurt”" 3

The methods that crystal can be taken are: snorting, injection, smoking, rubbing powdered crystal on gums, and sometimes it is simply placed into a soda or other beverage, usually carbonated.

Depending on the method the drug is taken, the initial “rush” can be somewhat alarming. That is until all of those negative aspects are overshadowed by an intense high. This high is when there is a sudden rush of energy and overall euphoria.

“The first time I snorted it, it burned my nose, and there was a horrible taste in the back of my mouth.”4

This euphoria includes a false sense of mental alertness and energy. Many users will continue “dosing” themselves for days to continue the euphoric feeling. The euphoria is followed by a self induced “come down.” This “come down” is the time in which severe depression sets in and long periods of sleep (from 1 day to 1 week or more) will follow.

“During one binge, I remember cleaning the fridge and then suddenly remembered that I had clothes in the wash. After tending to the laundry, I went on to clean multiple rooms in the house. Hours later I went back to the kitchen to get a drink- only to find the refrigerator door wide open and its contents sprawled on the floor.” 5

Additionally, the “high” causes severe loss of appetite. During this loss of appetite after the body feeds off stored fat, it begins to eat away at muscle tissue. The loss of appetite can be so intense that many users do not eat for days, have to be reminded to eat, and/or force themselves to eat.

“Looking back on my past abuse- in a span of only two months I went from about 160 pounds to 95 pounds.” 6

The above recovered drug addict had lost approximately 65 pounds in only 8 weeks (an average of 16.2 pounds per week) and became emaciated. The average healthy, recommended weight loss is only 2-5 pounds per week. 7

While the user is carelessly, most times unknowingly, destroying their lives, their health is also a large issue. A crystal user’s health quickly deteriorates. Using crystal causes many biological, physiological and psychological changes to occur. These changes range from minor to life threatening. Some of these affects are: erosion of the teeth (from drip in back of the throat or lack of calcium); damage to the retinas (due to excessive dilation); a hole developed in the septum; vein blow out (when injected); damage to esophagus and/or stomach lining (when swallowed); Depression (which can be long or short term); chronic fatigue; paranoid or delusional thinking; increased heart rate; malnourishment; extreme and rapid weight loss; blood pressure and risk of stroke; aggressive and psychotic behavior; irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain; liver, kidney or lung failure; death (by overdosing or by damaging the heart-long term). In addition permanent damage to the brain’s “pleasure center” can and in most instances does occur.8

Some easily recognized sign that someone may be using meth are: fast, babbling speech; dilated pupils; severe acne type soars on face/ arms/legs (usually made worse by uncontrollable “picking” while user is “tweaking”); sudden weight loss; suffering from “insomnia”; presence of paraphernalia (mirror, razor blades, straws, glass pipes, syringes) and irritability.

Studies are being done, trying to prove if drug abuse may be genetic, similar to alcohol. 8 There is no simple way to predict who is likely to become a user. Class, age and other factors seem to play no part in determining drug abuse. Drug abusers can be: unemployed, stay-at-home moms, doctors, professors, high school or college students, etc.

“Stereotyping is making America blind to the depth of the problem.”9

Current laws regarding the use and selling of drugs are very different. In some states the penalty for use is higher than that for selling and vice versa. Many experts believe that the punishment should be higher for use/ possession. This belief is a simple lesson in economics- supply in demand, if there is no demand (because the buyers are in prison or too scared to purchase and use) then there will be no demand. 10

The American society emphasizes punishment for drug use instead of the much needed prevention. Some feel when it comes to punishment there are legal issues to consider. For instance, if an abuser is sentenced, by a judge to attend NA (narcotics anonymous) as an alternative to serving a sentence, this can be construed as a violation of the First Amendment.11 Since NA heavily relies on the “Twelve Step Program,” which focuses on the belief of a “higher power,” an atheist will be forced to attend meetings with an organization that conflict with his/her religious beliefs. Although the First Amendment will be protected, due to the fact that NA was offered as one of two options. A different approach may aid in a solution to this ever growing problem. Instead of imprisonment, treatment may be a better long-term solution. Prevention is believed by many psychologists to be the best approach. 12

“For every $100 we spend dealing with drug problem- $97 is spent dealing with the effects of our policy’s failures and $3 is spent to prevent drug use.” 13

Before treatment can be assessed and administered the user must come forward in some aspect to admit that there is a problem. Once this occurs, it must be determined whether in-patient or out-patient treatment would best suit this individual.

There are many organizations that lend a “shoulder to cry on” to recovering addicts, such as: Narcotics Anonymous and Way2Hope. Most of these groups use a process that was mention earlier called “Twelve Steps.” (Figure 1.1) The twelve step program is also used by other large addiction support groups, such as AA (Alcoholics Anonymous).

Fig 1.1- Narcotics Anonymous- Twelve Steps14

Twelve Steps

1. We admitted we were powerless over our problems and behaviors — that our lives had

become unmanageable.

Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure
them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we
understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message

to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Another method of treatment is detoxification. This “detox” can be done voluntarily or involuntarily, and in patient or out patient. During the “in-patient detox” process the user is cut off from buyers, other users and other “triggers.” A high level of counseling also persists throughout the “detox” as well as many months to many years after the patient has left the detox center.

During out-patient detox, the treatment is much more difficult, since the triggers and fellow users, as well as dealers are easily accessible. A clear and concise commitment to treatment is essential.

When there is no response to any treatment, users will deteriorate quickly, both mentally and biologically. The user no longer cares about responsibilities such as: employment, home, children and their spouse/ significant other. Many of these users end up homeless and die shortly after, mainly due to malnutrition. Once users hit skid row there is an estimated 10% success rate.15

It is clear that there is a drug problem in the American society as well as the rest of the world. There have been many proposed solutions to the problems. But not one has been effective or feasible enough to put into effect. At this time the most adequate defense against the problem is the “it takes a village” mentality. When parents educate their children on the dangers of using drugs and stay involved in their children’s lives, these children are less likely to ever try drugs. Family and friends can be attentive to mannerisms and physical appearances, if someone they know begins to use the will be able to identify the tell tale signs of drug use, therefore intervention can happen earlier on in the users cycle. With clear communication and early intervention many lives that are needlessly lost every year can be saved.

REFERENCES

Drugs: Addiction, National Institute of Justice, CF Productions, Inc. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Justice, 1990? 1 videocassette (29 min.)
Addiction is a Choice, Jeffrey A. Schaley, PhD, Page 5, Open Court Publishing, 2000
Anonymous Source- 1, recovered addict
Anonymous Source- 2, recovered addict
Anonymous Source- 3, once recovered addict- currently using
Anonymous Source- 4, recovered addict
Federal Drug Administration website, www.fda.gov
Psychological Disorders: Related to Designer Drugs, Elizabeth Russell Connelly, Carol C. Nadelson, MD, Claire E. Reinburg, Page 14, Chelsea House Publishing- 1999
Altered States: A History of Drug Abuse in America, Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities, c1993, 1 videocassette (57 min.)
Drugs and Behavior, Rebecca Schilit and Edith Lisansky Gomberg, Page 62, SAGE Publications, Inc.- 1991
Narcotics Anonymous website, www.na.org
Drugs: Addiction, National Institute of Justice, CF Productions, Inc. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Justice, 1990? 1 videocassette (29 min.)
Altered States: A History of Drug Abuse in America, Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities, c1993, 1 videocassette (57 min.)
Narcotics Anonymous website, www.na.org
Drugs: Addiction, National Institute of Justice, CF Productions, Inc. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Justice, 1990? 1 videocassette (29 min.)