Meth Addiction

Methamphetamine is an overwhelming epidemic and is linked to child neglect and abuse, including violent behavior and sexual violence. Users are from white, working class families in rural or suburban communities.

Only after addiction is out of control are symptoms often recognized. With early intervention, meth addiction is highly treatable although it requires months, not weeks.

A single hit of meth produces a powerful euphoria – as intense as cocaine but longer lasting. It makes you feel invincible, powerful, energetic, happy. It soon becomes all you want and you’ll do anything (sex acts, stealing) to get it. You’ll give up your morals. You will lie and sneak around, and lose all your friends. Many die before they can ask for help.

Some symptoms that show up first and should be seen as red flags are:
changes in sleeping patterns, such as staying up very late and displaying atypical energy.
Unreliability, such as skipping school or work, and breaking promises.
Abrupt changes in relationships, such as old friends are often replaced with a new group who are into drugs.
Motor mouth, rapid obsessive speech, agitation and fidgeting.
Irritability
Weight loss

Meth causes an increase in domestic violence against children and spouses.

You may smoke meth first, then towards the end ingest it. You will probably become paranoid, violent and threaten anyone and everyone. You lose weight and babble incoherently, although you think you’re a brilliant intellectual. You don’t know what is real and what isn’t.

You need help to get into treatment and transitional housing.

The principal ingredient in illicit meth is pseudoephedrine, found in Sudafed and other OTC cold medicines, and antihistamines. It used to be cooked by mom and pop labs but today 80% is smuggled into the US by Mexican drug gangs. The potency of imported crystal meth is twice that of home-cooked meth.

Meth-related crime breeds a new class of criminal – ID theft, prostitution and violent felonies (robberies, etc.), stealing stuff (cars) to take to chop shops.

You will end up in prison or dead if you don’t stop.