Do you know the danger of Methamphetamine
One of the problems for people trying to combat the rise of methamphetamine is that it goes by so many alternative names. This means that many people be aware of methamphetamine or may indeed be using but think they are taking something else entirely. Some of the different names for methamphetamine include:
- Ice
- Chalk
- Poor mans cocaine
- Crystal
- Crystal Meth
- Glass
- Tina
- Christmas Tree
- Meth
- Ya Ba
- The Devils Drug
- Fire
- Glass
- Crank
Whatever name is given to methamphetamine, there is no doubting that it is an extremely dangerous drug. However, it was not always considered to be so damaging. There are many historical examples of people using methamphetamine and use of it dates back to Japan in 1887 where it was synthesized from ephedrine.
It was later used extensively throughout some of the wars of the 20th century and for a spell was used to battle obesity. The “high” that comes from use of methamphetamine is a lot more intense than other stimulants and it is not uncommon for the “high” a user receives from the drug to last for up to 24 hours.
This will invariably increase the period of comedown that a user will experience, further increasing the likelihood of re-using. There is a clear cyclical effect of methamphetamine that can very quickly entrap and create a dependency.
Methamphetamine has similarities to other stimulant drugs such as cocaine or amphetamine but methamphetamine has a longer lasting effect. Methamphetamine can create a sense of euphoria in a user, it has been found to create sexual arousal, it is a known appetite depressant and it can make people more alert and awake.
There are many different ways to administer methamphetamine with the most common way is taken orally. When methamphetamine is used for recreational purposes, it can be snorted, smoked, swallowed or dissolved into water and then injected into the bloodstream. No matter what form is used to introduce methamphetamine to the body; there are a great number of risks involved.
Like the use of many drugs, methamphetamine carries the risk of many negative side effects. Regular users can suffer from a number of complaints and these include depression related to the withdrawal, a swift decaying of the teeth (which is referred to as “meth mouth”) or even hallucinations, paranoia and brain damage. Repeated use of methamphetamine carries significant health warnings and public warnings over use of the drug have focused on how quickly a person can deteriorate.
As already stated, methamphetamine is known to cause an increase in libido and this has caused further health risks with people having a more urgent demand for sex. Studies have shown that methamphetamine users have a far higher risk of catching AIDS or STDs due to the change in their normal behavior that is caused by using methamphetamine.
A more common problem with methamphetamine use is the strain it places on the heart. This is something that methamphetamine shares in common with other stimulants but due to the strength of this substance, serious problems can arise from use. It also causes a rise in the blood pressure of a user and the higher the dose of the methamphetamine, the higher the risk and pressure placed on the body will be.
There is a growing public awareness of the dangers of methamphetamine and its impact upon local communities. This is being brought to people’s attention by marketing campaigns to highlight that the dangers of methamphetamine are not only restricted to users and their families.
There are concerns over the chemical waste and refuse that is created through the creation and cutting of methamphetamine. With environmental concerns growing on a yearly basis, any increasing form of pollution is bad news for a community.
Given that methamphetamine is rising in popularity with youth culture, there is starting to be an increasing impact on school and college students. With methamphetamine use becoming more widespread, it is having a bigger impact on more people’s lives and causing a greater number of kids to struggle and drop out of school. With an ageing population, anything that reduces the size of the work force could be a genuine threat to society.
It is blatantly obvious that methamphetamine can play havoc with a person’s health and on the lives of their loved ones around them. In many people’s eyes, it may be viewed as a drug that is similar to cocaine or amphetamine but the consequences of methamphetamine abuse are far higher than would be first thought.