Like any other drugs, once improperly used, meth addiction could result to harmful effects towards the user’s body. Upon entering the brain, meth triggers the quick release of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine which control feelings of pleasure. It is highly active in mesolimbic reward pathways of the brain which causes extreme euphoria.
Meth has a stimulating outcome on sex, mood, and energy. It may cause weight loss and appetite suppression. Also, it gives our body with alertness and the ability to concentrate. Like most drugs, tolerance develops overtime with continuous use of meth. It tires out the brain’s store of dopamine and destroys the wiring of dopamine receptors. The drug’s pleasurable effect is not everlasting. Negative effects on the body takes place once the user of meth takes increasing amount due to tolerance. Meth addicts usually elicit poor judgment and dangerous behaviors such as committing petty and violent crimes. To maintain the pleasurable effect of the drug, the user is likely to take in increasing doses which in turn results to the destruction of body organs, mental disorders, and even death. Long-time users of this drug have been known to develop symptoms of psychosis, like paranoia, aggression, hallucinations, and delusions. In addition, physical effects of meth addiction are diarrhea, palpitations, and dizziness, jaw clenching and facial ticks. Meth can also lead to heart failure since it increases heart rate. Other costs include bronchial dilation, dilation of the blood vessels to the skeletal muscles, dilation of pupils and the emptying of the bladder and intestine.
Meth addiction is prevalent in the United States. There are 1.4 million meth users in America, and it does not stop there. With the number of meth users increasing, the government is quite helpless. Meth is readily available and cheap. Meth’s main object is the youth most especially those problematic ones; ravaged by broken homes, neglect and little parental influence. A report from the National Association of Countries revealed that meth users comes from the different spectrum of the youth: from high school and college students to white and blue-collar workers.
What is the driving force that makes people to get addictive to meth Methamphetamine is easy to use, cheap, and could work as an energy booster. The attractive part of this drug is that it’s benefits even if temporary are very immediate.
Meth addiction destroys the life of a person. This kind of addiction leads to undesirable and unhealthy behaviors. Moreover, depriving the body from taking in methamphetamine would lead to depression, aggression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, and intense craving for the drug.
Fighting addiction is such a hard and painful thing to do. It is like pulling your hair on your head one by one until everything is gone. Imagine the pain. It is not a one-time thing. Most of all, things work if it is a forced thing. Meth addicts should be first of all, be very willing and determined to battle the addiction and get rid of it for good. The inspiration should not come from the people around the meth users. The motivation should come from the self. After accepting one’s problem, the desire to do something about it should come next. There have been a number of meth-specific programs that have been developed. The aim of treatment is to teach the user new skills that will help cope with the user’s drug cravings and prevent relapses. There are different kinds of approaches in treating meth users, either by group or by individual. Treatment allows the patient to see beyond the immediate positive effects of drug use and lead them to see the negative effects that inevitably follow. Moreover, recovered addicts are taught to deal with their lives more successfully, increase their confidence and self-esteem, and set positive personal goals.
When you get addicted to something, it is difficult to veer yourself away from that addiction. Addiction is akin to letting go of a loved one, we know that letting it go is the right thing to do, but we find it hard to do it because we know it would hurt so bad. The first step should always start with the self.