Methamphetamine Dangers

Methamphetamine and other stimulants are being abused more and more worldwide, and many people, although having heard about it, don't really know what methamphetamine is or what it does.

Narconon Drug Rehab GA, in addition to education on all other drugs of abuse, educates parents and children on methamphetamine and methamphetamine addiction.

"Methamphetamine is a drug that is extremely addictive," comments Mary Rieser, Director for Narconon Drug Rehab GA. "Taken once, the user will get such an intense high they will continue taking the drug to try to re-create that original feeling. Meth is not a friendly drug, and destroys families and communities. Affecting the addict as well as the community, meth addiction consumes the person's life and as a stimulant, causes severe paranoid reactions and hallucinations in habitual users.

"Don't become a meth addict. Learn the facts."

Methamphetamine is a very addictive stimulant drug that affects the central nervous system. It is a Schedule II stimulant, which means it has a high potential for abuse and is available only through a prescription that cannot be refilled. However, its medical uses are limited and the doses prescribed are much lower than those typically abused. Most of the methamphetamine abused in this country comes from foreign or domestic superlabs, although it can also be made in small, illegal laboratories, where its production endangers the people in the labs, neighbors, and the environment.

Methamphetamine is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol and is taken orally, intranasally (snorting the powder), by needle injection, or by smoking.

Methamphetamine increases the release of very high levels of the brain chemical dopamine, which is involved in motivation, the experience of pleasure, and motor function, and is a common mechanism of action for most drugs of abuse.

Long-term methamphetamine abuse can also lead to addiction—a chronic, relapsing condition, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, and accompanied by chemical and molecular changes in the brain. Some of these changes persist long after methamphetamine abuse is stopped, and some reverse after sustained periods of abstinence (e.g., 2 years).

Taking even small amounts of methamphetamine can result in increased wakefulness, increased physical activity, decreased appetite, increased respiration, rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and hyperthermia.

Long-term methamphetamine abuse has many negative consequences, including extreme weight loss, severe dental problems, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood disturbances, and violent behavior. Chronic methamphetamine abusers can also display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and delusions (for example, the sensation of insects creeping under the skin).

Also, transmission of HIV and hepatitis B and C can be consequences of methamphetamine abuse. Among abusers who inject the drug, HIV and other infectious diseases can be spread through contaminated needles, syringes, and other injection equipment that is used by more than one person. The intoxicating effects of methamphetamine, regardless of how it is taken, can also alter judgment and inhibition and lead people to engage in unsafe behaviors. Methamphetamine abuse may also worsen the progression of HIV and its consequences. Studies of methamphetamine abusers who are HIV positive indicate that the HIV causes greater neuronal injury and cognitive impairment compared with HIV-positive people who do not use the drug.

Narconon is a non-traditional drug abuse treatment program which was founded in 1967.  Narconon of Georgia was founded in 2001.  While many drug rehab statistics are nebulous, Narconon boasts a 76% success rate (based on a two year follow-up) through a non-12 step drug treatment program.  This program provides body detoxification through a sauna and exercise program that helps eliminate or reduce cravings.  After the sauna program, the client learns those life skills essential to success in life and the ability to stay clean.  They graduate from Narconon with a life plan and continued support to make sure they make it.

For a free brochure on methamphetamine, or help with methamphetamine addiction, call Narconon of Georgia at 1-877-413-3073.