What Are the Signs of Methamphetamine Abuse?

Methamphetamine abuse is down, according to government surveys, however many still suffer from methamphetamine addiction.

Would you be able to detect the signs of methamphetamine abuse?

Narconon Drug Rehab of Georgia, in an effort to provide drug education to fight meth abuse, gives the following information:

A person who is a meth abuser will usually have glassy eyes and very, very large pupils. They may try to hide this condition by constantly wearing sunglasses or other dark glasses. They may sweat a lot even in cool weather, and be very thirsty.
 
A meth addict's behavior will be erratic. They cannot relax or confront and are restless. One will observe uncharacteristic activity, irritability, nervousness or aggression.
 

High doses can elevate body temperature to dangerous, sometime lethal, levels as well as cause convulsion.

Methamphetamine is a stimulant, and its signs of meth abuse is characterized by high agitation, increase in energy, and loss of appetite. Some meth users have been known to clean an area or repeat some activity for hours at a time, never seeming to finish.

What does methamphetamine look like?

Methamphetamine usually looks like white or off-colored shards of glass, usually stored in small baggies. It can appear in pill form, powder, or chunks, but it is definitely crystalline in nature, as opposed to cocaine, which is powdery.

Any small baggies found with a chrystalline powder or residue in them could indicate meth abuse.

As methamphetamine can be either smoked, injected, snorted, or swallowed (after being dissolved in water or alcohol), any paraphernalia found that would indicate one of these methods of use can be looked for:

-Glass pipes with a bulb on the end are used for smoking meth; these are purchased at convenience stores and sometimes have a small plastic flower in them before use

-Lightbulbs or other household articles modified to smoke meth  

-Syringes, store-bought or homemade, may indicate injections of meth

Long-term meth users will start to display psychotic activity, such as paranoia, violent behavior, mood disturbances, and delusions or hallucinations. They may see or hear things, and know that “people are after them”.

Meth users have been known to stay awake for days, then sleep for days.

They may display “formication,” which is the sensation of insects crawling on their skin, and will spend hours picking at their skin, leaving scabs on their arms, face, or other parts of their body.

After the effects of meth wears off, it can cause severe withdrawal that is more intense and longer lasting than both speed and cocaine.  These withdrawal symptoms can include depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression and an intense craving for the drug.

For more information on drug addiction rehabilitation or drug education, call Narconon of Georgia at 1-877-413-3073.

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