The Life of Crystal Methamphetamine.
Methamphetamine is a Class A drug that has been around for several decades. Meth is a synthetic chemical compound that is generally manufactured in hidden labs by the mixing of several forms of amphetamine, or other chemicals to boost the potency. Some chemicals used include battery acid, drain cleaner, lighter fluid, and antifreeze. The danger with cooking meth isn’t necessarily the chemicals by themselves but the explosive possibility the chemicals have. Unfortunately most meth cooks are meth users themselves and are disoriented; many times they are often disfigured and riddled with bodily burns from cooking meth.
Meth has many long and short term effects, of short term damages we fine, a loss of appetite, increased heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. These symptoms alone can cause cardiac arrest. More short term effects are dilated pupils, insomnia, nausea, erratic or violent behavior, hallucinations, hyper excitability, irritability, panic and psychosis, convulsions, seizures, and death from a high dose. Some people quite literally die the first time they abuse meth, the first dose is a lot of guessing and deciding how much is “ok” to smoke, inject, snort, or swallow. Long term effects are even more vicious. Long term effects include: permanent damage to blood vessels of heart and brain, high blood pressure leading to heart attacks, strokes and death. More long term effects are liver damage, kidney damage, lung damage, destruction of tissues in nose if snorted, respiratory problems if smoked, infectious diseases and abscesses if injected, malnutrition, weight loss, severe tooth decay, disorientation, apathy, confusion, exhaustion, strong psychological dependence on meth itself, psychosis, depression and finally brain damage similar to severe dementia, a fatal stroke and never ending epilepsy.
Meth users themselves are divided into three categories, low-intensity, binge, and high-intensity. Low-intensity meth users swallow or snort the meth, generally this is because they want the stimulation meth has in order to stay awake long enough to finish a job or task, or they want to lose weight by taking advantage of meth’s ability to suppress the appetite. Binge meth abusers smoke or inject meth. This allows them to receive a more intense dose of the drug faster. They feel an almost immediate rush that becomes addictive psychologically. High-intensity meth users are often referred to as “speed demons”. Thanks to the addiction they’re entire focus becomes preventing the crash, which is the painful letdown after the drugs high. In order to continue the high and make it better they must constantly take more and more of it. As with other drugs in the Class A category, each successive meth high is less than the one before making it so the meth addict has to constantly take more and more meth just to get the same high, this is what leads to overdoses and ultimately death.
The history of methamphetamine is similarly as dark as its current use. methamphetamine was first developed in Japan in 1919, its soluble powder form made it perfect for injection use. Meth became widely used during World War II, when it was used by both sides to keep troops awake and alert. It is also said that high doses where given to the kamikaze pilots right before their suicide missions. Once the war ended meth was abused highly in Japan as their storage supply of meth was opened to the Japanese public. In the 1950’s meth was prescribed by doctors as a weight loss aid and an anti-depressant. As time went on it began being used again to keep people awake to study for college exams, to keep truck drivers awake and athletes for higher performance. The in 1970 the US government made it illegal for most uses and then American gangs controlled most of meth’s production and distribution. And then in the 1990s the Mexican drug cartels took it under their wing and have been producing and distributing it ever since. Meth is a dangerous drug, once it has you hooked you’ll never want to let go.