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NATIONAL METHAMPHETAMINE TRAINING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER
Recovery / Treatment
Recovery / Treatment
"Meth Inside Out"
(from UCLA Intigrated Substance Abuse Program)
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RESOURCES
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Q: Why is methamphetamine so addictive and dangerous?
A: Methamphetamine is perhaps the most unfor-
giving illicit drug on the planet. It promises people
such benefits as euphoria, strength or weight loss
but quickly leads them down a path that almost
always ends in tragedy.
Meth is the most addictive street drug available.
Thousands of people -- many of them high school
age -- become dependent on meth after just one
use ... one!
The drug tricks the brain into releasing massive
amounts of dopamine -- the chemical that gives us
pleasure. Meth also then shuts down the brain's ability to reabsorb the dopamine, creating a "high" that can last 6-12 hours on a single dose.
So you understand the intensity of a meth high, think of the most pleasurable things you do in daily life. Food and sex are two common elements of pleasure. The former can push a dopamine rush of about 100 units while the latter can generate a rush of about 200-250 units. Cocaine -- addictive enough on its own -- will release 350-400 units. Methamphetamine spurs a dopamine release of about 1,200 units -- more than five times what the body can do on its own.
Once meth has its hooks in a user, it creates a downward spiral:
- Users neglect their health and hygiene
- Teeth go untended and will rot and fall out over time
- Meth users -- awake for days -- become proficient at crimes to feed their habit
- Children of users frequently are subject to abuse or neglect
- Violence accompanies the "coming down" from a meth high
- Damage to the nervous system, heart and cardiovascular system
- Extreme paranoia and anxiety
- Risky sexual practices
The longer a person uses methamphetamine, the more difficult it will be to get off it. The drug actually alters brain function to the point that after a full year away from meth, one may still not be fully capable of feeling joy or pleasure.
Researchers in Washington State and Calgary, Canada, recently published work showing that "drug memory" or "pathological memory" is enhanced by meth which makes kicking the drug even more difficult.
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"I did it one time, and I did it for nine years."