Brief Description: An addictive stimulant that is closely related to amphetamine, but has longer lasting and more toxic effects on the central nervous system. It has a high potential for abuse and addiction.
Street Names: Speed, meth, tina, tweak, chalk, ice, crystal, glass, Bulb baby, chore boy, hitter, Pink glass, Throwing darts, freshies, Geek, Gack, Geet, Amp, Rails, railing down, bangers, slammers, C.R., crank, tweak, Poor man’s coke, Hooking up.
Effects: Increases wakefulness and physical activity and decreases appetite. Chronic, long-term use can lead to psychotic behavior, hallucinations, and stroke.
Addiction experts say crystal meth first became popular in poor areas of rural North America for a number of reasons. It was a cheap high and, in initial stages of use, it actually gave the energy that allowed the user to keep working. It was also considered “cool” by young people who did not have big-city connections to other street drugs.
A recent Statistics Canada survey of teenagers showed that among those who answered questions about drug use:
- 34 per cent had tried marijuana
- 4 per cent had used ecstasy
- 3 per cent had used crack cocaine
- 2 per cent had used crystal meth
- 1 per cent had used heroin
Six Safety Tips for approaching a person on Meth:
- Keep 7-10 feet away, getting to close can be threatening.
- Don’t shine bright lights. The person on meth is already paranoid, and, if blinded by a bright light, he /she is likely to become violent.
- Slow your speech and lower the pitch of your voice. A person on meth is already hearing sounds at a fast pace and in a high pitch.
- Slow your movements. This will decrease the odds that he/she will misinterpret your physical actions.
- Keep your hands visible. If you place your hands where he/she cannot see them, he might feel threatened and become violent.
- Keep her/him talking. A individual on meth who becomes silent can become extremely dangerous. Silence often means that his/her paranoid thoughts have taken over reality, and anyone present could become part of his/her paranoid delusions.
- Keep 7-10 feet away, getting to close can be threatening.
- Don’t shine bright lights. The person on meth is already paranoid, and, if blinded by a bright light, he /she is likely to become violent.
- Slow your speech and lower the pitch of your voice. A person on meth is already hearing sounds at a fast pace and in a high pitch.
- Slow your movements. This will decrease the odds that he/she will misinterpret your physical actions.
- Keep your hands visible. If you place your hands where he/she cannot see them, he might feel threatened and become violent.
- Keep her/him talking. A individual on meth who becomes silent can become extremely dangerous. Silence often means that his/her paranoid thoughts have taken over reality, and anyone present could become part of his/her paranoid delusions.
Symptoms of an Overdose from Meth include but are not limited to the following:
- Muscle spasticity
- Difficulty breathing
- Slow, shallow and labored breathing
- Stopped breathing (sometimes fatal within 2-4 hours)
- Pinpoint pupils
- Bluish skin
- Bluish fingernails and lips
- Spasms of the stomach and/or intestinal tract
- Constipation
- Weak pulse
- Low blood pressure
- Drowsiness
- Disorientation
- Coma
- Death
- Respiratory depression
- Circulatory collapse
- Cardiac arrest
- Euphoria
- Dysphoria
- Motor retardation
- Sedation
Below are some pictures of Before/After effects of Crystal Meth Addiction.
Can an addict recover?
Experts say that crystal meth is one of the most addictive street drugs and one of the hardest to treat. Addiction counsellors say the relapse rate of 92 per cent is worse than cocaine.
The withdrawal symptoms, especially the depression and physical agony, are reported by addiction counsellors to be worse than heroin or cocaine, and often addicts will drop out of recovery programs.
This situation is worse in the United States than in Canada because patients in the U.S. usually have inadequate health insurance or none at all. Those American patients in managed care programs are often cut off before treatment is complete. In Canada, however, provincial health insurance and government recovery programs can help the addict recover.
With increasing use of the drug, there are strong indications that users suffer brain damage, including memory impairment and an increasing inability to grasp abstract thoughts. Those who do manage to recover from addiction and retain memory and the ability to function in society are usually subject to some memory gaps and extreme mood swings.
Who uses crystal meth?
According to mental health workers, police and research scientists, the people who use crystal meth include: Large numbers of rural and small town poor across North America.
- Some young people in the rave and dance scene.
- Some young people who want to lose weight.
- Gay males involved in the dance scene or who frequent bathhouses.
Statistics and Trends: 2.7% of Manitoba students and 3.3 of Ontario students report using meth in the past year, and 6.4% of Canadians report having used speed.
Worldwide, WHO estimates over 34,000,000 people use crystal meth daily, more than crack cocaine and heroin users combined.