How can we end the Meth epidemic?

Posted by admin as Drug Addiction

Methamphetamine causes more dopamine and serotonin to be released by the brain than, sex, heroin, nicotine, and chocolate combined. This fact alone is responsible for its almost instantaneous addiction. It’s also nearly impossible to recover from since the brain has to learn again how to release those chemicals on its own, meaning you simply won’t be able to feel pleasure of any kind for a long time while you recover. It is estimated that 80% of Portland, OR’s crime is in some way, Meth related.

This stuff is vile.

Do you think the US and mainly the producers of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, (Sudafed) have done enough, or can do anymore to stop this drug?

Do you think the war on drugs and the prohibition or safer recreational drugs creates a market for cheap and extremely dangerous drugs like Meth, Crack, Ketamine and Ecstasy?
tnfarmgirl- that’s the most logical argument for border security I’ve heard. But why can’t the Sudafed makers stop selling the quantities they do in Mexico. You’d think there was a common cold epidemic just in Mexico since more Sudafed is sold there than people.
Sorry- let me rephrase- More Sudafed is sold in Mexico than there are people to buy it. Didn’t mean to suggest people are being sold in Mexico.
biguglytruth- you’re right the crystal itself isn’t imported, but the ingredients are.
bbbbriggs04- I live in NY I know em all.
delphi- there is some what of a border issue here, since a producer could never buy enough sudafed in the US to produce it. And you can’t by ephedra or pseudophedra as raw chemical anymore without pharm liscenses and all that. The US has shown it can beat it, but they always find new ways to cook it up. The best way seems to cut off the supply of the ingredients. But the Pharm Comanies do not want that, they make tons of money off Sudafed.
I don’t see how cracking down with ‘harsh laws’ will help. Mandatory sentences have never shown they help solve drug problems. They just create overcrowding issues.
Thanks 1848-
Rek T- Unfortunately, meth users don’t seem to want to die off. In fact, they’re growing in numbers and so is crime related to them.

An important part of ending the meth epidemic is understanding addiction as a disease that exists outside of the physical substance of meth.

That is to say, addiction itself is a condition that is only activated by meth, alcohol, and other drugs.

This understanding can lead to better practices in rehabilitation.

As long as the disease exists (which it always will), meth will exist.

Meth just fills a niche, and it’s that niche that people should be trying to heal.

Not to say measures like restricting access to pseudephedrine aren’t helpful; they are, but it’s not a good way to address the fundamental problem.

Criminalization of addiction only creates a cycle for addicts to get stuck in.

I have a friend who is deeply involved in a recovery program. Lives in a sober house, goes to meetings 5/7 days of the week. He’s smart.

But he was caught a couple years ago producing meth. From this, he spent time in prison, can not get financial aid to pursue his dream of finishing college, can get no food stamps or any other federal help, has a felony haunting him on his record…He’s cut off from so many things that normal citizens rely on every day. And none of this helps him heal at all.

He relapses occasionally, and he has to go back into a brief in-patient rehab to get back on track.

He has a great food service resume, actually. That keeps him afloat pretty well between relapses. But it’s times like these (he just got out of in-patient again) that he could really use food stamps. It’s the severe stress of being broke and helpless that always jumpstarts a relapse…

Why is methamphetamine so addictive?

Posted by admin as Drug Addiction

For the life of me I can’t describe how addiction to meth has affected my life and the lives of many around me. Even though I have been clean for 609 days now, I still struggle with the insanity of it all. I want to devote the rest of my days to helping meth addicts find a better way of life…

There are a number of reasons that a person may develop an addiction to meth. For a student or athlete it may start because of the initial heightened physical and mental performance. A blue collar service worker may use it to stay up and work extra shifts. Young women often become addicted in order to lose weight. Methamphetamines are becoming a staple drug at raves or in the bars and clubs.

Methamphetamine is classified as a stimulant, making it highly addictive, even more so than heroin. The use of methamphetamine creates a buildup of dopamine, which results in a feeling of euphoria. Because meth stays in the brain longer than other stimulants like cocaine, the effects of its addiction last longer. This is one reason it is believed that meth is more addictive than cocaine or heroin.

All addictive drugs have two things in common. They produce an initial pleasurable effect, followed by a rebound unpleasant effect. An amphetamine, through its stimulant effects, produces a positive feeling, but when it wears off it leaves a person with the opposite feelings. This is because of the suppression by the drug of the normal production of adrenaline. Now, a chemical imbalance is created and the result is irritability that physically demands more of the drug to go back to normal and feel good again. This pleasure/tension cycle leads to loss of control over amphetamines–and addiction.

Amphetamine causes false feelings of well-being. More and more confidence is placed in the drug while other survival feelings are ignored and bypassed. The result is a lack of concern for, and confidence in, other areas of life. It is at this point that physical dependence settles in. Notice that in the beginning, the pleasure impressions in the memory were quite small. But as the natural chemistry becomes more and more suppressed, the survival mechanism receives a greater and greater feeling of pleasure through the use of the drug.The subconscious memory starts learning through the body that the drug is not only something that is pleasurable, but something that is needed just to make it through the day.

What are the chances of a person overcoming an addiction to methamphetamine?

Posted by admin as Drug Addiction

I realize that it varies from person to person, but statistically, what are the chances?

statistically, i have no idea, but i think everyone has a 50-50 chance of overcoming the addiction, i think it all depends on the person addicted to it & how much they really want to overcome it, sounds cheesy but its really true.

My Addiction To Crystal Methamphetamine ?

Posted by admin as Drug Addiction

Is terrible. I want to stop, but I can’t. I’ve been to at least three different rehabs but they make me crazy. Any ideas?

Maybe you were just at the wrong rehabs. Selecting the right rehab clinic is a very important process; you need to go to one that’s right for, not just some random clinic. What I would do is ease yourself into it. First, join a support group. It makes it easier when you know you’re not alone and you can stand together with people who are fighting the same fight as you. Then, after you have acclimated to the environment of a support group, start maybe considering rehab again, or, who knows? Maybe the support group will be enough? Whatever happens, I wish you the best of luck on your journey to recovery.

Methamphetamine Addiction & Recovery: Will my metabolism ever be normal again?

Posted by admin as Drug Addiction

I gained about 35 lbs in 3 weeks after I quit. Its been 9 months and I’ve been dieting religiously. I know for certain that my metabolism is seriously screwed up. I am worried that it will never be the same. If anyone has personal experiences with this, please share

I stopped using in 1995, and also experienced weight-gain. I returned to my normal weight about one year later. I don’t know if any of this means my "metabolism" changed, or if it was just a change in lifestyle.

In my experience, however, dieting isn’t very helpful. You’ll need to start some sort of exercise. Try doing something active that you actually enjoy, and you’ll be more likely to stick with it.

Good luck with your recovery!

Help with opiate withdrawal symptoms!!!?

Posted by admin as Detox and Treatment

Hey everybody, I am recovering from an opiate addiction. Wow, thats the first time I’ve admitted this.. I work in healthcare, so I know how to manage my opiate withdrawal symptoms (aches, sweats, insomnia, etc). I guess what I really need is to hear from somebody out there in the world that has gone through this before that will tell me.. YES, IT WILL BE OK, I’VE BEATEN THIS MONSTER AND SO CAN YOU!. I get my medicine the legal way, through my physician, but I don’t take the medicine as prescribed. What should last me two months only lasts me a month or less. I would take the pills to feel happy, energetic, hopeful, and my recreational use over time turned into a rip roaring physical dependancy. Whenever I was going to be around people to have a good time, I would take the pill(s) to feel happy and be a fun person to be around. Now I feel that I can’t enjoy life anymore without the meds…will the cravings ever go away?

Yes ,you can beat this MONSTER and good for you!
I have a question though?
It sounds to me, like you are self-medicating with the pills.If you are taking the pills for a real medical reason at first…will you be able to get off them completely or tapper down to the prescribed dose by yourself?
I would ask myself ,why I need pills to feel happy?
In order to insure success,
I would see someone (a professional) and let them help