Methamphetamine, also known as meth, is an addictive stimulant drug that comes in the form of a powder and can be made into a pill or a shiny rock called crystal meth. The powder can be eaten or snorted or mixed with liquid and injected. Crystal meth is usually smoked in a small glass pipe.
Meth causes an instant rush of euphoria, but then makes a person feel paranoid, edgy, hyper, angry, or afraid. Meth use quickly leads to addiction and leads to serious mental and physical health problems. Some problems include:
- Severe itching. Meth makes you feel like there are bugs crawling on or underneath your skin. This causes severe itching and leads to sores on your face and arms.
- High temperature. Sometimes meth can cause your body to overheat and reach a temperature so high that you can pass out. The high body temperature can also kill you.
- Emotional problems. Meth use leads to addiction and damages different parts of your brain. It causes emotional problems that do not go away, even after you quit using. Meth can make you paranoid and you could feel, hear, or see things that are not there.
- Broken, missing, or rotting teeth. People who use meth often drink a large amount of sweet things, grind their teeth, and have dry mouth. Their teeth break, stain, and rot. This is known as “meth mouth.”
- HIV/AIDS or hepatitis. When you inject or shoot up, you increase your risk of contracting HIV/AIDS or hepatitis, which is a liver disease.
- Aged Appearance. When you use meth, you will start to look old. It causes you to burn a lot of energy while not eating well. This leads to weight loss and a sickly appearance. The skin has sores that do not heal and you develop the “shakes” in your hands or body. A mouth looks sunken as your teeth go bad.
The large amount of dopamine that is produced by meth triggers psychosis that can persist long after the drug use stops. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, you are not alone. Addiction is treatable and there is hope in recovery. Get help today so you can enjoy a healthy lifestyle in sobriety.
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