effects of meth
Meth… Beyond The High
Sarah
Substance Abuse and Treatment
Glass, crystal, chalk, and ice. These words by themselves appear harmless. Just simple nouns used in the everyday hubbub of conversation. However, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, those four words are also used as street names for the highly addictive drug, Methamphetamine. The drug Methamphetamine, more commonly referred to as meth, is an addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, specifically the dopamine nerve terminals in the brain (National Institute on Drug Abuse). It was first created by the Japanese in 1893 and was used in World War II as a performance enhancing stimulant for Japanese, English, German, and American military personnel Lineberry & Bostwick (2001). Following the war, methamphetamine tablets were commonly referred to as “work pills”, especially in Japan, because it reduced fatigue. In the 1930’s it was manufactured and sold under the name Desoxyn and was used as a nasal decongestant (Narconon International). According to the website crystalmethaddiction.org, the usage of this drug prompted the 1774 Drug Control Act, which dramatically limited the medicinal usage of amphetamines. It was not until 2005 that the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act was initiated to make it illegal to sell the over-the-counter ingredients, such as pseudoephedrine, used to manufacture meth Anderson, Gilchrist and Keltner (2010).
So why do people use such addictive drugs? Dr. Charles Zastrow identifies that there are a plethora of reasons why people use illicit drugs, such as to feel good, escape from reality, or to “get high“ Zastrow (2009). “Tweaking”, which is a common word used to describe a user who has just inhaled or injected meth (Street Drugs 56), often find themselves experiencing an increased sense of euphoria, or enhanced libido and well-being Watanabe-Galloway, Ryan & Hansen et al. (2009).
As
Sarah
Substance Abuse and Treatment
Glass, crystal, chalk, and ice. These words by themselves appear harmless. Just simple nouns used in the everyday hubbub of conversation. However, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, those four words are also used as street names for the highly addictive drug, Methamphetamine. The drug Methamphetamine, more commonly referred to as meth, is an addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, specifically the dopamine nerve terminals in the brain (National Institute on Drug Abuse). It was first created by the Japanese in 1893 and was used in World War II as a performance enhancing stimulant for Japanese, English, German, and American military personnel Lineberry & Bostwick (2001). Following the war, methamphetamine tablets were commonly referred to as “work pills”, especially in Japan, because it reduced fatigue. In the 1930’s it was manufactured and sold under the name Desoxyn and was used as a nasal decongestant (Narconon International). According to the website crystalmethaddiction.org, the usage of this drug prompted the 1774 Drug Control Act, which dramatically limited the medicinal usage of amphetamines. It was not until 2005 that the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act was initiated to make it illegal to sell the over-the-counter ingredients, such as pseudoephedrine, used to manufacture meth Anderson, Gilchrist and Keltner (2010).
So why do people use such addictive drugs? Dr. Charles Zastrow identifies that there are a plethora of reasons why people use illicit drugs, such as to feel good, escape from reality, or to “get high“ Zastrow (2009). “Tweaking”, which is a common word used to describe a user who has just inhaled or injected meth (Street Drugs 56), often find themselves experiencing an increased sense of euphoria, or enhanced libido and well-being Watanabe-Galloway, Ryan & Hansen et al. (2009).
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References: American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. American Psychiatric Association, 4th ed. Anderson, C.J., Gilchrist, K., Keltner, N.L History of Meth. (2011, November). Retrieved from http://www.crystalmethaddiction.org Horgan, C., Skwara, K.C., Strickler, G Iowa Substance Abuse Information Center. (2006). Methamphetamine. Lineberry, T., Bostwick, J.M Methamphetamine. (2011, October). Retrieved from http://www.nida.nih.gov Methamphetamine Drug Information Morton, A.N. (2007). The Oral Effects of Illegal Drug Abuse. Corrections Today. Watanabe-Galloway, S., Ryan, S., Hansen, K., Hullsiek, B., Muli, V., Malone, A.C Zastrow, C. (2009). Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare Empowering People. Belmont: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.