Why Do People Use Methamphetamine?

In the United States alone, about thirteen million people aged twelve and over have used methamphetamine. Reasons why people choose to use this drug range from fitting in with their friends to staying awake and alert in situations. While meth does provide bursts of energy to stay alert, a few days later the user will most likely crash and sleep for days unless they take more of the drug. Although meth is illegal in most places, that does not stop people from trying to purchase it since its ban in 1970. Methamphetamine is often referred to as one of the most addicting drugs, with detrimental short and long term health effects and withdrawal symptoms. Due to the severe medical issues and addiction meth causes, countless people have lost all
Meth was first created in Germany in 1887, and was more commonly used during World War II to keep soldiers awake during battle. Both American and German soldiers used meth, and when American soldiers came home, they craved the drug. Since meth was legal at the time and used for medical purposes, it was easy to get, but it became clearer as the years went on that meth was being used more for recreational than medical uses. In 1970, the U.S. Drug Abuse and Control Act made methamphetamine illegal in the United States. In the 1990’s, meth remerged when Mexican drug traffickers created huge labs to create meth in California. To this day, there are many of these “super labs” in houses across the country, predominantly in the midwest, which create the illegal drug for numerous Americans to buy. Meth can be sold and taken as a pill or as crystalline powder sniffed through a hollow tube. It can also be dissolved and injected into the body or
Meth is also a stimulant drug, so it increases alertness and energy for a short amount of time. When taken, meth can also have other effects on the user’s body besides alertness, such as a feeling of pleasure and rush, increased physical activity, decreased appetite, rapid or irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, increased body temperature, and the feeling that there are bugs crawling under the user’s skin. Most of these effects are physical, but the feeling of having bugs under the user's skin and the rush that comes with meth are psychological effects of the drug. Long-term effects also occur, and most commonly include extreme weight loss and severe dental problems. Bad dental hygiene is often the most common sign of a meth user, which has created the phrase “meth mouth” to describe these severe problems. Other long-term effects include skin sores caused by users scratching the “bugs” that lie under their skin and the loss of jobs or loved ones because of the reliance on this drug. Recent research also shows that internal bleeding, congestive heart failure, and Parkinson like movements can occur. Users are also at a higher risk for HIV and Hepatitis B and C because meth sometimes causes lower sexual inhibitions. The long-term effects that I mentioned are considered physical effects,