We're here to help you find a drug rehab
center for crystal meth or any other type of drug addiction for someone from
around the country.
How to find Crystal Meth Addiction Rehab help
What you need to know about finding Crystal Meth Addiction Rehab. Step one is to find out what is the main Drug of Choice? Step two is to find out what is the length of use? Step Three is to find out how old is the individual that needs help? Step four is to find out what pyschological history this individual has? Step Five what medications has this person taken? 6. What type of Crystal Meth Addiction Treatment and Programs have been tried in the past? And finally step seven Call the toll free help line so we can help you to find the right Drug Addiction Treatment method for yourself or whomever you are trying to help.
Meth - Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant
drug that strongly activates certain systems in the brain.
Methamphetamine is closely related chemically to amphetamine,
but the central nervous system effects of methamphetamine are greater. Both
drugs have some medical uses, primarily in the treatment of obesity, but their
therapeutic use is limited.
Methamphetamine is made
in illegal laboratories and has a high potential for abuse and dependence.
Street methamphetamine is referred to by many names, such as
"speed", "meth" and "chalk." Methamphetamine hydrochloride, clear chunky
crystals resembling ice, which can be inhaled by smoking, is referred to as
"ice", "crystal", and "glass".
Health Hazards
Methamphetamine releases high levels of the
neurotransmitter dopamine, which stimulates brain cells, enhancing mood and
body movement. It also appears to have a neurotoxic effect, damaging brain
cells that contain dopamine and serotonin, another neurotransmitter. Over time,
methamphetamine appears to cause reduced levels of dopamine,
which can result in symptoms like those of Parkinson's disease, a severe
movement disorder.
Methamphetamine is taken orally or
intranasally (snorting the powder), by intravenous injection, and by smoking.
Immediately after smoking or intravenous injection, the
methamphetamine user experiences an intense sensation, called
a "rush" or "flash", that lasts only a few minutes and is described as
extremely pleasurable. Oral or intranasal use produces euphoria - a high, but
not a rush. Users may become addicted quickly, and use it with increasing
frequency and in increasing doses.
The central nervous system (CNS)
actions that result from taking even small amounts of
methamphetamine include increased wakefulness, increased
physical activity, decreased appetite, increased respiration, hyperthermia, and
euphoria. Other CNS effects include irritability, insomnia, confusion, tremors,
convulsions, anxiety, paranoia, and aggressiveness. Hyperthermia and
convulsions can result in death.
Methamphetamine
causes increased heart rate and blood pressure and can cause irreversible
damage to blood vessels in the brain, producing strokes. Other effects of
methamphetamine include respiratory problems, irregular
heartbeat, and extreme anorexia. Its use can result in cardiovascular collapse
and death.
Extent of Use
Monitoring the Future Study (MTF)*
MTF
assesses the extent of drug use among adolescents (8th-, 10th-, and
12th-graders) and young adults across the country. Recent data from the survey:
- In 1997, 4.4 percent of high school seniors had used crystal methamphetamine at least once in their lifetimes - an increase from 2.7 percent in 1990.
- Data show that 2.3 percent of seniors reported past year use of crystal methamphetamine in 1997 - an increase from 1.3 percent in 1990.
Methamphetamine is the dominant illicit drug problem in San Diego. San Francisco and Honolulu also have substantial methamphetamine- using populations. Patterns of increasing use have been seen in Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Seattle, and Tucson. New trafficking patterns have increased availability of the drug in Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa.
National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA)t
According to the 1996 NHSDA, 4.9 million people (aged 12 and older) had tried methamphetamine at least once in their lifetimes (2.3 percent of population). This is not a statistically significant increase from 4.7 million people (2.2 percent) who reported using methamphetamine at least once in their lifetime in the 1995 NHSDA.
