Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that was discovered in 1919 by a Japanese scientist. It was first marketed and sold as a recreational drug, until its side effects became evident. Methamphetamine is still used to treat some diseases, but the necessity of its use for any reason is open to debate. Methamphetamine provides a seemingly limitless supply of energy for the user. Meth users often report feeling superhuman with increased awareness and highly euphoric. It is perhaps these effects which results in a high potential of abuse.

The effects of Methamphetamine

As a stimulant methamphetamine causes a user to stay awake and alert for long periods of time. It was used during war to assist pilots to fly longer missions and ground troops to last longer on the battlefield. Methamphetamine is also known to affect the moral compass of the user. Users often feel little or no emotion when inflicting harm on others. This contributes to its use during war time, as troops become effective killing machines while using the drug. Meth has similar effects to cocaine but is often many times more potent.

Methamphetamine affects the brain

The effects of meth are caused by an increased production of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is naturally produced by the body and is responsible for pleasurable feelings, it is released after exercise and while eating foods. Meth causes an abnormal amount of the drug to be released into the brain. Prolonged use of the drug damages the cells that produce dopamine and more of the drug must be taken to achieve the same result. This is a primary reason why methamphetamine is so addictive. The body becomes dependent on its use. When a person stops using the drug there is no longer enough dopamine being produced naturally by the body and the result is deep depression and an inability to function without the drug. Most users cannot go long without using the drug again. The powerful effects of the drugs are too much of a temptation when the user is unable to cope with day to day life.

Methamphetamine abuse can lead to psychotic behavior

Prolonged use of Methamphetamine can lead to psychotic behavior which can include hallucinations, paranoia, and violent outbreaks. Users often experience the delusion that bugs are crawling under their skin which leads to deep sores caused by scratching. The drug is often used in binges in which the user does not eat or sleep for days and continues to use the drug until a physical or mental breakdown causes them quite using the drug.

Methamphetamine users abuse the drug to escape a real problem

Many methamphetamine users begin using the drug to escape a problem in their lives. While using the drug people feel unstoppable, liked by everyone and popular with their friends. Meth causes a type of hyper reality in which the party never ends. It completely blinds the user to their real life problems. Meth users ignore their health and do not eat or sleep for days at a time. Many users end up in jail because of their behavior.

Meth users form small tight communities

Meth users sometimes form small communities among themselves. These groups form tight emotional bonds, intensified by the drug, which often become stronger then family ties. These groups of people behave as a family. They use together and often only leave each other when they must sleep or eat. The group becomes focused entirely on find ways to get the drug. These groups ore usually short lived lasting only months, but the attraction to the feeling of belonging is very hard for the meth user to ignore.

Types of Meth

Meth comes in many forms and varies in quality depending on how it was made. Originally meth was made to take by snorting the drug up the nose. This kind of the drug is often called crank. It is usually low quality and made in home with crude labs and even cruder ingredients. The drug in this form can be very damp and smell like ether.

Another form of the drug is Ice. Ice is a very pure form of the drug which may be snorted, smoked or injected and is made in industrial laboratories. The purity of the drug causes addiction to happen much more rapidly. Ice looks like broken pieces of quartz and is pure white, blue or green.

There are many substances similar to meth which is often sold as the drug. These drugs are not as potent and the user may need to take a large amount in order to achieve anything close to the same effects. This can become dangerous when the drugs are toxic to the body. Death or permanent damage may occur from improperly made drugs.

Summary: There are many reasons why meth is so addictive. The effects it has on brain chemistry create a situation which requires the user to take more of the drug just to feel normal. The psychotic effects of the drug cause loved ones and family members to distance themselves from the user cutting off all hopes of support. The drug masks a person’s real problems and seems to make them go away. Then users form small groups which replace the family and allow the drug use to continue until a point is reached when the user is absolutely bankrupt, physically and emotionally. The many different types of meth makes it very easy to find on the street and the effects of the drug create an almost perfect environment for addiction to occur.

Relapse prevention is never an easy task and will be a challenge for both the addict and the support system that they have built around them. After struggling for several years with cocaine addiction; and now having been clean for 8 years with no formal treatment, I have put together some of the tools and techniques that I have personally used to conquer relapse and move forward to a life of bliss.

1. Decision

In all things in life, the first step to anything is to make a decision. Once you have made the decision to quit using drugs you know you’re on the right track and can find support to help you continue on that path. Sticking to that decision may be a bit more difficult but making it is the most important step. Once you’ve made the choice, there are further steps and tools you can use to help you stick with that decision and continue moving forward.

2. Courage

It takes a lot of courage to step up and take control of your life. It takes a lot of courage to admit to others, and to yourself that you are an addict, you’re having troubles, and you need help. Developing that courage is a crucial part of recovery and the quicker you’re able to develop it the easier things will be. We all have inner courage; it’s just a matter of finding it and bringing it to the surface. Sit quietly with yourself and ask yourself some serious questions about what you really want in life. You’ll find that when you really want something, the courage will rise up to help you get it.

3. Communication

Learning to communicate with others is an important skill in your recovery. First of all, as addicts, most of us forgot how to communicate effectively, or we simply never learned the skill in the first place. Setting boundaries and learning how to stand up for yourself is crucial. Without these boundaries in place it is easy to fall back into the trap of substance abuse. We also need to learn to say yes to things that are healthy for us. Another great thing about learning to communicate is that we can start sharing our story and hopefully help others around us with what we have learned.

4. Forgiveness

When I was addicted to cocaine I had a really hard time dealing with things that had happened in my past and there were certain people in my life that I was very angry with. I had held onto that anger for a long time and it was eating me up. When I learned to forgive it set me free. Not only was I able to forgive the people that had hurt me and the circumstances of my life that I was angry with, but I was also able to forgive myself. Without the ability to forgive yourself and others it will be very difficult to move forward.

5. Triggers

All addicts have something that sets them off. Sometimes more than one thing will do it. Maybe it’s hanging out with certain people, maybe it’s when something bad happens, or maybe it’s just a certain time of day. The important thing to do is to identify what these triggers are. The more you are aware of what might set you off the easier it will be to avoid the triggers, or find alternatives that will aid you in avoiding drugs.

6. Separation

This idea falls in step with Triggers. There are certain people that, as addicts, we tend to flock toward. The old saying, ‘birds of a feather flock together,’ is very true. To prevent relapse it is crucial that you separate yourself from the people who will drag you down. Your old circle of influence is not going to be helpful in your recovery and you will need to find new friends that will support you and guide you in your new lifestyle.

7. Activity

Being active and busy is very important in staying away from drugs. I found that when I was struggling with relapse I usually went back to it because I was simply bored. Keeping busy and occupied will help prevent the boredom and keep you interested and engaged in activities that are much healthier for your mind and body. Join a book club, find a sport or volunteer somewhere. There are thousands of options.

8. Health

After destroying brain cells and causing all sorts of health problems due to substance abuse it’s important that you focus on your health. There are certain foods you can eat that will help restore brain health, as well as supplements you can take. Mental health is important too. You may want to find someone to talk to, or focus on keeping yourself happy by finding humour in things. Journal writing can be helpful for mental health as well.

9. Connection

Reconnecting spiritually is very important. We are all part of a connection here in this universe and finding that connection will help to keep you centered and grounded. I believe that spirituality looks different for every person; and you just need to find what that looks like for you. Explore, ask questions, or find other people who you’d like to connect with. You’ll eventually find your center and you’ll feel much better about yourself and the world around you.

10. Your Best

In all things, all you can ask of yourself is that you do your best. What that looks like from a day to day basis could change dramatically. Some days you may not even be able to get out of bed. Other days you may feel great and you’ll be able to get heaps of things done. The important thing is that you’re honest with yourself in that you’re giving 100% all of the time.

I would like to add some comments about my favorite slogan….KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). I am frustrated with much of what happens in our world today and more specifically what has happened to treatment for the chemically dependent in our health care system. I prefer to use the expletive UFF DA having grown to manhood in rural Minnesota.

Good treatment is not fueled by the mind. It is fueled by the heart. Good treatment is not necessarily complex and intellectual. The process can be incredibly simple (though elegant). Good treatment is, however, extraordinarily difficult to provide every day. That is because good treatment requires that those who provide it consistently bring great energy, great commitment, great attention and great love to their work every day. And the nature of teams is that frequently when one team member falters so does the entire team. It is also the nature of love that it doesn’t matter much if those providing treatment have a general love of the alcoholic and addict.

What matters is if those providing alcoholism treatment can love the unique alcoholic or addict sitting right in front of them–the alcoholic who is vomiting in the recovery room; the addict who can think of nothing but how to extinguish the craving and the dark voices inside, the patient who complains about everything, the know-it-all “Big I” who can tell us how to run our treatment center and who can work out treatment plans for every other patient in treatment, the patient who can’t quell the shakes sufficiently to drink a cup of coffee without help, the patient who can’t yet find the path to the dining hall, the patient who desperately needs a bath or clean clothes or a tooth brush.

Good treatment for these maladies is simple but requires we love as St. Paul would have us love. You know the words… Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not jealous, it does not put on airs; it is not snobbish. Love is never rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not prone to anger; neither does it brood over injuries. Love does not rejoice in what is wrong, but rejoices with the truth. There is no limit to love’s forbearance, its truth, its hope, its power to endure.

So.. .if we want to make our treatment better we don’t have to make it more complex. We do the basics of good treatment better. We do the simple but effective things well, over and over again. We do the difficult things with as much passion as the easy things. We love each person entrusted to our care even when they are at their most unlovable. Good treatment is simple to provide. It is just difficult to provide. You can’t take time off.

Sometimes people think that if something is simple it has no value. But simplicity is valued in most of our human endeavors by the most brilliant of our species.

In the field of epistemology, there is the concept of Occam’s razor which asserts that all other things being equal the simplest theory is the most likely to be true.

In religion, the Quaker’s believe in the testimony of simplicity which instructs its adherents to simplify one’s life in order to focus on things that are most important and disregard or avoid things that are least important.

In science, the principle of parsimony holds that the explanation of a phenomenon which is least involved is of superior value to a more involved one.