Meth Addiction

Meth is a stimulant drug and is a very common source of addiction among drugs. Meth which is short for methamphetamine was first synthesized in Japan during the late 1800's. It's crystal form, the most common form used by addicts was created around 1919.

Meth, being a stimulant drug it temporarily increases energy, increases attentiveness, decreases anxiety and decreases hunger. Due to these short term seemingly positive and desirable effects, meth was distributed to the serving German military personnel during World War II.

Following the end of the, meth saw limited medical use in the 1950s. This was for the similar reasons as those of the Germans. However, by the 1960s the trade offs had become more apparent. It was confirmed to be a highly addictive drug with multiple side effects. These heavily out weighed the short term benefits for which it was usually prescribed.

Methamphetamine has an effect of increasing the brain reward system. This means that when it is taken, the brain associates every good feeling with the drug. As a result, the person is lead to the conclusion that for more good feelings they need to consume the drug. This leads to abuse and because it is addictive it soon leads to an addiction.

The negative side effects of meth kick in as fast as one gets addicted. It leads to increased sense of euphoria, increased irritability, aggression and paranoia. All the start almost immediately, in the short term and they will last as long as there is continued use of the drug.

Today meth is commonly consumed as a party drug, due to feelings of high social confidence. It is ingested using a variety of methods; swallowed, snorted, injected and smoked. The most common form of the drug is the crystalline form that is known by a trio of names street meth / crystal meth / simply meth. This crystalline form is very toxic and addictive. These factors contribute heavily to the medium to long time side effects of the drug.

The effects include brain damage, this is more so than any of the other known part drug. It leads to similar effects of strokes, alzheimers and epilepsy. Addicts also suffer from considerable weight loss.

The majority of the medium - long term side effects of the drug are irreversible. Meth destroys the body irreparably and because of this addicts should seek recovery before it is too late.