Crystal Meth addiction is a wide spread problem that is sweeping across the United States. As of the late 90's, almost Ten Million Americans had reportedly tried Crystal Meth at least once. Young adults in their late teens and early 20's are the most likely users. Death by overdose from crystal meth has been reported as three times higher than overdose from use of cocaine. Crystal Meth use and addiction is most prevalent in the Midwest of the United States. In fact, in Midwest states such as Oklahoma, Crystal Meth accounts for 80-90% of ALL drug related arrests and charges! Crystal Meth is also found in more and more cases of motor vehicle accidents and homicides.
Becoming a crystal meth addict isn't something someone strives to become, yet it happens to people every day. Many people wonder how or why a person even turns to crystal meth. What answers could it hold? What problem are they trying to solve? To understand a crystal meth addict, you have to understand what turned them to it. For most people, it’s a desire to change their emotions, or outlook on life because they are unhappy and are looking for a way to feel good about themselves or their surroundings.
Crystal Meth is perceived and used as a party drug, or a sexual drug that provides lasting feelings of euphoria and happiness. However, many do not consider the lasting ramifications of crystal meth and its addictive qualities that deteriorate the mental and physical state of its users.
Crystal meth has a powerful mental and physical quality that causes addicts to place more and more trust in using the drug. As time passes, all areas of life from personal hygiene, to family and responsibility take a back seat to using crystal meth. Physical addiction comes first with addicts trying to get the initial rush that they experienced when they first started using. This becomes impossible though because of crystal meth's effects on the brain and its ability to extinguish the brains production of chemical compounds that produce feelings of pleasure. As addicts continue to use crystal meth, it changes the landscape and function of the brain and dulls normal chemical production within it.
Psychological addiction to crystal meth is even more powerful as the addict tries to reproduce the feelings of pleasure and happiness that the brain no longer provides. A vicious cycle begins to set in as the need for crystal meth becomes more and more perceived by the user to maintain a pseudo normal existence. Since happiness is no longer able to be achieved by natural occurrences in life, situations that don't allow the addict to use become frustrating and therefore avoided. This vicious cycle continues to drive the addict away from normal life and down into a never ending spiral of crystal meth addiction.
There are endless scenarios that lead a person to the use of crystal meth. A common denominator to all crystal meth addicts is to achieve the pleasurable and "believed" desirable effects that the drug is thought to provide. All addicts know that they feel euphoric when using, so they continually seek to extend this mental state. However, this "high" cannot be sustained and usage of the drug becomes a must as the addict strives to feel a sense of stability that in turn, leads them to becoming addicted to crystal meth.
Crystal meth addicts never start with the idea that addiction will eventually destroy them and anything around them. Crystal meth in itself is an addictive substance that tears down its user and surroundings piece by piece. Addiction and continual use are fueled by the avoidance and unwillingness to deal with emotional and personal problems within the user’s life. These unreal escapes from life’s bumpy roads are temporary at best.
Let’s take a person who is experiencing some kind of emotional pain or anguish currently in their life. They decide to use crystal meth and it temporarily eases the emotional pain they experience. Therefore the person THINKS that crystal meth can be a solution to these issues in life and therefore becomes a necessary commodity to them so they can cope and function. The mind builds up a surreal perception of crystal meth as a wonder drug or solution to the unwanted problems the person is having. Now that this perception has set in, the person uses again, looking for the same relief that they experienced before. The cycle of addiction begins this way and quickly turns into an uncontrollable problem that begins to take over every facet of the crystal meth addict's life.
The ability to stop using at this point is gone and the mental addiction to crystal meth starts to cause the addict to justify and reason the need tohave it constantly. During this time, emotional and mental pain has increased as crystal meth's destructive qualities have undoubtedly made circumstances worse for the person, rather than better. Obsessed and addicted to crystal meth, the user becomes withdrawn and consumed by the need for the drug.
The mental and physical state of a person caused by addiction to crystal meth has set in now as well. As the euphoric feeling once created by using has become harder to achieve, the body has adjusted itself to normal use of crystal meth and craves it. This drives the addict to need more to get high and the dependency increases rapidly. Physically and mentally, they are driven to use and will resort to criminal or depraving circumstances to achieve their goal of getting high. Unknowingly, the person has crossed the line to full time crystal meth addict.
Crystal Meth's seductive and subtle power consumes a person's life. It drives them to places they never would have gone to before using. An once good productive member of society has now become the opposite; imprisoned to a drug that allows no time for anything in life that doesn't involve crystal meth. A distant family, life on the streets, illness and disease are now commonplace in the life of the crystal meth addict.