The images in my last month local newspaper was enough to make anyone stop for a moment and see the devastating effect of crystal meth (Crystal methamphetamine) now becoming more mainstream and reaching epidemic proportion.

The newspaper featured stories about young men and women who went from being excellent students, good mothers, good fathers, all in all good citizen to becoming shameful addicts who won't stop at anything to get their next fix.

What really captured my attention was the transformation of these beautiful men and women. How they went from being handsome to find themself looking old and sickly after they have started using crystal meth. Beside looking old and sickly, they had all kinds of lesions on their bodies, which I later found out is called crank bugs (feeling that bugs are crawling on your skin). The lesions are caused by constantly scratching your body from the itch.

Interestingly enough, the one common denominator was that all of the people interviewed for the article said that they were hooked on crystal meth after only their first try. One of the guys went from being a well respected attorney earning about a thousand dollars a day to owing his credit card company $25,000 dollars six months later due to his addiction.

Another one of the subjects, a girl with the youthful good looks of a model before she became addicted was nothing more than a skinny looking lady that looked as though she aged 15 or 20 years once she became hooked on crystal meth.

The effect of the drug is a feeling of euphoria and a high that can last anywhere from 2 to 16 hours. The user then have more confidence, more energy and become very happy and uninhibited, which can lead to risky behaviors such as needle sharing that brings the risk of contracting hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV and possibly AIDS.

Crystal meth (Crystal methamphetamine) can be either snorted, injected, or smoked in a pipe and is made of many toxic substances such as:

Lye Ether Iodine Draino Ephedrine Brake Fluid Lighter Fluid Cold remedies Lithium Metals Hydrachloride Hydriotic Acid Red Phosphorus Anyhdrous Ammonia

The side effects of crystal meth like any other street corner drug, are insomnia, agitation, irritability, dry mouth, sweating, and palpitations. The body temperature also increases, as does breathing and heart rate. The drug can also cause behavioral problems, paranoia and psychosis, especially after frequent use and in individuals with a predisposition to mental illness.

The addiction can lead to mood swings, paranoia, anger and depression that have an impact on relationships and general social interactions. Beside the permanent life-altering changes that the drug can inflict on the user such as work, relationship and job prospect, there is the ever present risk of an overdose that leads to convulsions, respiratory collapse, coma and ultimately death.

The tell-tale signs of crystal meth addiction are, lack of concentration, depression, insomnia, worrying about the next fix, etc. Crystal meth is so addictive that most users get addicted on the first try. The first thing is to acknowledge the problem and treat it as serious then seek help, which is available in every cities and smaller communities.

About the author:

Fritz Blanc is a part time internet marketer who has created many web sites about various subjects. You can visit one of his web sites on crystal meth addiction at: http://www.crystal-meth-addiction.info

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