Methamphetamine, or meth, is also known as speed, crank or ice in the streets. It is highly addictive and affects the central nervous system within minutes of consuming or inhaling it. It is commonly available in pill, capsule or powder form and can be snorted, injected, swallowed or smoked. It can fortunately be picked up by a variety of drug tests, particularly the hair drug test, which can go back 90 days to find evidence of use.
Why Do People Take Meth?
The psychoactive meth increases alertness and gives a feeling of high energy. It causes euphoria and enhances self esteem. If you have low self-confidence or don’t fit in with your peer group, meth may present a temptation for these reasons.
The widespread availability of meth also makes it easy for meth to become one of the most abused drugs. The availability can be attributed to the fact that it can be conjured up with some understanding of how it is made from over the counter drugs, acetone, gas additives, rock salt, lithium batteries, aluminum foil, coffee filters, glassware and other such commonly available substances.
Top 3 Reasons to Avoid Meth like the Plague
1. Short term and long term effects – While among the short term effects of meth are the desirable rush that one feels, decreased appetite, and increased physical activity, other short term effects can include irritability, insomnia, confusion and anxiety. The long term effects on behavior include violent attacks, psychotic mannerisms, mood disturbances, delusional periods and suicidal or homicidal thoughts. The long term damage to the brain is sometimes irreversible.
2. Addiction – Meth is a highly addictive substance. The rush and the pleasure of the drug is something that the addicts cannot forget and therefore there is a psychological dependence along with the physical dependence that overrides any reasoning. In addition to that, as soon as the short term effects of meth are gone, irritability and depression take their place. These feelings seem to go away only when another dose of meth is taken, thereby increasing the dependency further. As if the addiction was not enough, the withdrawal from the addiction is not easy either. Even as you try and shrug off the habit, it causes irritability, depression, fear and extreme craving along with tremors, palpitations, hyperventilation and nausea. A meth overdose can be lethal and it is not until late that the addict realizes that an overdose situation has occurred. An overdose of meth produces a physical condition that leads to a heart attack in no time. Sudden profuse sweating, rapid heartbeat and short breaths lead to death within minutes. This is why we take drug testing for meth so seriously.
3. Skin issues – If the above reasons are not enough, you might want to consider what meth consumption does to your physical appearance. Meth starts to create blisters in your mouth leading to a situation where your mouth and face are covered in sores. Eyes begin to bulge due to lack of sleep and the stomach also starts to get inflamed due to excessive starvation.
Use a Home Drug Test to Catch this Addiction
With the easy availability of such drugs in the black market there is no way in which you can keep your children from at least knowing what is out there. It is a good idea to educate them adequately about the harmful effects of meth and other drugs and when appropriate use a home drug test to ensure that your children are clean. A home drug test can also be used in educational institutions and other such places to ensure that the environment is drug free. A hair drug test goes back 90 days and tests for meth with great accuracy, which is why we think it is such a great tool for detecting a drug as addictive as methamphetamine.
-Article by Anne Hamilton