What is meth?
Methamphetamine also known as meth, crystal meth or d-methamphetamine is a human made crystal that stimulates the nervous system. The crystal is often created and appears and a blue-tinted rock or often looks like pieces of glass. Meth is one of the most common created drugs in the United States and is created in private laboratories at home, in factories or often abandoned buildings to avoid the law[1]. As stated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the DEA, they report that Meth is one of the most highly addictive substances and is associated with many consequences that can often result in death.
The damaging long-term effects of Meth use
There are many different long-term effects of meth ranging from the obvious addiction to severe weight loss. A full list (provided by drugabuse.gov[2]) of long-term effects include:
· Addiction
· Psychosis (paranoia, hallucinations, repetitive motor activity)
· Changes in the brain structure and function
· Deficits in thinking
· Memory loss
· Aggressive or violent behaviour
· Mood disturbances
· Severe dental problems
· Weight loss
As meth is extremely addictive, once a user starts using meth and continues to do so, over a period all these effects worsen and can ultimately change the way in which your brain functions. Your brain is affected in three main ways. Meth causes acute neurotransmitter changes, it rewires the brain’s reward system and caused mass brain cell death.
Acute Neurotransmitter Changes [3]
Exposure to meth over a long-term can change the way in which the brain functions. Transporters and receptors in the brain are ultimately altered and cause the damaging effects of meth. These transporters are responsible for a person’s mood, this causes the mood disturbances as noted above. This causes the user to have mood swings, feel anger for non-apparent causes and can cause a spiral into depression.
Brain Cell Death [3]
When meth is used in a heavy quantity over time, parts of the brain which controls self-control can become damaged due to brain cell death in these areas. When damage is caused in this area it can cause dementia, psychosis and even schizophrenia. As a result of this damage occurring in specific areas of the brain, reversal of these effects aren’t achievable and other cells cannot adopt the role that the one that died did. The cell damage is permanent.
The knock-on effect of meth
As meth can cause depression and anxiety, the effects aren’t just limited to what’s listed above, what can happen sometimes is that the effects that meth brings on, can act as a catalyst to further create more problems down the line. Some effects of depression and anxiety include:
· Feelings of sadness or emptiness
· Insomnia
· Preoccupation with death
· Memory loss
· Risk of heart attach
· Increased pain sensitivity
· Fatigue
· Constricted blood vessels
This is a key problem in relation to meth, there are primary effects, however these effects can then bring on more.
Meth use in Europe and the United States
Although meth isn’t the most popular drug in Europe, it is still very prevalent in more than a dozen countries across Europe. A report done into the use of drugs across Europe conducted in 2017, showed that the category that Meth was in was not particularly high nor low. A total of 28% of previous drug users across the report had used Meth daily over a certain period, proving that it is still relevant in 2020[4].
In previous years, the total deaths caused from meth specifically or meth related deaths had increased. From 2010 to 2012, deaths in the USA had increased by nearly 33% over that three year period and thus the amount of the drug seized had increased significantly[5].
Bibliography
[1]
National Institute on Drug abuse for Teens, “Mind Matters: The body's response to Methamphetamine,” [Online]. Available: https://teens.drugabuse.gov/teachers/mind-matters/methamphetamine. [Accessed 1 March 2020].
[2]
Drugabuse.com, “Methamphetamine History and Statistics,” [Online]. Available: https://drugabuse.com/methamphetamine/history-statistics/. [Accessed 1 March 2020].
[3]
American Addiction Centers, “Effects of crystal meth on the Brain and Central Nervous System,” American Addiction Centers, [Online]. Available: https://americanaddictioncenters.org/meth-treatment/effects-on-the-brain-and-cns. [Accessed 1 March 2020].
[4]
statista, “Share of frequency of amphetamines use in the last month in Europe in 2017,” [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/473381/frequency-amphetamines-use-european-union-eu/. [Accessed 1 March 2020].
[5]
National Institute on Drug Abuse, “What are the long-term effects of methamphetamine misuse?,” National Institute on Drug Abuse, [Online]. Available: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/methamphetamine/what-are-long-term-effects-methamphetamine-misuse. [Accessed 1 March 2020].
[6]
National Institute on Drug Abuse, “What is the scope of methamphetamine misuse in the United States?,” National Insitute on Drug Abuse, [Online]. Available: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/methamphetamine/what-scope-methamphetamine-misuse-in-united-states. [Accessed 1 March 2020].
[7]
Verywell mind, “Brain Recovery After Stopping Methamphetamine,” [Online]. Available: https://www.verywellmind.com/brain-recovery-possible-for-meth-users-67583. [Accessed 1 March 2020].
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