site navigation:     HOME | ABOUT | INFO | TREATMENT | CONTACT   


CRYSTAL METH EFFECTS

Drugs of any kind can have severe effects on those who use and abuse them. But crystal meth is its own “hell on earth” for those who have come under its spell. It’s known by many names: meth, crystal, ice, methamphetamine, speed, crank, glass, yaba, tina and many others. But what makes it so hellish is what it does to the people who try it and get hooked.

On this site, you’ll learn about:

- what crystal meth is
- how it’s made
- the ways it is used
- the effects it has on the user
- and, most important, how to stop using

Photographs of meth addicts show the horrors of addiction: faces that seem to have had the life sucked out of them, sunken eyes that indicate days or weeks without sleep, wasting bodies from malnutrition resulting from a total lack of appetite, mouths riddled with sores and rotted or missing teeth, skin that’s been scratched or cut and incessantly picked at to try and get to the “bugs” that crawl underneath. You can see some examples, courtesy of the Multnomah, Oregon County Sheriff’s Office, at http://www.facesofmeth.us/main.htm .

And that’s only what’s happening on the surface.

Inside, methamphetamines ravage the kidneys, liver, lungs, heart and even the brain. Long-term use can result in permanent psychological damage, stroke and failure of other organs. Addicts hear voices and see people and things that no one else sees or hears. Women who are pregnant give birth to “crack babies” with cardiac problems, cleft palates and other birth defects, who suffer the consequences of withdrawal as soon as they’re born.

Many people believe that crystal meth is a drug used by only the most “far gone” of drug addicts. It’s true that chronic meth users look like that, but they didn’t start out that way.

The facts are, meth is used by teenagers who just want a little extra edge when studying for a test. It’s used by young girls who want to control their weight. And it’s used by guys who want a little extra out of a sexual experience. Meth users (also called “tweakers”) can be students, professionals, city folk or urban dwellers, dirt poor or celebrity rich, and members of any ethnic background.

Not the typical “drug abuser” profile, is it? Not by a long shot. Meth addicts need help. They are in the grip of a progressive and potentially fatal disease. Fortunately, there is help available. You’ll find the resources you need right here on this site.