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    Get Smart About Meth and Other Stimulants
    Get Smart About Meth and Other Stimulants
    Get Smart About Meth and Other Stimulants
    Ebook84 pages1 hour

    Get Smart About Meth and Other Stimulants

    By Publishing Hazelden

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    About this ebook

    Learn the basic facts behind the dangers of methamphetamines and other stimulants, their chemistry and harmful effects, signs of addiction and dependence, addiction treatment options, prevention tools for parents, and much more.The stimulant class of drugs includes medicine used to treat legitimate conditions such as ADHD and narcolepsy, but also includes illicitly produced methamphetamines and other harmful and addictive drugs. In this Hazelden Quick Guide, expert resources and information come together in an engaging and accessible e-book short. Topics include:• What methamphetamine and stimulants are, and how and why they were created• The history of their use and abuse• Changing cultural, social, and legal factors• Definitions of use, abuse, and dependence, with information on prevention and advice for parents• How the drugs work, including their health effects and what makes them so addictive• Intervention and effective treatment methods• Relapse prevention tools for recovering dependents and addicts
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHazelden Publishing
    Release dateJul 1, 2014
    ISBN9781616495640
    Get Smart About Meth and Other Stimulants

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      Book preview

      Get Smart About Meth and Other Stimulants - Publishing Hazelden

      Introduction: Understanding Meth and Other Stimulants

      At first crystal meth was great. A level high. You get up and stay up. But soon it was too good. It made me crazy. I would shoot up and go to work. Then I’d snort it at work—in a hospital, where I’m supposed to be taking care of other people. Finally it got so I’d pick up my paycheck and go straight to my dealers. My wife got hooked. We were dropping $3,000 a month on it. Meth was everything to us.

      —Anonymous methamphetamine user

      Methamphetamine has been grabbing headlines for well over a decade. There’s even a long-running, and award-winning, television program based on manufacturing and selling it, Breaking Bad. Methamphetamine and other amphetamines are powerful, fast-acting drugs, as the quote above indicates. As another meth addict said, meth is truly nasty stuff.

      Meth is a member of the group of drugs called amphetamines, and these are all part of a larger class of drugs called stimulants. The most common amphetamines include amphetamine, methamphetamine (meth), ephedrine, cathinone, MDMA (ecstasy), and DOM (STP), but there are many others. This Hazelden e-booklet focuses on the amphetamines, but it is important to remember that there are other stimulant drugs such as nicotine and cocaine.

      In this booklet, you will learn about

      the general class of drugs called stimulants, and the specific subset called amphetamines

      the medical benefits of these drugs

      the history of amphetamine abuse in the United States

      how amphetamines work in the brain

      how they are manufactured

      what amphetamine binges and dependence look like

      how treatment works

      what parents can do to help keep their children from trying amphetamines

      signs of amphetamine use and what to do if you suspect a loved one is using

      Meth, other amphetamines, and stimulants in general were first used for their many benefits, including their ability to increase

      alertness

      awareness of surroundings

      attention

      wakefulness

      endurance

      productivity

      motivation

      Under the influence of some stimulants, people feel more energetic and powerful. They may feel increased happiness or euphoria. They may not feel the need for sleep nor the need to eat as much. Due to these effects, the drugs have been given to soldiers to heighten their alertness, stave off sleep, and bolster bravado in preparation for battle.

      Stimulants include such well-known drugs as

      Benzedrine, a brand name for amphetamine, which has been used to treat asthma, depression, and obesity.

      Adderall, which contains dextroamphetamine, and Ritalin, which contains methylphenidate. These are used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy (a sleep disorder in which people are excessively drowsy during the day).

      caffeine, the world’s most widely used psychoactive drug, known for its quick pick-me-up qualities and, among some users, ability to enhance concentration when consumed in lower doses. It occurs naturally in coffee, tea, and cocoa. It is infused into many carbonated beverages and so-called energy drinks, such as Red Bull and Monster Energy. It is a part of well-known over-the-counter medications, such as the headache medicine Excedrin and the alertness medication NoDoz.

      khat, an evergreen shrub found in East African nations and on part of the Arabian Peninsula. Khat is a stimulant that has been chewed for centuries, and it contains the stimulant cathinone, which has been used as an ingredient in the drug sold as bath salts.

      cocaine, extracted from the mountain shrub coca. Cocaine is a powerful stimulant, appetite suppressant, and anesthetic.

      Ephedrine, a decongestant and appetite suppressant and a component of Ma huang, a traditional herbal Chinese medicine. Ma huang is a member of the Ephedra family of plants and is the herb from which amphetamine was isolated.

      methamphetamine, used in low doses to elevate mood and increase alertness, concentration, and energy in fatigued people. The drug aided Japanese soldiers in World War II.

      nicotine, the active chemical component in tobacco, which has stimulating and relaxing effects and was once widely used as an insecticide.

      phenylpropanolamine, a drug used in prescription and over-the-counter cough medication.

      With so many wonderful uses, why the bad rap?

      As it happens, humans readily become physically and psychologically dependent on this class of drugs. For example, a recent research report concluded that the probability that one would become addicted to nicotine was 67.5 percent (two out of three) for nicotine users.¹ And in a comparison of chemical dependency treatment patients, those who sought treatment for methamphetamine had a shorter period of time between first use and entry into treatment than patients who had used cocaine. (Chemical dependency counselors refer to this rapid progression from first use to treatment as telescoping.)²

      Of course, the addictiveness of various drugs depends on the individual, the environment, the route of administration, and many other variables—and so ranking the addiction potential

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