Methamphetamine's long and medium-term effects are catastrophic.

Meth causes massive brain damage:

A recent study on long-term meth users showed it causes "a forest fire of brain damage" as revealed by a high resolution MRI.

In the study, researched examined 22 people who had used meth for at least 10 years and compared them with 21 controls matched for age. They found "the limbic region, involved in drug craving, reward, mood and emotion, lost 11 per cent of its tissue."

"The cells are dead and gone."

"Addicts were depressed, anxious and unable to concentrate."

"The brain's center for making new memories, the hippocampus, lost 8 per cent of its tissue, comparable to the brain deficits in early Alzheimer's. The methamphetamine addicts fared significantly worse on memory tests than healthy people the same age. "

Meth is disfiguring:

Through a combination of nutrient depletion and lack of food, meth users suffer serious physical damage. Calcium depletion coupled with meth user's tendency to grit their teeth while high causes a significant portion of meth users to lose teeth.

Meth users wrinkle and age quickly. Paleness around the eyes and soars on the face are other physically distinguishing characteristics of a meth user.

The fact that meth users will frequently continue using even as their teeth fall out demonstrates how addictive meth is.

Meth damages vital organs:

Meth badly damages the heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver. Meth can cause strokes or heart attacks leading to death.

Meth causes personality changes:

Methamphetamine causes dramatic personality changes. As the drug wears off, a period of agitation sets in. The user is anxious and depressed. The user is likely to be angry at the world and extremely unhappy. Chronic meth users suffer from a highly depleted dopamine level making them completely miserable.

As the brain is damaged, a person's value system changes. All other pursuits become secondary to obtaining this drug.

Meth user experiences:

"Crystal is an evil, evil drug..."
"I had puked and sweated and needed crystal for about a month after. Don't get into my position. Please remember my story and don't get stupid."

"i find myself still affected by this drug, i sometimes get twitches i never had, i crave the drug on days that things are going bad, but i will never touch this drug again. "

"The next day, I was extremely depressed. I was crying all day long, I mean boo-hooing, which is REALLY unlike me. I thought something was terribly wrong with me and even dialed some help numbers and talked to some counselors. I felt like killing myself..." "if just doing speed was the cause of depression like that, I'm never doing it again."

"My friends eventually noticed that I was sort of freaking out..."
"I really, really wanted to sleep, but I'd been doing speed long enough to know that I wasn't going to able to do that for quite a while, so when we got to one of the friends' home I just sort of huddled on the floor in misery. My friends later said that I just sort of sat there and glared at them, and snapped at them angrily when anyone said anything to me. Eventually the hallucinations stopped, and I must have looked better because at some point someone took me home. I was up all that night, slept all the next day, and woke up feeling...not much better. I wasn't hallucinating anymore, true, but I was still extremely irritable and aggressive, which is completely out of character for me. This mood lasted for almost a week afterwards, and a few times the hallucinations came back briefly, although they were never as intense."

"When I stopped taking meth, sex didn't appeal to me anymore. Without crank, sex just seemed like a chore..."
" I was always looked at as a 'cute boy next door' when I was a teen. I had a clean-cut, babyface appearance, with a dark tan and blonde hair. After binging on crank for so many years, my boyish good looks faded to what looked like a weather-beaten fisherman. "

"Stay away form the tweak is all I can say.....I had a basiliar aneurysm in 97 because of that shit, I'm very lucky to be alive. Had brain surgery in August of 99 thanks to the devil dust, so anyone who thinks they're on the top of the world or who thinks they're the center of the universe, might just wake up on the next plane or in a hospital bed."

"I had what they call 'jib bumps' or 'jib scars' all over my forehead. They are these huge, nasty, purple bumps that kind of resemble zits but aren't. I later learned that they are a result of the harsh chemicals trying to get through the body. And the worst part of crystal were the relationships I destroyed. The comedown from crystal is more destructive than any other drug I have done. (and yes I've done coke) it made me sooo angry at everything and everyone.

contributed by a reader:

"I used meth for 4 years on and off. I snorted it smoked it ate it and shot it. It ruined my relationship with my father and friends closest to me. It left me living in my car. It rips through your sense of reality, and severely damages your body. I am pretty fortunate to have all of my teeth. I used to spend every penny I had on it. I don't know what else to say. Meth is horrible." - Male, 30, Spokane, Washington

These external links will open in a new window:

Recovering addict tries to break free of meth’s grip (currentargus.com)
June 4th, 2005

Citizens learn 'Meth 101' (crookstontimes.com)

Meth Mouth -- Spokane dentists are seeing a whole new set of problems in people's mouths these days (KXLY.com video)

Meth addiction leading to rotting teeth (usatoday.com) February 6th, 2005

Hitler's Drug Set to Invade British Clubs (reprint of UK Observer article)

Brain Shows Ability to Recover From Some Methamphetamine Damage

recovery resources (will open in a new window) :

Rehab
Click for help finding rehab centers in your area

Spokane-area chapter of narcotics anonymous including meeting times

List of Narcotics Anonymous phone numbers and addresses in the northwest