Methamphetamine Effects Essay

Submitted By tharms79
Words: 1642
Pages: 7
Open Document
Effects of Methamphetamines on the Family
Tiffany Hix
COM/156
08/24/2014
Jeanette Landin

Effects of Methamphetamines on the Family
The use of methamphetamines has a detrimental effect on not only the user but the family members; however, family members may unknowingly partake in enabling the user and themselves. Methamphetamine abuse has torn my family apart. While methamphetamine abuse has classically been seen as a problem of the individual, their lives are not the only ones at risk. All too often, the addict lives in a family setting. ”Studies show that 12 million Americans have tried the drug, with 1.5 million described as regular users” (Denee, 2014). Methamphetamine abuse is usually associated with child abuse, neglect, and domestic violence; it can also lead to the breakdown of a marriage and/or family. Family members who have to deal with the user will often start to reject the user. It is a long and hard road. For the many people who tell you just to leave and move on, it would be nice if it were that simple. Reducing negative impact and harm done to the family is a vital step for the family members.
Effects of Methamphetamines
“Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant drug that is similar in structure to amphetamine.” (The Science of Drug Abuse and Addiction, 2012). There are many street names for this drug: meth, crystal meth, speed and ice are just a few. There are many acute and long-term health effects that go along with using this drug.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse has described the symptoms as followed: enhanced mood, increased heart rate, blood pressure, decreased appetite, dry mouth, increased sexuality, and jaw-clenching. The long term effects include addiction, weight loss, impaired cognition, insomnia, paranoia, aggression, mood disturbances, violent behavior, liver and kidney damage, severe dental problems, cardiac and neurological damage, HIV, Hepatitis (The Science of Drug Abuse and Addiction, 2012).
Many individuals will put all this aside just to satisfy their cravings. Nothing else matters to them. The hard truth for family members to understand is that the drug is so powerful that regardless of the damages it can do it does not matter to the user.
Signs of Methamphetamines
Knowing the signs of meth is a crucial step. There are many warning signs to a meth addict; they are obsessive with picking at their skin. Meth users do this because they have the sensation of skin crawling. This sensation is known as formication. They have severe tooth decay that is commonly known as "meth mouth." Many will have hair loss, and significant amount of weight loss is also attributed to meth usage due to the lack of nutrients in the body. Meth user's personalities change as well. They become paranoid and delusional. Increased talkativeness and aggression are also associated with meth usage.
Not all meth users show the same signs. Some meth users can trick the family into thinking they have cleaned up their act by showing signs of improvement, when they actually just found newer ways of hiding their habit.
Impacts of Methamphetamines on the Family Members
The effects of meth on the individual’s health are devastating, but what about the innocent family involved in the life of the user? How are they affected in the user’s destruction?
The children in the homes of meth users have no control of the situation. They are caught in the middle of the storm with no way out.
“Children living in homes where meth is produced are at high risk of poisoning, homicides, and accidental deaths and burns due to meth lab fires and explosions. Not only are the children exposed to their parents’ chaotic and drug-focused lifestyles, but they are also exposed to the psychoactive stimulant and toxic chemicals of the drug. One study shows that 55% of children removed from the homes tested positive due to toxic levels of chemicals in their bodies” (Nena Messa, 2011). "Unstable and inconsistent family
Show More

Related Documents: Methamphetamine Effects Essay

Essay on Methamphetaime And Crystal Meth

The University of south alabama Methamphetamine and Crystal Meth CJ-423 Thomas Robb Methamphetamine: Crystal Meth A natural or synthetic substance that is used to produce physiological or psychological effects in humans defines the broad term, drug. Crystal meth is a form of methamphetamine associated with the synthetic psychological portion of a drug and is cooked in a clandestine lab, usually a house or trailer. The drug classification of methamphetamine is a stimulant, sometimes referred…

Words 1524 - Pages 7

Methamphetamine Research Paper

Abstract Methamphetamine is a potent Synthetic stimulate drug that is highly addictive. This drug attacks the nervous system (Brain and Spinal cord). Methamphetamine is a drug that mimics a neurotransmitter at the serotonin and dopamine receptor sites. This drug has an excitatory effect. It was first used for medical reasons legally to promote stronger productivity in the work environment in the 20th century. The united states gave it a brand name ( Methedrine Dexoyon) and was greatly administered…

Words 1025 - Pages 5

Summary: Don T Mess With Meth

Mess With Meth The drug Methamphetamine, also called meth or crystal meth, stimulates the nervous system and is man-made. The drug is blue or white in color and looks like broken glass. Meth is most commonly taken by smoking, dissolving and drinking, swallowing a pill, or snorting a powder. People can make their own meth at home using supplies from drug or hardware stores. Methamphetamine is very addictive and can harm your body in really dangerous ways. Methamphetamine can attack the central nervous…

Words 1113 - Pages 5

Nervous System Essay example

Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant that strongly activates certain systems and parts in the brain. It was originally made as prescription drug but is now more commonly abused and not used for its actual purposes. It can treat patients who have ADHD and help treat people who are suffering from obesity and have not been able to lose the weight through other treatments. Methamphetamine can be taken orally, injected, snorted or smoked. On a molecular level Methamphetamine can affect the neurotransmitters…

Words 1000 - Pages 4

Crystal Meth Research Paper

and Kristine Krapp in their book Methamphetamine, “Methamphetamine is a stimulant, chemically related to amphetamine.” It is a powerful stimulant that can affect the central nervous system. In the article “What is Crystal Meth?” Christian Nordqvist stated that some names of crystal meth are “ice, tina, and grass.” It is ordinarily white and can be smoked, taken orally, or injected. This drug can be addictive. Estimated that 4.7 million people have tried Methamphetamine. (Blachford and Krapp) Schools…

Words 1459 - Pages 6

Final Project EN3220 Essay

Project Part 3 EN3220 Methamphetamines (Meth) cause a wide array of problems with its users, a lot of which are permanent. Meth’s affects range from neurological issues, alertness, paranoia, and aggression. It also leads to psychological and physical disorders. Because Meth is a stimulant, it can cause the user to be up for days and even weeks at a time causing stress to the body and can result in over exerting oneself and inevitably something will give. Personal problems from users…

Words 2249 - Pages 9

Meth Addiction Research Paper

Methamphetamine Addiction Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that has long lasting affecting consequences on ones body if used. In the United States more than 26 million people have been recorded using methamphetamine, and the majority of these users are teenagers. Methamphetamine, which is also known as meth is a man made substance. Meth comes in the form of a rock like crystal (not the kind you wear on your finger) that is usually a white transparent or blue in color. This substance…

Words 953 - Pages 4

Methamphetamine Research Paper

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive psychostimulant and recreational drug that is often synthesized in illicit makeshift laboratories. [1] A scientist by the name of Nagai Nagayoshi originally synthesized the drug from ephedrine in Japan in 1893. Another Japanese scientist then improved upon its synthesis in 1919, this new mechanism of synthesis allowed the compound to be mass-produced. [2] Methamphetamine was desired by various governments for use in the military due to its ability to increase…

Words 408 - Pages 2

Essay on Meth: Nervous System and fairly Newer Drug

Methamphetamine Drug use, abuse and addiction have plagued our country now for many decades. However, a fairly newer drug known as methamphetamine has been on the rise for the past twenty years or so. In America, it is believed to have begun on the west coast, making its way to the east coast only in recent years. Some of the street names for methamphetamine include meth, speed, ice, crystal, chalk, crank and glass. Unlike alcohol, tobacco products, marijuana, cocaine and heroin, which are…

Words 346 - Pages 2

School: Amphetamines Essay

between amphetamines and methamphetamines. Attention getting device: Credibility Statement: Audience relevancy statement: I will explain the history of amphetamines and methamphetamines and give some background on each. Thesis: Amphetamines created before world war II, not known it was going to grow to be the largest misused drug in the world today. Transition: Now to learn when and why it was first created. Main point 1: History of amphetamines and methamphetamines. 1887 amphetamines first…

Words 900 - Pages 4