A common street drug cooked in clandestine labs, crystal meth is poisonous to the body and highly addictive.

Knowledge is power. Do you know what crystal meth is? Are you aware of its disastrous effects? A person is very likely to become addicted to this drug even after using it only once. This puts his health at risk, as well as the rest of his life, including his relationships, work, and financial resources, as he must continually seek dealers to obtain more.

Police report that crystal meth may be sometimes sold as ecstasy at parties. Its effects might at first seem appealing, but these effects soon wear off and turn into deadly and extremely harmful side effects. The initial high promises endless energy, removing the need to sleep or eat, and the user experiences a super sharp focus, increased productivity, and euphoria. Imagine experiencing a euphoric flood of energy like a full body orgasm, in which the most boring of tasks, even mopping the floor, becomes a riveting experience. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

But then there’s the day after. The user feels sick, depressed, ashamed, guilty, and angry. What can take away these nasty feelings? More crystal meth, of course, and so the cycle begins. Before the user knows it, he is completely hooked. He gets some more crystal meth to try to get the good feelings back, to attain maximum energy and reach euphoria. The problem is that the more he uses it, the worse he feels afterwards, and the euphoria turns to disappointment, numbness, confusion, and inertia. His activities are reduced to simple tasks, and he may not even be able to do those well.

The severe side effects associated with the use of crystal meth include extreme excitability, pressed speech, disorganized and irrational thinking, bad judgment, distrust, and violent behavior. The cognitive effects include agitation, panic, confusion, paranoia, hallucinations, “speed bugs,” and psychotic episodes. The effects on the body are increased heart rate, high blood sugar, insomnia, tremors, fever, kidney and liver damage, and chest pain. The use of crystal meth can also result in death.

Crystal meth preys on businessmen, professionals, students, teenagers, the working class, the street bum, and everybody in between. It can take over a community because of its highly addictive characteristics and the ease with which it can be synthesized in home labs. “It's alarming. You have small communities that are awash in this drug,” said Sgt. Ian Sanderson, an RCMP drug expert in Edmonton, Canada.

In Alberta and other Canadian provinces, the popularity of crystal meth continues to increase dramatically. The problem of crystal meth in Canada is the worst in British Columbia, where the number of deaths related to methamphetamine use has risen from 3 in 2,000 to 33 in 2004. Most of these deaths have been due to drug overdoses or car accidents in which the driver was high on meth. A recent rise in certain types of crimes, including car theft, sexual assaults, and fraud, is in part attributable to the increased use of methamphetamines. Crime is fuelled by the adrenaline rush of crystal meth.

The abundance of crystal meth labs in homes and warehouses makes it hard for the police to deal with this problem. Toxic and lethal chemicals are used in these labs to make crystal meth. Frighteningly, these labs are located in the heart of residential neighborhoods and business areas, and they are usually only discovered after a serious explosion occurs that often results in injuries and deaths.

Many times children live with their families in homes with crystal meth labs, eating and sleeping with highly toxic chemicals permeating their environment. Health officials fear that children exposed to these chemicals are at a significantly high risk of developing long-term health problems, including Parkinson's disease. Many of these children are developmentally delayed. Yet until the lab is discovered, the children remain in a dangerous situation.

The entire environment is negatively impacted, as the manufacture of crystal meth in these clandestine labs produces a huge amount of chemical waste. For every pound of crystal meth produced, five pounds of chemical waste are produced that must be disposed of. This waste is either flushed down the bathtub or thrown out into the environment. Either way, it eventually makes its way into the water supply.

An all-around poisonous drug, crystal meth is a growing crisis affecting families, friends, and neighborhoods all over Canada and the U.S. No one is exempt from its harmful effects, even people who don’t take the drug or even know that it exists. It’s affecting the water and air in their environment, too. It’s also affecting the crime rate. The toxicity of producing it and the dangers of being near a clandestine lab are real threats to everyone. More drug prevention campaigns and resources need to be implemented to help eliminate this threat. Crystal meth is a killer and must be stopped.

Some Canadian provincial governments are beginning to take measures to counteract the increasing use of crystal meth. Drug prevention campaigns are being set in place across the country to inform teenagers of the grave dangers of this drug. For those who are already addicted and wish to get help, several drug rehabilitation and treatments centers are available.

One of them, Narconon®, is a unique biophysical drug rehabilitation program with a history of positive results. Countless times its exceptional methods have proven to be effective. The program’s qualified staff members are attentive to the needs of each individual, and they are determined to help the individual overcome his or her drug addiction. If you are among the many people affected by crystal meth addiction, don't let it dictate your life. Get help now.

 

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