Hardwick 1 Hilary Hardwick Mr. Kelly English 421 June 4 th, 2013 Crystal Meth on the Brain and Body Abstract Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, has a very damaging affect on the brain and body of the user, even if they only use for a short time. This drug destroys arteries, rots teeth (a condition called meth mouth ), causes hallucinations and even causes death. The most deadly aspect is the artery damaging. This causes sores to not heal very well, and can be responsible for heart attacks, problems with the lungs, and strokes. It harms and pollutes the body and mind, until the user is nothing like what they were before. Outline I. Introduction This deadly drug damages almost every aspect of your life; from psychosis and brain damage to relationships with loved ones, crystal meth damages and destroys anything in its path. II. III. IV. Addictiveness A. What are the effects on the brain B. Why do people use it Short Term Effects A. Physical Damages B. Mental Damages C. Social Damages Long Term Effects A. Brain Damage B. Coma C. Death V. Conclusion Methamphetamine not only kills people, but it does so in a slow way, and somehow manages to convince its users that it s okay.
Hardwick 2 Introducing the Monster According to a study done by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, it is estimated that global users of methamphetamine is between 15.82 and 50.57 million people. 3.8 million of those people are North Americans. ("Illegal Drugs: Canada's Growing International Market") Methamphetamine, or crystal meth, is a man made drug and is considered one of the most dangerous in existence. Ever since the drug first stepped foot in Canada, it s been ripping apart anything and anyone it can get its claws into. Now, Canada is one of the biggest illegal producers of meth worldwide. The drug ruins minds and ruins lives. This deadly drug damages almost every aspect of one s life; from psychosis and brain cancer to relationships with loved ones, crystal meth damages and destroys anything in its path. Dealing With Addictiveness With the huge amount of information that is available to us and the terrible addict stories that exist, it s a wonder why anyone would ever risk taking crystal meth. Why would someone ever risk it? Mainly, it s because of the release of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that triggers pleasure, and is usually naturally released. So when someone uses the drug, they feel and intense happiness and pleasure from it. At the same time, however, the huge release of dopamine is destroying the brain and nerve centers. In an article from Michael s House Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center, it was said that The meth user gets the positive feeling, but the brain and nervous system are being short circuited in the process. Because the body is getting all these artificial good feelings, it shuts down its ability to create positive impulses naturally. When this occurs, the only way for the user to experience anything positive now comes through the use of the meth. ("Why is Crystal Meth So Addictive?") As stated in the article, methamphetamine short-circuits and destroys the brain, and makes it gradually start to ignore natural pleasure signals, relying only on the drug to feel good.
Hardwick 3 Basically, this drug produces intense happy rushes, while destroying the natural happy rushes at the same time. The meth user becomes more and more addicted because the drug becomes the sole happy thing in their life. That s the reason that users feel so irritable and depressed when they re not on the drug; it s their only way to have any good feelings, so of course they d hold onto it. If one was smart they would never try the drug in the first place; it s just flirting with disaster. Short Term Damages Depending on how often and by what method one uses the drug, the short term effects can vary in severity, but a lot of them are pretty standard, and will happen no matter what. Some of the effects of the drug include a decreasing of fatigue and appetite, so the user get s extremely thin and tired looking. The user gets so thin that their skin seems to almost hang off their bones; it s not a healthy look at all. The drug also increases your respiration and heart rate. Simply put, crystal meth speeds the whole body up, without it requiring sleep or food. It can cause sores on the skin, mainly due to hallucinations caused by the drug. A common hallucination is that the user feels like there are bugs crawling under their skin, so they pick at their skin to get the bugs out. At the same time, methamphetamine tightens and closes off blood vessels. This means that when users get sores and scabs on their skin, it takes that much longer to heal because the blood isn t flowing properly. There is literally nothing positive that meth can ever do for someone. The more often one uses the drug, the worse and worse they begin to feel. Police officer Brett King, the creator of The Faces of Meth video, said he could always tell who was using. Some people I have in here over a hundred times, and I can see how they ve deteriorated, how they ve changed. Some were quite attractive when they began to come to jail: young people who were full of health and had everything going for them... and now they re a shell of what they once were. (King)
Hardwick 4 The body changes physically and visibly when meth is being consumed, and obviously not for the better. Physically, the addict starts to look weaker and unhealthy in general, but over those 10, 15 and 20 years, the body can start to stop functioning, and the addict no longer remains that same person. As the user becomes more and more dependent on the drug, they start to care less and less about the people around them. The whole purpose of their existence becomes about the next time they get to use, the next time they get high. Often, the loved ones of the addict don t want to see them deteriorate further, so they don t bother to deal with them. The addict will push away anyone that they think is getting in the way of them getting the drug. In the Long Run One of the effects that the drug has is that it slows down and stops the production of saliva in the mouth. This, and a combination of other things, is what causes a disorder called meth mouth. The combination of the harsh chemicals in the drug (anhydrous ammonia, which is found in fertilizers, red phosphorus, which is found on match boxes, and lithium, which is found in batteries) and the drying out in the salivary glands causes the teeth to decay. Meth stops the salivary glands, and the acids in the mouth eat teeth away. Blood vessels shrink, which eventually stops blood flow to the mouth (and other body parts) which slows healing. ("How Meth Destroys The Body") Eventually, the teeth decay beyond repair, and are basically useless. One of the most damaging long term effects of methamphetamine abuse is the damaged blood vessels. These can affect the heart and brain, and often cause strokes in long-time users. In an article about the documentary The Truth About Crystal Meth, it talks about just how dangerous these damaged blood vessels can be: In the long term, meth use can cause irreversible harm: increased heart rate and blood pressure; damaged blood vessels in the brain that can cause strokes or an irregular heartbeat that can, in turn, cause cardiovascular collapse or death; and liver, kidney, and lung damage. ("The Deadly Effects of Meth") These strokes can cause memory loss and/or loss of certain functions of the brain, which is
Hardwick 5 why meth addicts are said to have holes in their brain (or maybe it s because they re so dumb for trying it in the first place). It is said that the effects of meth on the brain can be described as damages similar to Alzheimer s disease. ( The Deadly Effects of Meth) This would be because of possible brain damage due to strokes, or because the nerves have completely short-circuited; memory is often left with holes, and some people lose important motor functions. The most serious long-term side effect of crystal meth is death from cardiac arrest or hyperthermia. Don t wait for the addiction to get this far. ("The Effects of Crystal Meth Use") It seems as if the addicts just convince themselves that they have themselves under control, until it s too late. The hyperthermia that is caused by meth use can also cause the user to go into a coma, or have a seizure. Even if the addict recovers, memory loss, insomnia, and epilepsy could be some of the permanent damages. Conclusion Methamphetamine not only kills people, but it does so in a slow way, and somehow manages to convince its users that it s okay. From mentally damaging abusers for life, to completely ruining someone s features, it changes everything about a person. It rewires their brain. The scary thing is that the abusers think that it s okay, or think that they are completely in control of the situation, when in reality, it s the opposite. The drug owns them. This drug harms every aspect of life; there isn t a thing that it doesn t infect.
Hardwick 6 References "How Meth Destroys The Body." Frontline. PBS, 17 May 2011. Web. 3 Jun 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/body/>. "Illegal Drugs: Canada's Growing International Market."CBC News. CBC News, 24 Jun 2009. Web. 1 Jun 2013. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2009/06/24/f-unitednations-drug-report-canadaecstasy.html>. King, Brett. "How Meth Destroys The Body." Frontline. PBS, 17 May 2011. Web. 1 Jun 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/body/>. "Mental Health and Addictions: Addictions: Methamphetamine." Regina Qu'Appelle Health. Regina Qu'Appelle Health, n.d. Web. 1 Jun 2013. <http://www.rqhealth.ca/diy_pubhealth/view.cgi?cmd=page&key=192>. "Methamphetamine Abuse and Addiction." National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Report. 2002. <http://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/rrmetham.pdf>. "Short Term Effects of Methamphetamine Uses." In The Know Zone. In The Know Zone, n.d. Web. 1 Jun 2013. <http://www.intheknowzone.com/substance-abuse-topics/methamphetamine/shortterm-effects.html>. "The Deadly Effects of Meth." Foundation for a Drug-Free World. Foundation for a Drug-Free World. Web. 1 Jun 2013. <http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crystalmeth/the-deadly-effects-ofmeth.html>. "The Effects of Crystal Meth Use." Coalition Against Drug Abuse. Coalition Against Drug Abuse, n.d. Web. 1 Jun 2013. <http://drugabuse.com/library/the-effects-of-crystal-meth-use/>. "Why is Crystal Meth So Addictive?." Michael's House. Michael's House. Web. 1 Jun 2013. <http://www.michaelshouse.com/crystal-meth-rehab/why-is-meth-so-addictive/>.