Check out Part One and Part Two of the Crystal Meth Series of posts.
For those that might think that Meth is just another drug, here’s some evidence to the contrary and some mulitpart articles on Meth from different popular media stories. This is why the ADD Meth connection is so important to deal with, the consequences of ignorance can be devastating.
Here are some Faces of Meth. First, Theresa Baxter, before using Meth
Here’s Theresa after 3 years and 5 months later after using Meth.
The Oregon Live has a photo gallery with more here. Here’ a video clip that tells the story behind the faces of Meth. Here’s their Five-Part Series Unnecessary Epidemic.
Here’s an award winning series of articles on Meth in Kitsap county in the state of Washington. Unfortunately no mention of ADHD.
One of our local papers the Vancouver Province did a weeklong series on Meth, very interesting articles, gives many viewpoints, but no mention of ADHD.
Here’s one article from that series, which discusses the impact of Meth on a user.
Dr. Bill MacEwan, a psychiatrist who heads up the University of B.C.’s Schizophrenia program, and the Psychosis program at St. Paul’s hospital says Meth is more addictive than cocaine and more psychologically damaging than heroin. Meth has been even known to induce schizophrenia.
“After extended use, the brain actually begins to require the drug in order to release the dopamine. No drug, no pleasure. Then there’s the intense craving for more, brain cell death, paranoia, hallucinations and psychosis…the cognitive impairment as a result of fried brain circuitry can last a lifetime”
“The flipside is that after extended use, the brain actually begins to require the drug in order to release the dopamine. No drug, no pleasure. Then there’s the intense craving for more, brain cell death, paranoia, hallucinations and psychosis.”
There’s an 18-minute video, Death By Jib, that interviews Meth addicts and their stories, pretty raw, designed to be shown in schools.
To buy a copy, call 1-800-263-6910, or go to Kinetic Video.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
She was so pretty, and then eww, meth really messes with your body. im doing a project in school for my english class, and ive never known anyone to end up looking that bad after meth. but the one person i kno who does meth i dont see often enough to see a big change. dont do meth….keep your body healthy
Crystal Meth seems to be a very terrible drug. Then why do people use it?
probably the same reasons people use other drugs i’d guess. Heroin and crack cocaine are also terrible drugs and people keep using them too. might want to check these out for some reasons
http://www.nida.nih.gov/Published_Articles/Sally.html
http://www.request.org.uk/issues/topics/drugs/drugs03.htm
http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/180/theordrg.html
I just read Ellen Hopkins Crank and the sequel Glass. Meth is an absolutely terrible drug. Infact all drugs are.
Save yourself before you looser yourdelf.
I am a substance abuse counselor in a prison and and a large per centage of my clients screen positively for ADD. Which should not be all that surprising, that those who self-medicate ADD with meth should run afoul of the law. Is there any special support group for Ex-offenders with ADD? Also it seems to be a tremendous waste of money,lives and resources to incarcerate those with ADD when perhaps simply proper medication and a support group could provide real and immediate rehabilitation.
JWR
That women’s image has been used over and over again to portray the height of abuse. Seems to be a tool used to create shock factor. I’ve known a number of hard-core users, whome have not turned out to resemble anything like that photo.
The point of this thread is to discuss why illicit use is synonemous with ADHD. The question is, are ADHD people attracted to METH because it’s an aid for undiagnosed ADHDer’s??
Hi Greg,
not every meth user will turn out looking like that, but she’s not the only one that does, it’s part of a series of before and after photos of other people who used meth.
I’d argue that they do, meth is a stimulant, Adults with ADHD are treated with prescription stimulants which are safer than meth and aren’t made using ingredients like drano etc. Many meth addicts are using meth to self medicate. Because society can’t/won’t be bothered to make ADHD diagnosis and treatment more of a priority. Their cost of ignoring people with ADHD is higher taxes, higher crime, property loss, death, injury etc.
Greg/All I’m a recovering addict(21 years clean) I see the effects of meth every week and it’s true that not all methheads turn out like theresa, but many do, it depends how far their addiction has progressed.
I’ve seen this image many times before but did not know until tonight that this woman is a person I knew in high School. I broke down when I found out who she is…I KNEW HER! Theresa was such a fun person! Zany, funny! This is such a shame.
Within each drug’s given user population, there will be addicts that are higher functioning than others, and you might never know they were users or even addicts. Also, just because some of the meth is made cheaply with household cleaning products does not mean it all is.
We need to realize that the crime associated with most drugs is a direct result of their illegality – prices are high because of the black market, so those addicts with tight funds feel compelled to steal in order to pay for the drug that helps them function physiologically, mentally, emotionally, etc.
The answers are rarely simple…
I have actually known few people addicted to meth ( most are sober and clean now ) but it does screw with your thinking, the way you look, act, etc…. It is one of the worst drug addictions ever, not to say crack or herion are not. My older sister was actually addicted, and lost custody of her newborn son, did rehab and did get him back at age 1, only to lose him again when she had a relapse, ( i ended up adopting him ) and tho she is sober, her mind is messed up from the drug use. Yes, not all meth addicts turn up looking like Theresa, but alot do.
People use drugs simply because they want to feel better than they currently do. It works for a while, but the brain begins to develop a tolerance, which requires the user to use more to get the same feeling. Hence addiction. The sneaky side of addiction is like a trap door opening. The user is willing to dance on the trap door for a while, using socially, then the brain adapts and whamo, the trap door opens. The user then is required to keep using, just to function or feel normal. The problem is no one can ever know who is predisposed to the trap door and no one ever sees it coming. You’ll never know if you’re an addict until it’s gotcha. It’s a long hard road back to a “new normal” being abstinent. It’s even more work to experience a quality recovery. Some never get there, it can be too painful to live drug free and some are forever a prisoner to misery and life becomes a constant struggle. That’s the best that meth can bring.
My daughter and her boyfriend are hooked on Meth and it’s tearing me apart. They have lost their children and I’m lost on what to do. She went to rehab for a month but went right back to him and the drugs. What is a mother to do? I’m so worried sick about her.
Drugs will be the undoing of America, and the West’s reign as the dominant superpower. Like the fall of the Roman Empire, history always repeats.
I used meth in high school, didn’t know I had ADD until my late 20s. And in hindsight, I have realised that the reason it was so attractive was because it ‘fixed’ me.
I used it because it allowed me to feel normal and allowed me to connect with people… I could hang out. It also helped me study, obsessively taking detailed notes and earning great grades. As well, I lost weight and felt better about my body (oh so important as a teen.) The biggest strength from using meth was motivation to do anything — no task was boring.
It wasn’t until college that I realized that it was more trouble than it was worth, as I needed to juggle more responsibilities and couldn’t risk ‘come down’ or ‘strung out’ days. Luckily, I don’t get addicted to anything and was able to drop it as soon as it inconvenienced me.
The ADHD connection is very strong, I can’t wait for more research to be done. Thanks for your article!
Brett Stafford, drugs will only be the undoing of America if it insists on blindly continuing its deplorable “War on Drugs”. Drugs have been a part of human history from time immemorial. It is schizophrenic to try to eliminate a fundamental facet of the human condition. And it is just too bad that America and assorted copycats keep burying their heads in the sand in the face of the irrefutable evidence that the only result of this madness is to destroy ever more individuals lives through untreated addiction and incarceration. The same people who, if they could manage their drugs legally through appropriate protocols could contribute much to society instead of costing it so much. Likewise, if drugs were decriminalised, Banana republics like Mexico and Colombia would not be failed states – their drug production for pharmaceutical companies would still play an important part in a legal economy, but the more realistic trading prices would make it feasible for the countries to look at other commodities to trade as well.
It is America’s war on drugs and similar thinking that will ensure the spread of its bankruptcy in three ways: morally for its political and financial elite, monetarily for the economy, and culturally in terms of human resource.
In this way your example of Rome is fitting, except for the drugs ofcourse. lol. not.