Transcript What is being done about the meth problem?

By Emma Wells
Can a addict recover?
Crystal meth anonymous
Crystal myths
What is meth?
Is faster better?
What does meth do?
Just how serious is meth?
What is being done about the
meth problem?
The government’s video message
Location
Rehab
Pictures
Poem
The 12 Steps of Crystal Meth Anonymous
We admitted that we were powerless over crystal meth and our lives had become
unmanageable.
Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of a God of our understanding.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure
them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with a God of our
understanding praying only for the knowledge of God's will for us, and the power to carry that
out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to
crystal meth addicts, and to practice these principles in all of our affairs.
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What about relapse prevention?
We experienced great relief when, in time, the desire to use
crystal meth was lifted. We know that it is easier to stay clean
than to get clean. Relapse never had to happen, but when it did,
it was crucial for us to be rigorously honest about our using, and
in any self-examination that followed. We returned to meetings
immediately, called friends in the program, and discussed our
obsession to use. We did not risk being further caught in the
familiar patterns and torment of our addiction. We tried to accept
our mistake, without being embarrassed. CMA members
welcomed us back, listened and often made helpful suggestions
as we redoubled our efforts in recovery.
Why one day at a time?
The idea of never using crystal meth again was impossible for us to
comprehend. In early recovery, we were encouraged to make a commitment
each day not to use just for that day. This pledge was still too much for some
of us. In these instances, we promised ourselves something along these lines:
"I won’t use crystal meth, just for the next hour." This helped us to stay in the
here and now and not to get caught up in what might be. For these reasons,
we stay sober one day at a time.
Maitland Rehab
66 King Street
East Maitland NSW 2323
Phone.1300762989
Fax.1300762654
Email. [email protected]
Hello.
You may or may not know me.
I destroy homes.
I tear families apart,
I'll take your children and that is just the start.
I'm more precious the diamonds, more valued
then gold.
The sorrows I bring are a sight to behold.
If you need me I'm easily found
I'm all around you in every city and every town.
I live with the rich I live with the poor.
I live down the street even next door.
I'm made in a lab just not the kind you think,
I can be made under the kitchen sink.
I can be made in the closet or in the woods.
If this doesn’t scare you to death it certainly
should.
I have many names but one you'd know best
My name is Crystal meth.
My powers are awesome just try me and see.
Try me twice and your soul will belong to me.
Once I possess you, you'll steal and you'll lie
You'll do what it takes just to get high.
The crimes you'll commit for the high and fame
Will be worth millions once I get in your veins.
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You'll lie to your mom and steal from you dad,
When you see their tears you won't even be sad.
You'll forget your morals and how you were raised,
Once I teach you my worthless ways.
I'll take your friends, your control, your pride,
But I'll always be with you right by your side.
You'll give up your friends, your family, your home,
When you run out you'll be all alone.
I'll take and I'll take till there’s nothing to give,
And when I'm through you'll be lucky to live.
You can try me for fun but I'm no game.
Giving the chance I'll drive you insane.
I'll give you nightmares while you lie sweating in bed.
I'll be the evil voices inside you head.
You shouldn’t have tried me how many times were you told?
But you challenged my powers how could you have been so
bold?
You couldn’t say no, and just walked away.
If you could do it all over again what would you say?
I'll be you master you'll be my slave.
Don't fear being lonely I'll walk with you to your grave.
I'll show you more pain then your deepest betrayal
So come take my hand as I lead you to HELL.
Written by Alicia VanDavis
Crystal methamphetamine is a colourless, odorless form of dmethamphetamine, a powerful and highly addictive synthetic (manmade) stimulant. Crystal methamphetamine typically resembles small
fragments of glass or shiny blue-white "rocks" of various sizes. Like
powdered methamphetamine (another form of d-methamphetamine),
crystal methamphetamine is abused because of the long-lasting
euphoric effects it produces. Crystal methamphetamine, however,
typically has a higher purity level and may produce even longer-lasting
and more intense physiological effects than the powdered form of the
drug.
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Over time methamphetamine use may also cause sleep
problems, tooth and gum disease (called “meth
mouth”), and organ damage. Users may also develop
serious mental health problems.
Because using crystal meth can feel good at first,
some people use the drug again and again. But after
a short time, they begin to need more of the drug
in order to feel its effects. This is called
“tolerance.” Tolerance develops because the brain
tries to rebalance itself by limiting the impact of
the drug on the brain. As a result, the person may
begin to feel tired, agitated, aggressive, and
depressed. And they may need to take the drug
regularly just to feel normal. This condition is
called “dependence.”
There is potential for overdose. A person who uses
a large amount of meth without building up
tolerance can experience convulsions, a stroke or
heart attack.
The effects often diminish and change with high dose and
frequent use. Effects may include: teeth
grinding/clenching, agitation, restlessness, decrease in
libido, and inability to focus. Other negative effects
include mild to severe tremors and athetosis (writhing,
jerky, or flailing movements), hostility, and paranoia.
Sometimes users believe they have bugs under their skin
and constantly scratch or pick at their arms and legs. Or
they hear and see things that aren’t really there.
The effects of methamphetamine differ depending on:
the form of the substance (pharmaceutical or street; pills,
powder, or crystal)
the method of use (swallowed, snorted, injected, or
smoked)
the amount used (small or larger dose)
When the crystal form of methamphetamine is smoked or
injected, it produces an immediate rush. When any form of
methamphetamine is snorted or swallowed, it may take up
to 20 minutes to take effect. Most often the feelings of
pleasure that follow last for 4 to 12 hours, but some people
stay high for longer.
A low dose of methamphetamine may produce the following effects: increase in energy, raised heart
rate and blood pressure, increased respiration, and reduced appetite and thirst. Low dose use may
also create feelings of euphoria, alertness, self confidence, heightened libido, restlessness,
anxiousness and aggression. It is difficult to define ‘low dose’ because it depends on the user’s
metabolism as well as the concentration of the drug – and that is impossible to know when it is
bought illegally.
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What is Being Done About the
Meth Problem?
• Steps are being taken to slow the crystal meth
problem. Some states are limiting the purchase of
over the counter pseudophed, one of the components
of crystal meth. Prevention messages are being
targeted to at risk populations and law
enforcement are cracking down on the labs. Experts
agree however, that the best way to prevent a
crystal meth problem is to never try this killer.
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Can an addict recover?
Experts say that crystal meth is one of the most addictive street drugs
and one of the hardest to treat. Addiction counsellors say the relapse
rate of 92 per cent is worse than cocaine.
The withdrawal symptoms, especially the depression and physical
agony, are reported by addiction counsellors to be worse than heroin or
cocaine, and often addicts will drop out of recovery programs.
This situation is worse in the United States than in Canada because
patients in the U.S. usually have inadequate health insurance or none
at all. Those American patients in managed care programs are often
cut off before treatment is complete. In Canada, however, provincial
health insurance and government recovery programs can help the
addict recover.
With increasing use of the drug, there are strong indications that users
suffer brain damage, including memory impairment and an increasing
inability to grasp abstract thoughts. Those who do manage to recover
from addiction and retain memory and the ability to function in society
are usually subject to some memory gaps and extreme mood swings.
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Drugs destroy millions of lives every year – too often
the lives of young people upon whom our future
depends. In a world where more money is spent on
drugs than on food, it can be difficult to convince
others to just say “no.” Society owes a debt of
gratitude to anyone working to salvage others from
the harmful effects of drug abuse. Standing by and
doing nothing about the drug problem only helps
those who profit from its spreading.
But working together, we can succeed in educating
others to the real dangers of drugs.
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THE Federal Government is
launching a graphic television
advertising campaign warning
against the dangers of the
methylamphetamine drug ice.
Minister for Ageing,
Christopher Pyne, who is
responsible for government
drug policy, said the M-rated
commercials would be
targeted at young people
aged 18 to 24.
"It's very graphic and a lot of
people will find it quite
shocking," Mr Pyne said on
Channel 9.
"But I think it will draw
immediate attention to the
issue of ice which is
not becoming an epidemic
but is growing in its use in
Australia."
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A basic premise in America is that faster is better. From instant tea to TV dinners, DSL
to broadband and beyond, if there's a way to do something faster, we'll figure out how
to do it, and not miss a beat -- or a coffee break -- in the bargain.
That's a big reason why stimulant drugs hold so much fascination for us all.
Speed seems as natural as mom and apple pie -- maybe even more so, since today
mom is on a diet and the only apple pie in town is made by machines.
But speedy drugs aren't Mom's apple pie, not by a long shot. They're a complex group
of chemicals with one thing in common: They can cause all sorts of problems for
people who take them -- and all kinds of people are taking them these days.
And not only are more people using speed, they're also using its most hypercharged
form -- crystal meth -- and some are running into problems they never expected.
That's why we've put together this pamphlet.
Because sometimes what you don't know can hurt you. And that's true times two
when what you don't know about is speed. And it's truer, still, when the speed you
don't know about is crystal meth.
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The most potent form of speed available -- with or without a prescription -- is
methamphetamine, A.K.A. crystal, crank, tweak, go-fast, and dozens of other names.
In medicine, it comes in tablet form, as the prescription drug, Desoxyn®.
More often, though, it's cooked in makeshift labs and sold on the street as a powder, which
is injected, snorted, or swallowed. A smokeable form of crystal, called "ice," is also used.
Widely available in the 1960's, crystal faded in the '70s, as controls were tightened on legal
production, which reduced its diversion onto the black market.
But in the early '90s, crystal made an amazing comeback. And it's been back in a big way
ever since.
The result? Crystal became a hot new high to a new generation of users too young to know
firsthand -- or to have heard secondhand -- the downside of uppers.
And what a downside they have. Risks are so extreme because the drug works so well at
overamping the central nervous system and zapping feelings of hunger and fatigue.
The result is the same sort of physical stress that follows any extreme exertion -- bungie
jumping, for example, or skydiving.
But instead of giving the old body/mind a chance to chill between jumps (like any selfrespecting bungie-jumping skydiver would do), crystal users extend speed "runs" for days or
weeks, without food or rest, putting impossible demands on their bodies and brains.
For needle users, add in the hazards that come with injecting any drug. And for ice smokers,
multiply it all by the still largely-unknown risk factor of exposing lung tissue to vaporized
meth crystals.
That's why it's not a big mystery that you don't run into many old speed freaks in the real
world.
They don't live long enough to get old.
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