Question

“What has been the impact of Meth use on those who use it? Do you think enough has been done to address the Meth problem? If yes, why? If not, what would you suggest be done?

Answer 1

Meth (methamphetamine) has both short and long term impact on the health of individuals who consume it. Meth affects central nervous system of a consumer. Meth regulates the feelings of confidence, well-being and pleasure. Meth also makes users feel more energized than they actually are. These immediate changes are accompanied by side-effects;   Delusions of energy, power and pleasure as a result of meth consumption forces a person to push him/herself beyond the limits of his/her ability, leaving the person more tired and unhappy after the drug effects wear off. This can lead to physical or mental breakdown of a person. Continued use of meth can result in increased aggression, hyperactivity, loss of appetite and disturbed sleep patterns and nausea, ultimately resulting in weight loss. Meth consumption has also been linked with conditions like insomnia (sleeping disorder), confusion, anxiety, panic, hallucinations (perception of something that doesn’t exist) , alertness and paranoia (psychotic disorder characterized by irrational distrust of others). But these are mere short-term and visible side-effects of meth. Continued use of meth makes a person tolerant to its use which means one requires high dose of meth to achieve the same level of response achieved during its initial use. Higher doses lead to higher risks to health and life.
Side-effects of meth are also determined by the way it is consumed. Meth comes in the form of powder or crystals that are usually snorted, injected or smoked. Snorting meth can harm the sinuses and lining of the nose and cause nosebleeds. Smoking meth can lead to lung infection and mouth ulcers. Injecting meth increases the risk of damaging veins or catching injections and Viruses, such as HIV.
In the long term, meth use can cause irreversible harm to the drug taker. Users may suffer from temporary to permanent damage to brain, heart, kidney or lungs. Users may suffer from temporary to permanent memory loss. In some cases meth overdose can cause convulsions (uncontrolled fits), brain stroke or heart attack, leading to death.
Despite the efforts made by society, legislation and other health organizations, the issue of meth consumption has not been properly addressed. Some suggestions to curb the problems of meth abuse can be discussed as follows:

• Prevention: It is not possible to eliminate the drugs like meth from our world, so the most effective way to curb drug-related problems is to avoid the use of drugs in the first place. This can be achieved by addressing the problems that compel children and youth to consume drugs like meth. These problems include family tensions, unemployment and isolation etc. Family tensions can be addressed through counseling; promoting job seeker support services can help unemployed youth; similarly, community programs can help to reduce isolation.
• Encouragement: Communities must encourage its members to adopt healthy habits and behaviors and also encourage the government to assist those tasks. Developing safe and positive environments will also reduce the risk of drug use and encourage people to live healthy lives.
• Counseling: Counseling can help people reduce stress and anxiety that can lead to drug-related behavior. Counseling parents about the role they can play in preventing drug-related behavior of their children and providing them with the sufficient tools to address it is important. Counseling parents about the benefits of positive parenting and children about the ways of coping with stress can play great role in prevention of drug-related behavior.
• Awareness: Informing people about the ill effects of drugs like meth through education, health promotion and community development programs can play an important role in minimizing the drug demand. Social media can also play an important role in promoting awareness about healthy living and about the risks associated with drug-abuse.
• Legislation: The soft laws and regulations governing the drug supply, sales and consumption must be replaced with more strict and efficient laws which will ensure strong punishment to those engaged in illegal drug trade.
• Collective efforts: Collective efforts should be made by legislative, social and non-government agencies to reduce the supply of drugs like meth. Community programs, youth clubs, sports clubs, events concerning drug awareness, participation in NGO’s (non-government agencies) can also help to curtail drug-related behavior
• Rehabilitation: Meth addiction treatment should focus on behavioral and psychological therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy, contingency management, positive counseling of drug user and family education and counseling.