Methamphetamine Areas of The Brain Essay
Methamphetamine is an odourless, white crystalline powder with a bitter taste. It is soluble in liquid and can be injected, snorted, ingested, or smoked. It is a central nervous system stimulant drug that increases the release of dopamine and leads to high levels of the chemical in the brain. Dopamine is responsible for the pleasure functions of the brain that relate to reward, motivation, the experience of pleasure, and motor function. The production of excessive dopamine causes an intense rush of pleasure followed by a euphoric high that can last up to twelve hours.
The abuse of methamphetamine is associated with a number of negative consequences, which include cognitive dysfunctions and neurological damage. Methamphetamine Areas of The Brain Essay. Effects of chronic abuse are depression, psychosis and psycho-motor dysfunctions. Neuropsychological abnormalities include attention deficits, memory problems and poor decision-making.
The use of methamphetamine is associated with long-term biochemical and structural effects on the brain and significantly changes how the brain functions. The excessive production of dopamine causes neuropathological changes in the brain and has a neurotoxic effect on the brain cells that store dopamine and serotonin. These changes include decreases in the levels of dopamine transporters as well as decreases in the density of serotonin transporters in various parts of the brain. Studies have demonstrated that daily use of methamphetamine results in increased cell death in the brain, which would have a negative effect on prefrontal cortex functioning.
Changes in the activity of the dopamine system are associated with reduced motor skills and impaired verbal learning. Studies have also revealed that chronic use of methamphetamine causes severe structural and functional changes in those areas of the brain associated with emotion and memory, which could explain many of the emotional and cognitive problems observed in chronic abusers of the substance. These neurological changes have given rise to deficits in execution memory which are manifested in a reduced ability to problem solve, increased impulsivity and risky decision-making. Further dysfunctions include apathy, poor self-control and poor executive control. Over time, methamphetamine destroys the dopamine receptors in the brain, which has the effect of reducing the ability to feel pleasure. Methamphetamine Areas of The Brain Essay.
The use of methamphetamine has been proven by a number of studies to be associated with irreversible damage to the brain and, even though the neurotransmitters in the brain may recover over time, damage to cognitive abilities cannot be reversed.
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Mark Dawod
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has estimated that five hundred metric tons of amphetamine-type stimulants are produced, coinciding with almost twenty-five million abusers. The US government reported in 2008 that about thirteen million people over the age of twelve has used meth, with over half a million being regular users of the substance. Meth has a market price in the US of thirteen billion dollars, which corroborates with its high street price, ranging from three to four hundred dollars for a fourth of a gram. Although meth is known for its disastrous side effects such as severe damage to the brain and heart, it helps those suffering with ADHD, narcolepsy, and dietary problemy. Overall, methamphetamine is a perilous stimulant that cripples the lives of its users and bystanders. However, with strong public awareness and education regarding the drug’s deleterious effects, the dilemma of meth exploitation can be stopped.
What is meth? Where did it originate from?
Amphetamine, a dialect of the perilous methamphetamine we know today was first synthesized in Germany in 1887, however, scientists were blinded to its stimulant effects at the time. A few years later in 1893, meth was synthesized in Japan, it was not until 1919 that crystal meth was synthesized, similarly in Japan. At the time, the effects of this drug were not fully understood and were not perceived as dangerous, in turn the drug began to gain its popularity, although it did not fully take off until after the second great war. Methamphetamine was given to troops in wars such as World War II, the Korean Wars, and the Vietnam War to help them attain alertness throughout the battles, gaining an advantage over their counterparts. Methamphetamine Areas of The Brain Essay. Additionally, methamphetamine was used during Nazi Germany as Hitler was intoxicated and enjoyed indulging in drugs. However, it was not until he sent Nazis thirty-five million pills of meth, known as Pervitin, which gave them the alertness to stay awake and focused for days at a time, they believed this pill to be just “like coffee.” Soon after World War II, biker gangs in California saw the value of this stimulant and began producing and smuggling it, resulting in them making a hefty profit as the drug was easy to produce and sell. To this day, methamphetamine is very well known and used frequently, especially in densely populated regions such as Miami and California. Methamphetamine also has very limited medical use, but is used largely by women seeking to lose weight as the drug suppresses appetite well. Methamphetamine is referred to as crystal, speed, ice, dope, whizz, chalk, and fast, just to name a few. Meth, usually used as a club drug, taken mostly at rave parties, is a poison that systematically destroys the body. “I tried it once and BOOM! I was addicted,” said a meth addict that lost all that he stood for because of this stimulant. Methamphetamine addiction is single handedly one of the toughest drug addictions to treat and results in death largely because it burns up bodily resources that can only be replenished through frequent consumption of the drug. Methamphetamine Areas of The Brain Essay.
Who uses meth? And How?
Studies show that meth users range from thirteen years old to thirty-three users old, although typically, users are within the fifteen to twenty-two year old age gap. Concerning race, African Americans are less likely to use meth than Caucasians. Meth users are predominantly Caucasian, blue collar workers, unemployed, and studying in either high school or college. Methamphetamine is also largely used in Native American communities because the spread of addiction has been widely spread from Mexican Drug Cartels, which is one of their main access sources for the substance. Women are also more likely to consume meth compared to other stimulants like heroin and cocaine because of its appetite suppressing side effect.
Meth can be snorted, smoked, injected, and ingested; statistics concerning the different ways meth is consumed are as follows:
3% injest
12% snort
25% inject
60% smoke
How does meth affect the body, mind, relationships, and environment?
Upon the consumption of meth, the heart rate of user increases, along with their breathing patterns. Methamphetamine also releases exceedingly high levels of dopamine, 1100% more than cocaine does. This stimulant effect is also one of the main reasons that this substance is very addictive. However, with time, the brain builds a shield to the substance and the only way to get around this is by the consuming the drug more frequently and in higher doses, at this point the user is addicted and builds a reliance on the drug to feed their body resources. Short term, according to drugfreeworld.org, methamphetamine effects include the following:
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A limited desire for food
Heightened heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature
Dilated pupils
Disorganized sleeping patterns
Nausea
Abnormal behavior, possibly violent if permitted
Hallucinations and irritability
Panic and psychosis
Convulsions, seizures, and death
Long term, according to drugfreeworld.org, methamphetamine effects include the following: Methamphetamine Areas of The Brain Essay.
Permanent damage to blood vessels, the brain, and/or the heart
Liver, kidney, and/or lung damage
If smoked, the carnage of nose tissues
If injects, excessive diseases
Malnutrition which leads to weight loss
Harsh tooth decay
Disorientation
Increased psychological dependence
Psychosis
Depression
Effects of Alzheimer’s in the brain
Methamphetamine also plays a considerably large role in disturbing relationships between family members and friends. When on meth, the drug basically controls the body, resulting in unintended physical, mental, and emotional harm. The producing of meth within the household or near others is also significantly dangerous to those near by. Methamphetamine Areas of The Brain Essay. Through explosions, fumes, or even waste (one pound of meth results in five pounds of waste) which in turn damages the environment.
How can we lower the consumption and use of methamphetamine not used medically?
According to P.A.C.E representatives, users of methamphetamine have indicated that the drug takes complete control over their body. This is due partially because of the high levels of dopamine that is released through the consumption of the substance. However, if a community is well-educated through a program such as Meth360, methamphetamine use will drop and more awareness will spread through neighboring areas.
Conclusion
Methamphetamine is a perilous stimulant that cripples the lives of its users and those surrounding them. Although, knowing what it is, its effects, and the dangers of its consumption, along with circulation of such information, the use of this drug will decrease and the environment, along with many families coping through the addiction of a loved one, will improve. Methamphetamine Areas of The Brain Essay.