Methamphetamine Addiction:

Q) How is Methamphetamine used?

A) Methamphetamine addiction has three stages:: low intensity, binge, and high intensity. The binge and high-intensity abusers smoke or inject meth to achieve a faster and stronger high; the patterns of abuse differ in the frequency in which the drug is abused and the stages within their cycles.

The binge abuse cycle is made up of these stages: rush, high, binge, tweaking, crash, normal, and withdrawal.

Rush (5-30 minutes) -The abuser's heartbeat races and metabolism, blood pressure, and pulse soar. Feelings of pleasure.

High (4-16 hours) -The methamphetamine addict often feels aggressively smarter and becomes argumentative.

Binge (3-15 days) -The methamphetamine addict maintains the high for as long as possible and becomes hyperactive, both mentally and physically.

Tweaking -The most dangerous stage of the cycle. See section below.

Crash (1-3 days) -The addict does not pose a threat to anyone. He becomes very lethargic and sleeps.

Normal (2-14 days) -The abuser returns to a state that is slightly deteriorated from the normal state before the abuse.

Withdrawal (30-90 days) -No immediate symptoms are evident but the abuser first becomes depressed and then lethargic. The craving for methamphetamine hits and he may becomes suicidal. Taking methamphetamine at any time during withdrawal can stop the unpleasant feelings so, consequently, a high percentage of addicts in treatment return to abuse.