Seeking crystal meth advice... (!)

[Robb]

Hey all, this is outside my realm of knowledge;

I'm hoping someone can give me a little detail as to what people who are doing crystal meth do, how they tend to behave. I have no freakin' idea, but there's someone me and my wakeboard instructor are concerned might be "slipping".... :shrug:

[ogradda]

1. define "slipping"

you mean using again? are they nervous, paranoid, twitching, starting to lose weight? jaw clenching? can't stay still, can't stop cleaning, moving, working etc?

[Robb]

2. Yup.

The history is there, the move out here to the sticks didn't seem to do any good. Complete denial, but all that you mentioned is going on -- except for the losing weight part.

[Baja Margie]

10. Gaunt looking , aggression, violent behavior, all of the above

irritable and brain damage, and you can actually smell it coming out of their pores.

The meth out there is worse than any meth that was out there when I was younger. It's a realatively "new" receipe cooked up down here in Guadalajara about 8 years ago. I think it was the Gonzalez brothers. I might be wrong on that name, I'll have to recheck. Anyway, they did a study of the US, and decided that since the Arellano's had the West coast, and the Columbians had the East coast, they would go for middle America. So they got together with some chemists and souped up the recipe. It was coming in by the tons to the Midwest. Anyway, the recipe got out, and now every joe is making this shit. It is horrible, and of course, you know, originally the Germans devised this stuff to give to their troops to keep them going. Also, the whole deal backfired on these guys, although they made billions, the Arellanos got pissed off and killed them.. Meamwhile, Meth is a huge problem with the kids down here in the Ejidos.

And believe it or don't, even a minute usage of this intense Meth will hook you, I kid you not. It is incredibly addictive.

[ogradda]

12. ugh i forgot about that smell

a boyfriend of mine got hooked on that stuff and that smell was like a combination of cat piss and ammonia. man that was awful :(

[Aiptasia]

3. It's a speed drug

Serotonin booster rather similar to cocaine. Addicts are very moody and twitchy when they're feening for crystal meth. It gradually replaces the body's natural ability to release serotonin in the brain, which means addicts do more and more meth to feel "average" rather than high up.

It's a viscious drug. Dementia Praecoax is very common in withdrawl. Unlike heroin, there is no method of rapid detox that works. It's a miserable experience to work with detoxing meth heads.

I used to work for the South Carolina Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, back fresh out of graduate school when I thought I could save the world. I burnt out after three years.

[Hello_Kitty]

4. I've known a few people who got hooked on it

I work nights so unfortunately some people on my shift went down that tragic path because they thought they found a foolproof way to stay awake for work while they were attending college during the day. They lost a lot of weight right away. That was the first clue. Not a healthy weight loss by any stretch. I mean sudden, dramatic wasting away accompanied by dry, sallow skin and massive dark circles under the eyes. Sometimes you'll see nervous twitching (thats why they are called tweakers), though not always. Sometimes you'll also see a marked change in mood and demeanor where the person is easily angered or agitated, though again not always. Tweakers can often go days without sleeping or eating. Those are just some things I observed. It's really bad and I hope your friend isn't going through it. It's one of the worst addictions there is.

[tridim]

8. "It's one of the worst addictions there is"

Yet I've never seen any anti-drug commercials dealing with meth, only harmless marijuana.

[babylonsister]

5. Saw a guy on the tube

this a.m. Moved to NY to be on Broadway. As he was gay, to 'fit in' he felt compelled to do the party scene which involved crystal meth. He contracted AIDS after an orgy of overindulgence. But apparently this stuff is so addicting, he claims even the mention of the drug inspires thoughts of mindless, all-consuming sex and neverending desire for c.m., though he no longer indulges. I'm very happy that wasn't available when I was experimenting.

[St. Jarvitude]

6. Massive paranoia -> homicide

I have a cousin who was (among other things) a meth addict. He shot and killed his roommate in Wyoming because he thought that some "stereo equipment" (read: cocaine) was stolen from his house. Then he shacked himself up in his home and had something like an eighteen-hour standoff with the police.

Every day I am thankful that we're not blood relatives (he and his brother were both adopted). Unfortunately, I still have to deal with the rampant schizophrenia on my father's side :(

[proud patriot]

7. Burning Bright and crashing

I did meth for a year when I was 19 .
been clean of it 16 years .

the person becomes the puppet in the
Master of puppets song .

these things come off from the top off my head .

1)erratic blow ups at people showing concern
2) not eating
3) hot and cold
4) spending time (hours) obsessing over one face
in the mirror picking at pimples
5)spending hours cleaning and the room looks
worse than when the cleaning began .
6) burning Bright (work great and effectively)
crashing hard (sleep and eat for a few days)
endless cycle on speed .
7) weird new friends with missing teeth or
really sucked up appearance

[Skip Intro]

9. my experience is

that when you're "on it" you are energized and strangely focused. Some people would call this gittery, etc, but when I used to mess with this stuff (called "crank" to us back then) I found myself doing tons of things with a great attention to detail. I couldn't wait to finish one thing so that I could start on the next.

When you've come down, tho, you may feel and look extrememly tired and "worn out."

After a while, as you get "burned out" on it, the lack of sleep and nutrition (it kills your appetite) starts to show, and you begin to look "rough" and your thinking becomes scattered.

Look for an almost uncontrollable gnashing of teeth, sudden weight loss, and kind of a "wild-eyed" behavior.

btw, why do you suspect crystal meth over other substances?

[indigobusiness]

11. Bad medicine...the worst. Makes people do the most bizarre things.

Once psychosis sets in, anything can happen. There's good advice here, I'm sure...has anyone mentioned teeth-grinding? Watch for that.
edit- Yep, just above me...oops. Also, talking incessantly, can't shut 'em up.
If they've been doing it awhile, their teeth will start to go downhill...fast. Nothing rots teeth faster than crystal meth.
Bad, bad juju.

[MountainLaurel]

13. Think schizophrenics

The brain wave patterns in meth users are the same.

[warrens]

14. Sweaty

Speed freaks develop a very strong body odor, usually. And they never sleep or eat. It becomes painful to swallow food.