Meth addiction is such a alluring subject because of all of the stigma that is attributed to the substance. From the hit TV series Breaking Bad to it’s reference as “The Devil’s Drug.” Perhaps you stumbled on this article because you have a loved one suffering and want to understand what makes this drug so addictive, or perhaps you’re an active addict who’s seeking to understand what it is they’re going through and why. Regardless, you have come to the right place.
I once suffered from meth addiction and at the time of writing this post have been away from this horrific substance for nearly 6 years. The crazy thing is, even though it’s been 6 years since I’ve used methamphetamine I can remember it’s influence like it was yesterday. A small glimpse of the substance can instantly trigger a series of glamorous and tragic memories. It’s baffling how this substance will leave a permanent imprint in your mind, a small voice of temptation in the back of your head haunting you at all times.
Why is meth’s action on the brain different from other drugs?
- It increases levels of dopamine unlike any other drug or activity – Dopamine is the “feel good” neurotransmitter in the brain. Dopamine is released naturally to reward us when we do things to survive. This is why you have a drive to eat food and feel good once you do it also explains your drive to have sex and why sex feels good. Typically the human mind has 100 units of dopamine, when we have sex we have around 200 units of dopamine, most any drug (heroin, cocaine, etc.) will raise dopamine to 400 units, and methamphetamine raises dopamine to 1500 units. Think about it, meth is 7 and a half times more pleasant then sex and 15 times more pleasant then everyday consciousness. Of course that’s a very addictive feeling but also have detrimental physiological long term consequences. The problem is, raising dopamine to such high levels depletes the brains ability to produce dopamine naturally. In meth addiction, the brain is literally telling the addict “use meth or die”.
- It has a long duration of action – Meth has a profound activity on the brain, but it doesn’t stop there. Not only does meth increase dopamine to extremely high levels but it does so for a very long time! The duration of action is said to be between 12-16 hours; However, when I smoked meth of high quality the high would last for up to 24 hours from just one dose. No other addictive compounds have such a long half life. This is why just one dose can easily get someone addicted, cocaine lasts 30 minutes and releases a third of the dopamine, this would mean that one dose of meth three times more addictive then taking 24-48 doses of cocaine in succession. Not only is using meth just once likely to physically alter your brain to become addicted to the substance, but psychologically being a 100 watt lightbulb that turns into a 1500 watt lightbulb for 12 hours is very addictive as well.
What’s the high like and why do people like it so much?
- The meth lie unveiled – Some of us have heard about “The Meth Lie” which is a common phrase used when describing meth addiction, but what does it mean? When you’re under the influence of meth norepinephrine is released which increases your level of awareness, focus, and determination. You will accomplish things on meth that you’d never be able to accomplish sober. You will ace exams, clean out your house, win competitions, be a more loving person, etc. It quite literally makes you “Superman”. But this is the “Meth Lie” because what goes up must come down. The more you use meth to accomplish these task the more you require meth to accomplish anything, and it will get to a point that meth stops working along with your brains natural ability. It’s a deception but a common contribution to meths psychologically addictive nature.
- It’s the worlds most powerful aphrodisiac – Something rarely brought to the surface is meth’s intense effect on your libido. Meth addiction is really a cross addiction with sex. Under the influence of meth, myself and many others would watch porn constantly or engage in very promiscuous activities we wouldn’t engage in sober. The binging on porn would last me days and nights, sometimes as long as 10 days and nights, I literally couldn’t stop. Watching porn on meth was better then it would be to have a orgy with every Victoria secret model sober, it’s simply that amazing. Of course, this is very addictive.
- Meth feels amazing – I’m going to keep this description brief because it’s really indescribable to someone who’s never used meth just how amazing the high feels, and getting too in depth may trigger someone who has used meth before – but the feeling of being high on meth is immensely greater then any pleasure you’ve ever experienced in your life.
Meth is a horrific drug I wouldn’t wish upon my worse enemy. It literally strips the person of their moral code and turns them into a instinct driven monster. Because of meth, I lost almost everything that I love – pretty much the only thing I didn’t lose was my life. There will be a sequel posts to this one on my website where I discuss more of the after effects of using meth and how I was able to get and maintain sobriety.
If you or a loved one’s suffering feel free to reach out to me for support:
Philip – 2147349667
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/CGKid219/
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Philip Markoff (Associate of Science) is an online influencer and thought leader on addiction education; he is known as his alias “CG Kid” who’s obtained a large audience primarily on YouTube as a vlogger and journalist. His current sobriety date from polysubstance chemical dependency is June 9th, 2013.