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People have been using stimulants to get high for a long time. There are many types of stimulants out there that are easily available and one of the most popular ones in known as methamphetamine. Meth causes its users to feel a rush that is not all that unlike one felt from cocaine. However the effects of meth are usually much longer lived, with users having to use small amounts that cause them intoxication for much longer periods of times; some people staying awake on meth for up to two days after using only just a single dose. Meth creates a cascading release of dopamine in the brain, which is what gives the person the high that they are looking for.

Brief History of Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine was first synthesized from ephedrine in 1893 by a chemist in Japan. The use of it first became popular in World War II and was given to fighter pilots to help them stay awake and alert in times when they may have to go for days at a time without sleep. The use of meth by the military was soon abandoned when it was noted that users began to suffer from severe mental as well as physical side effects.

After the war, meth became popular amongst the public. Doctors began prescribing it to their patients for a number of ailments, including the common cold. At this time doctors will sometimes prescribe meth to their patients to treat ADD/ADHD and also for Narcolepsy. That is the only medical uses that it is commonly used for these days. The possession of meth on a person without a prescription now is illegal, however people still use it for recreational purposes to this day.

Methamphetamine can be made by mixing certain household ingredients with large amounts of cold medicine that contain pseudoephedrine. Prior to 1976 people were required to have a prescription for pseudoephedrine to obtain any. It wasn’t until after that time that meth labs started popping up all the time because it was so easy to obtain the ingredients to make meth at ones local hardware and drug stores. In order to stop the production of meth labs in the United States, many laws have been passed about the amounts of these cold medicines that one person can buy at a time and they are often locked away in drug stores where a record is kept of who buys these products and how much they buy over a months time. This has actually slowed down the production of meth labs quite a bit. The problem with drug users, however, is that if there is anyway for them to get around laws and regulations to get the drugs that they want to use, they will do it.

To overcome the reduction of the amount of meth that can be made by a meth lab, people have started making meth in much smaller doses; only a few grams at time. The method for making meth in this way is called “shake and bake” meth and it has the potential to be very dangerous, but at a level that is smaller than that of a meth lab.

It’s “Shake and Bake” and I’m Burned

When a person makes meth at this small of a scale, they do not have to have very much cold medicine to do so and that is the point. In addition to that, they also do not have to have as much of the other needed materials needed to make meth either. What a person does is mix the ingredients up in a soda bottle and shake it and then slowly release the pressure that is built in the bottle. It has to be done in a way that is just so or the person is at risk for burning themselves, and sometimes very badly.

There has been a major increase at hospitals of people coming in who have burned themselves in this way. Sometimes they did so because they were making meth in their car while they were driving and were not able to give the project enough attention at the time and the bottle in which they were making the meth exploded in their hands. Although the risks of making meth in this way are very real and very dangerous, the control that addiction can have over one person can put all of these dangers on the back burner of their mind. They will do whatever they have to do to get more of the drug that they desire.

Meth addiction has ruined many a life and has been the cause of many violent and illegal acts. When a person becomes addicted to meth, their lives usually consist of a lot of frantic activity that usually does not accomplish anything productive. Most meth addicts go from one obsession to another without really worrying about the priorities and responsibilities that they should be worrying about. Meth addicts, when they are high at least, have a feeling that nothing really bothers them and nothing really matters and they just don’t really care. They do not feel the emotional response on meth that they would usually feel about situations in their life getting messed up.

Another effect that meth can cause is extreme paranoia. Meth addicts can become quite delusional while they are high and this usually from a lack of food and proper rest. They do not usually feel the need to eat or sleep while they are on meth even though their bodies probably desperately need to do so and this alters the way that they think.

If you or a loved one is interested in getting help for a meth addiction please do not hesitate in calling one of your local Narconon centers today.