Meth Abuse

Stages of Crystal Meth Abuse

Crystal meth abuse is a progressive disease that goes through many stages.The first stage is the experimenting and occasional use phase. In this stage, crystal meth is usually ingested orally or snorted.During this stage people tend to use it as an appetite suppressant or to boost energy levels.

The next stage is bingeing. In this stage meth is usually smoked or injected. People using the drug can go without sleep for several days and seek a euphoric high. Bingeing is also known as “tweaking,” which denotes highly addictive behavior and can be quite dangerous. It is very common for a meth abuser to seek the same euphoric high experienced in the beginning stages. The user must ingest increasing amounts of the drug in order to attain the same high, leading to abuse. Several phases exist within the binge stage.

Phase one- is the initial rush when the crystal meth is ingested.The user will experience increased heart rate and metabolism releasing adrenaline throughout the body. This initial rush can last anywhere from five to thirty minutes.

Phase two-This is the “high” phase, which lasts from four to sixteen hours, and people often feel more confident and intelligent. Some may even become argumentative and aggressive or interrupt others.

Phase three- In this phase stage when the crash occurs ingesting more crystal meth has no effect. The user might resort to drinking alcohol or and taking an opiate to relieve the irritability and discontent.

Phase four- In this stage the user does not sleep and engages in risky behavior; paranoia is common with frequent hallucinations.

Phase five- In phase five the official “crash”occurs. Users have been noted to sleep for multiple days as the body attempts to recover.

Phase six- In this phase,the user returns to normalcy and although the user never fully recovers from all the damage of the abuse this stage can last up to two weeks depending on the level of abuse.

Final Phase- This is the withdrawal of the crystal meth use and signs may not show until several months have passed.

The last stage of crystal meth abuse is the”high intensity” stage where the addict’s sole purpose is to prevent coming off the drug, also called “crashing.”In this stage, it is common for the addict to experience little or no euphoria due to tolerance.

Although there are no severe physical withdrawals one may become extremely depressed even suicidal. Frequent abusers experience less euphoria with every rush. Detox and treatment are available for any crystal meth addict and recovery can be achieved if they are willing.