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How fast can you become addicted to Crystal Meth?

I think addiction can start before you even do something. Some people are mentally addicted to a lifestyle they haven't experienced, wanting it and striving for it, but some may never achieve it. To me this is an addiction.

If you want something, even if you have not experienced, I think your brain develops feelings that your mind creates to mimic what you want.

So even though this doesnt' have anything to do with Meth, it could. If you had an idea of what meth did, I think in a way you could be addicted to the idea of doing it before actually doing it.

And then once you try it, you've got a jumpstart.
 
^^
Hes right some people are tweakers at heart.

But taking that first hit is the first step towards a real addiction.

From what Ive heard one of the BIGGEST problems with meth are the binges.. Thats what really screw people over...

Doing it 5 times with a small bump each time wont get u addicted as doing it "once" but binging that one time.

And as it was said before as well its the person gets addicted to the drug the drug doesnt addict the person cept for of course when you get a nasty physical dependency but in MOST cases mental addiction occurs long before the physical addiction.

A good way to keep addiction in check is have a drug schedule.. Only do a certian amount of said drug over a period of time. And NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO do not go over said amount or shorten the schedule.
If you feel that you arent reaching the effects wanted then stop for a week or so. But realise that if you cant adhere to this schedule then you have become addicted.
 
hanky8r said:
I think addiction can start before you even do something. Some people are mentally addicted to a lifestyle they haven't experienced, wanting it and striving for it, but some may never achieve it. To me this is an addiction.

If you want something, even if you have not experienced, I think your brain develops feelings that your mind creates to mimic what you want.

So even though this doesnt' have anything to do with Meth, it could. If you had an idea of what meth did, I think in a way you could be addicted to the idea of doing it before actually doing it.

And then once you try it, you've got a jumpstart.
People don't get addicted to a lifestyle. They get addicted to a drug.

Meth causes a surge of dopamine in our brain, and dopamine is impossible not to like. We don't crave meth, we crave the dopamine meth floods our brain with.
 
there are certain lifestyles that can be addicting tho. like not being depressed all the time. like having an easy way to cope with all of your problems. but dammit, we can't just let chemically unbalanced people medicate themselves. not even with physically safe substances like opiates. happiness can be habit-forming. and we can't have people feeling good and being happy all the time. that could cause a lot of problems.
 
I remember (away back) before sniffing solvents/glue around about when I was hitting my teens. 'You get addict from one buzz' is what people were saying in the news and neighbourhoods.
What is addicted is what i recall pondering over for a long time. I did go onto sniff solvents on and off for a good few years.
Since my introduction to solvents I travelled on to abuse most drugs on the market... I feel in love with them all initailly untill I fell back out of love with them. A bit like playing my favourite cd's all the time.
I have moved on from each drug when I have either caused enough damage or made enough sacrifices.
In my heart i hate the word addiction as it has not served one point of purpose in my life since me coming across the terminolgy.
 
ebola! said:
>>Cravings are purely psychological.>>

And psychology is physiological.

ebola

and so we come to the most important/ immediate/ necessary (while unfortunately still seemingly abstract) question of our human existence, singly and as a group: mind or body or both and howso are they connected (if both).

any ideas?
 
No offence folks, but I honestly think that too many people in this forum identify with being a "junkie." I'm not directing that any anyone, it's just an observation.

I also think that people who have never experienced a drug should not offer advice about it. 8(

C1RCA STARR said:
I first tried meth when i was 16 years old in August 2004. From then on i would by dub sacks weekly. People would begin to say that i am addicted and shit. I am already addicted to ciggarettes and i felt that i was not addicted and that i would know when i was craving it. I then quit for 2 months.. no problem. My friends asked if i would do it again with them and i said sure, and ever since then things went back to the weekly thing. Lately though i have not felt the same GREAT feeling before, maybe for like 30 minutes or so but that's it. (oh yea i have always smoked it out of a pipe.. never sniffed) I just did it this past weekend from not doin it for about 2 weeks. I feel that i don't wanna do that shit anymore cuz it doesnt affect me as hard. Simple as that, no crazvings or anything. Has anyone became addicted to meth that fast? What are the cravings like? Cuz meth is definitly some shit i would not wanna get into.
Meth is the latest in a series of recreational drugs which have become "popular" to demonize. Ask anyone here that has never tried it and they'll tell you how it is the pits of the earth. Or ask someone who will jump from chronic use of one addictive substance to another (i.e., a junkie) and they'll tell you how it messed up their lives with a true sense of pride.

Almost everyone from both groups will tell you how meth produces a psychosis at the drop of a hat. But in actuality, that effect is caused by not by the meth itself, but rather by not sleeping for days on end. If people would learn to take care of themselves (and get sleep and eat when their bodies need it) we would hear a lot less of such horror stories, except from those folks who are already predisposed to such things.


The tendency to acquire a meth obsession varies from person to person. It is not a physical feeling in the sense that a nicotine addiction is. Many people who develop a craving say that they love the high, and there many be more to this than it appears on the surface. Among other things, meth effects some of the areas of the brain which light up when you fall in love. And the "craving" is somewhat similar to missing someone you are in love with, except it is completely absent of any context or object. Because of that, it is difficult to realize the connection (i.e., missing the one you love).

There are also people who have a lower than average number of dopamine producing cells, and suffer from the effect without being aware of it (this is often found to be the case in "thrill seekers" who enjoy things such as sky diving). When such people use meth it provides a kind of closure in which they are able to concentrate or feel a sense of fulfilment. Such people go back to using the drug partly as a result of their condition. This is commonly called "self medicating," and there are medical treatments available for them (most often involving some kind of stimulant that effects dopamine reuptake).

Some people will continue to experience this craving for weeks or months, others find that it dissipates after a few days or weeks. It is important not to make meth a regular part of your diet as your brain needs to return it's neurochemical balance and maintain that. It is also important to regulate the amount of meth that you use. Meth has a plateau and using more once you reach it produces only minimal additional effects. If you push on taking more and more you can run into a neurotoxic reaction, which is accompanied by an increase in core temperature. This effect should be taken as a warning sign and you should immediately cool yourself down (damage appears to be partly due to the rise in temperature, and by cooling yourself down helps to avoid damage).


" Lately though i have not felt the same GREAT feeling before, maybe for like 30 minutes or so but that's it..."

This can be due to a lower grade of meth (it varies) or you could be starting to acquire a tolerance. Poor meth is loaded with impurities, which is probably best to stay away from. If it is a matter of your developing a tolerance then staying away from meth for a few months will take care of that (and will give your brain a rest).

You mentioned that you are (or were) 16 years old. I wrote a paper a while ago, and I would honored if you wouldn't mind giving it a read. If you do, please keep in mind that I am only speaking with regards to brain development, and not regarding one's personal maturity (no one would doubt that you are a very mature and intelligent person).
http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=2323732&highlight=attracted#post2323732

Best of luck, and please remain health conscious.
 
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ebola! said:
>>Cravings are purely psychological.>>

And psychology is physiological.

ebola
Actually, in the context of this discussion it is "programming." A physiological addiction involves a structural change which itself produces the need for the drug. This is what occurs with drugs such as heroin, and it produces a physiological response that is separate and distinct from the frug craving or drug seeking behavior.

Meth does not product a physiological change in the sense that heroin does, and their are no physical withdrawal symptoms.

The extent of meth addiction being physiological, is in the cross reference bindings across neurons forming a "memory" of the experience. But in the purest sense, who different is that physiologically from learning where the coffee if located at the grocery store?

A psychology addiction (though I prefer to call it fixation or obsession) is entirely plastic, and it is even possible to shape it consciously or unconsciously.
 
^^^^^^^
Well, no. I would argue that meth addiction does affect neuromodulatory systems in a very palpable way that could be argued as being "physical". With habitual meth use, there will be downregulation of monoaminergic receptors (particularly dopamine and nor-epinephrine, and to a lesser extent, 5-ht). In the absence of the drug, neurons with these receptors will be firing less than before the drug was introduced in the first place. The result is depression, anhedonia, amotivation, etc. While not as clearly physical as, say, sweating, pupulitary dialation, or convulsion, the effect of withdrawl on mood is clearly neurophysiological.

>>and so we come to the most important/ immediate/ necessary (while unfortunately still seemingly abstract) question of our human existence, singly and as a group: mind or body or both and howso are they connected (if both).

any ideas?>>

I'll get back to you on that, but I have to say that I'm partial to the body-mind presented by John Dewey.

ebola
np: tortoise
 
ebola! said:
Well, no. I would argue that meth addiction does affect neuromodulatory systems in a very palpable way that could be argued as being "physical". With habitual meth use, there will be downregulation of monoaminergic receptors (particularly dopamine and nor-epinephrine, and to a lesser extent, 5-ht). In the absence of the drug, neurons with these receptors will be firing less than before the drug was introduced in the first place. The result is depression, anhedonia, amotivation, etc. While not as clearly physical as, say, sweating, pupulitary dialation, or convulsion, the effect of withdrawl on mood is clearly neurophysiological.

I think what you are saying has merit in that subtle structural changes occur, but this is the result of a neurotoxic effect. These same conditions can also occur via pure environmental stimuli, the result of psychological reactions. PTSD, learned helplessness, catastrophic loss, all can produce the same neurological disturbances. And with clinical depression, there is even a spiraling down effect where cell groups can begin to die as a result. None of these effects are the result of substance.

I am not arguing that the desire to self medicate is not connected with the drug, just that it is not the same thing as herion dependence. Here's the current medical definition:
Source: National Institutes of Health - U.S. National Library of Medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001522.htm


Drug dependence (addiction) is compulsive use of a substance despite negative consequences which can be severe; drug abuse is simply excessive use of a drug or use of a drug for purposes for which it was not medically intended.

Physical dependence on a substance (needing a drug to function) is not necessary or sufficient to define addiction. There are some substances that don't cause addiction but do cause physical dependence (for example, some blood pressure medications) and substances that cause addiction but not classic physical dependence (cocaine withdrawal, for example, doesn't have symptoms like vomiting and chills; it is mainly characterized by depression).


There is a real need for a harm reduction community to form within the meth using population. I believe we would be seeing a lot less horror stories if people understood how to safely use such substances, and would get their asses in bed after a day of partying. =D
 
>>I think what you are saying has merit in that subtle structural changes occur, but this is the result of a neurotoxic effect. >>

Well, I was refering specifically to receptor downregulation, which is reversible and in that way is not neurotoxicity proper. You are correct in that psychology can influence physiology; however, the effect I was describing is due to methamphetamine's agonism at monoaminergic receptors rather than any subjective experience per se. In this way, this phenomenon is physiological (albiet, in terms of neurophysiology. Withdrawl will not manifest in terms of peripheral symptoms).

ebola
 
Addiction to any drug is subjective to an individual. you cannot stereotype all recreational durg user into one group. some will be responsible drug users and others will be addicted drug abusers.
 
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