Crystal Meth

Typically created in home made and unsafe labs, crystal methamphetamine is a powerfully addictive drug. According to a study from the National Association of Counties, meth users are typically 20 to 30 years old, spanning from college students to working men and women. Currently, meth is the top drug problem facing the US and has been reported as a direct link to the spreading of HIV in gay communities and society at large.

Whether taken by snorting, smoking, injecting or ingesting, meth stimulates the central nervous system, inducing temporary euphoria. Also known as ice, chalk, tina, crystal, crank, or glass, meth leaves powerful and damaging long term side effects and can be fatal in some cases, destroying valuable neurotransmitters in the brain. Early symptoms of brain damage from meth consist of behavioral changes, insomnia and paranoia.

In recent years, arrests for meth use and production have increased exponentially. As a result, Crystal Meth Anonymous, a twelve-step support group and recovery program has spread rapidly throughout North America and New Zealand.