Troubled Teens Resources

America is not alone in developing teen crisis intervention measures to fight meth addiction. England now fears that the plague is crossing the water and that they shall soon find themselves needing addicted teen help to deal with their own epidemic.

You would think that the facts about meth would be enough to warn any sane person away. If not the facts, than the pictures of ravaged users that serve as evidence for the facts. The woman pictured here has used for 10 years. But teens still imagine that they really do know it all and consider warnings to be scare tactics. A few times won’t hurt, so they think.

True of some drugs, but not of meth. More so, it may be decades later before a user finds out just how much an addiction will cost them.

“Young people who use crystal meth risk long-term damage to their brain cells similar to that caused by Parkinson’s disease.

The crystal drug destroys nerve cells that produce dopamine. These are directly related to movement control.

The Class A ‘party drug’ is an extremely powerful and addictive stimulant. It can cause a rapid heart rate, paranoia, confusion and violence. It also increases the risk of stroke, lung and kidney damage.

It was previously thought that crystal meth, known as methamphetamine, led to short-term psychotic behaviour but did not have an effect after users stopped using it.

But research leader Dr Jacqueline McGinty said the findings were worrying as the drug posed “long-term public health consequences.” She said the negative effects of the drug might not be apparent until decades after a person has used it.”

(Source)
(Image source/click to enlarge)