USA: +1 508 290 1604 
Sign in
The drug of choice is methamphetamine, commonly known as meth. In the United States, it is illegal for any citizen to transport, sell, or distribute the drug, except for federal or medical purposes. Meth use is common among persons aged 16–64 years. It is the most abused illegal drug after cannabis sativa, with the affected populace being higher than both cocaine and heroin users. Methamphetamine is becoming common because it is inexpensive, simple to manufacture, and has enduring pleasurable effects. The drug is very addictive because of its high release of dopamine, and an individual can get addicted after a single use. Due to its impact and extreme abuse, it has become necessary for researchers to explore various aspects of the drug’s effects. Meth use poses challenged for researchers in the fields of law enforcement, medical, and psychiatry per the addiction theories and models.
For a decade now, meth use has become prevalent for non-medical purposes. Medically, the drug is available under different names for the treatment of severe obesity and some sleep disorders. The extreme abuse of the drug has impacted medical and law enforcement in particular for the following reasons. First, the non-clinical use or abuse of meth results in increased attention, reduced fatigue, elevated blood pressure and heart rates, and decreased appetite. In the short term, the user may also experience delusional powerfulness, euphoria, and raised body temperatures. The long-term effects of meth are deadly, as one not only gets addicted but also experiences extreme weight loss due to a decrease in appetite. Users develop anxiety, memory loss, violent behavior, sleeping problems, paranoia, cardiovascular illnesses, and convulsions that may lead to death (Courtney & Ray, 2014). The effects of meth have significant implications for the user’ life, family, and society.
Methamphetamine significantly decreases the quality of life of users and manufacturers. Meth labs use combustible and toxic chemicals. Those working in laboratories are prone to injuries, and it is dangerous for untrained officers to intervene in any such accident. One requires hazmat suits, among other resources, to raid the scene, and these assets are expensive. Child neglect cases are also high in areas where production and use of meth are high (Hunt, 2016). That is because areas with meth labs are dangerous for children.
One of the most common behaviors of meth addiction is rewarding. An addict often feels like rewarding themselves for little things, which is what meth use triggers. Methamphetamine causes the brain to release substantial amounts of dopamine, just from a single use (Courtney & Ray, 2014). Consequently, the users feel like rewarding themselves with continuous use. Another set of behavior typical in addicts is the growing tendency to lie, manipulate, and be abusive. Addicts usually use these vices to their advantage, sometimes because of the impacts of the drugs. Meth users develop violent behavior, which makes them abusive toward others. Most addiction comportments are detrimental and perpetuate drug dependency.
Another behavior of addicts’ manifests in terms of withdrawal symptoms while attempting to stop using the drug. Meth withdrawal is uncomfortable, and a large number of users prefer going back to abusing the drug. The first phase of withdrawal is exceptionally severe, especially if the user has been very dependent on the drug (Kohno et al., 2014). Anxiety and meth cravings are usually the highest. Other symptoms like psychosis and increased appetite are typically high but not very severe and subside with time. The opposite effects of meth are like withdrawal symptoms, fatigue and sleepiness.
One of the social norms conventional in addicts is that they perceive their peers’ behaviors as right and, therefore, do not listen to other groups that try and make them abstain. For instance, youths are more likely to abuse alcohol and develop dependency because their peers are doing so. Meth use is prevalent among the homeless and people belonging to low socio-economic status. These individuals perceive that it is right for their group to use meth and therefore ignore other awareness tips. The result is many meth users and high dependency. Besides, most users abuse meth to enable them to carry out particular activities related to antisocial behavior. For instance, meth increases sexual desire and attention, and this encourages them to abuse the drug to fulfill their needs. The need to engage in violent behavior for the homeless or to commit a rewarding crime enhances drug use (Hunt, 2016). Law enforcers have reported extreme criminal behavior in areas abounding in meth labs, where use is excessive. Another norm associated with meth is that more gay men are known to use meth (Carnes, 2013). The result has been increased use of meth among gays and, therefore, high dependency. Besides, many people have succumbed to meth abuse to boost their energy level and get help on weight loss. Meth social norms are merely myths serving to increase addiction.
As stipulated by the disease model of addiction, substance dependence is a brain disorder owing to the altered functioning of the brain. Also affecting surrounding communities, besides posing a health risk to officers who attempt n structure. An abnormality in the brain causes a person to get addicted to the substance once they use (Pickard, Ahmed, & Foddy, 2015). Based on this theory, beginning meth use is problematic as it can be irreversible. Control on using the drug becomes an issue, and so does recovery. There is a need for individuals to permanently abstain from meth to attain full recovery from addiction. Essentially, this model reveals that recovery from meth use is challenging and therefore the drug should be avoided at all costs.
The moral model of addiction is based from religion. It asserts that addiction is a sin because it reveals a person’s defects. This model offers no sympathy and emphasizes that society should not rehabilitate addicts but punish them instead (Pickard, Ahmed, & Foddy, 2015). The rationale is that individual addicts have the personal strength to stop their addiction whenever they want. Relative to this issue, meth addicts exhibit particular behaviors that are immoral and fall under crimes. They indulge in unprotected sexual intercourse and violent behavior.
Albert Bandura’s social learning theory elucidates that people learn from their social environment and verbal communications. The approach is helpful in remedial intercessions as it helps addicts with coping skills. As for meth, this theory suggests, an individual will continue with its use if there is a reward. An example is a positive reinforcement that causes addicts to persist against the abuse because of the pleasure that arises (Pick rd, Ahmed & Foddy, 2015). According to this theory, the more a person uses meth, the more it becomes a habit and therefore increasingly difficulty to abstain.
In summary, meth use has extreme psychiatric, medical, and law enforcement impacts. Its use causes serious anxiety and cardiovascular disorders, among other health hazards. Meth production releases toxic substances that affect law enforcement to raid their dens/labs. Social aspects such as increased homelessness and rewarding behaviors perpetuate its use and levels of addiction. Several models, like the moral and disease models, explain that meth addiction causes criminal behavior and permanent addiction, respectively. It is vital for therapists to consider incorporating both models and theories to create a lasting impact on the addicts.
References
Carnes, N. A. (2013). The meanings gay men attribute to meth and sex: A qualitative study. Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/1805/3614
Courtney, K. E., & Ray, L. A. (2014). Methamphetamine: An update on epidemiology, pharmacology, clinical phenomenology, and treatment literature. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 143, 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.drugalcdep.2014.08.003
Hunt, D. E. (2016). Methamphetamine abuse: Challenges for law enforcement and communities. NIJ Journal, 254(1), 24–28. Retrieved from: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/methamphetamine-abuse
Kohno, M., Morales, A. M., Ghahremani, D. G., Hellemann, G., & London, E. D. (2014). Risky decision making, prefrontal cortex, and mesocorticolimbic functional connectivity in methamphetamine dependence. JAMA Psychiatry, 71(7), 812–820. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.399
Pickard, H., Ahmed, S. H., & Foddy, B. (2015). Alternative models of addiction. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 6, 20. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00020
