Methamphetamine addiction is one of the worst drug problems around. Meth can change a healthy, nice-looking person into a wreck in a couple of months. Longer than that, and they can literally become unrecognizable. Check out these before and after methamphetamine shots. It’s clear that some of these people will never look the same again.

A lot of communities have started campaigns to get rid of meth. They educate the general public, teachers, parents and officials on the signs of meth use and what can be done about it.

There are various tools to help you do the same in your community. The movie Crystal Darkness is a good one. It consists of about 75 interviews with meth addicts and others and has graphic images showing what can happen to someone on meth. They’re pretty startling, but they’re real. And people need to know that anyone who messes around with meth is going to look like that- and live like that.

The film is available, with different versions for different states, at www.crystaldarkness.com. If you want help get rid of meth in your community, get a copy of the DVD and take it upon yourself to get it shown at schools, etc. Also get in touch with your local government to see what other community showings can be arranged. Once government officials see it, they’ll want to help.

Anyone who knows someone who’s using meth should get them into an addiction treatment center as fast as possible. Meth takes it toll quickly and the worse it gets, the lower the chances of that person ever looking the same again.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Utah, which has a serious problem with prescription drug addiction, has nevertheless been making headway with methamphetamine. But, as happens with so many similar programs, it looks like the funding is being cut just when they’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Their success so far has been largely through community education – a lot of it on non-drug users. The fear of drug addicts, especially those on meth, has been so severe that non-drug users steer clear of and reject anyone who’s taking the drug, even if they’ve already been to an addiction treatment center and are in recovery.

That kind of rejection can drive a person right back to drugs. They need help. They need to be part of the community. If they’re isolated, they’re more likely to get back into drugs.

The program highlights not making the person feel any more guilty than they do already.

That’s a good call. Making someone feel guilty is never a workable option. Unfortunately, people who deal with drug addicts in their family, for example, can get so frustrated dealing with them and trying to get them to quit that they frequently resort to just making the person feel bad. Well, they already feel bad. And that’s probably one of the reasons why they’re still taking drugs.

If you need help getting someone to agree to get help to end their meth addiction and feel you can’t do it by yourself, contact Drug Rehab Referral. We can help you with intervention so the person can get the help they, and you, need. 

Popularity: 17% [?]

According to a recent news item about Bossier Parish in Louisiana, about one person is dying every week from combining drugs like crack, cocaine, and methamphetamine with prescription drugs.  The street drugs keep them awake, and the prescription drugs are used to enable them to sleep.

Both the police chief and the medical examiner think they’re not going to be able to stop people from combining these drugs and agree that education is their only hope.

For a county with less than 100,000 people, that’s a pretty severe drug problem. Especially when you consider that the deaths are only those the police know about and were autopsied. The estimate is probably low.

Once again, prescription drugs are killing people. Probably more than illegal drugs ever did. It’s amazing how dangerous these drugs are.

Maybe the news item and whatever education officials have planned will motivate more people to get into an addiction treatment center, or get those they know have drug problems to get help.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Parents who educate their kids on the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse are 50% less likely to use them.  But finding ways to educate your kids (or yourself) can sometimes be a problem. The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) has published a booklet that can help. It covers alcohol, street drugs and prescription drug addiction, dependency and abuse. It was recently included in the Washington Times newspaper as a supplement but it’s also available online for anyone to print out. The ‘booklet’ link I just gave you is a direct link to it.

It’s good to finally see something readily available to the general public that covers the problems with prescription drugs – although it could probably devote a little more space to OxyContin, hydrocodone and other prescription painkillers. Especially since they are the most abused prescription drugs and the most likely to cause prescription drug addiction.

It also contains some starting facts: Nearly 50 million people in America over the age of 12 have used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. That’s one out of every six people. In other words, at least one person who lives only two or three doors from you in any direction has used prescription drugs to get high. That’s alarming.

It also means that about one in every two or three kids over 12 in school – the kids your kid spend most of their day with – have either already taken prescription drugs to get high or live with someone who has.

That really demonstrates how easy it is for your own kid to be introduced to these drugs.

Right now, it’s more likely that your kid will be offered prescription drugs than marijuana. And I doubt there are too many kids over 12 who don’t know at least one person who has smoked marijuana.

Prescription drug addiction and abuse is extremely dangerous for both kids and adults. Prescription drug rehab can help with the problem, and it’s important to do something about it right away if you suspect, or know, that someone is taking prescription drugs without a medical reason. Download the booklet on the dangers of drugs and alcohol, read it carefully and start doing something about it. If you need help, you can contact Drug Rehab Referral.

Popularity: 23% [?]

In mid April I wrote a blog about flavored meth and drug rehab. It was not well received by one reader and another called it an “urban legend.” The blog’s subject included warnings from law enforcement officials in Virginia that flavored meth was coming to the area and parents should be alert. One of my points was that flavored meth could be sold with colors and flavors that attract kids. Meth is inexpensive to produce, carries a large markup and, if prices are cut, selling $2 hits would not be out of the question. Nor would it be out of the question that kids taking meth could become addicted and need drug rehab.

Today in Pasadena, California, a similar warning was issued by Day One, a non-profit advocacy group. “A community group held a town hall style meeting Thursday night to warn parents about the new meth and the increasing use of the drug among teens, particularly teen girls,” reported the Pasadena Star News. The new drug is strawberry quick and DEA spokesman Sarah Pullen said it has just started appearing in Los Angeles.

Christy Zamani, executive director of Day One, warned parents about the low cost, $2 a hit, and the bright colors. Both will attract younger children. Teenage girls sometimes take meth for weight loss, for example, not knowing how devastating it can be.

Ms. Zamani also said they were seeing a surge in use among young Latino and Asian girls. Two young women, one 18 years old and the other 20, told their stories about meth. Meth is highly addictive and is difficult to stop taking. Drug rehab for meth can take a long time.

Parents should be on the look out for flavored meth – it may help their kids stay out of a drug rehab program.

Popularity: 21% [?]