The Making of Meth

When most of us here the word methamphetamines, we think of the drug made from cleaning products underneath our sinks. Then, Breaking Bad came around and changed the way we think about meth labs, and the knowledge it takes to successfully run a profitable and productive lab. If what we refer to colloquially as crystal meth is so complex, then how it is made from the chemicals under our sinks?

In fact, the basis for cooking up meth in a lab is usually pills used for the common cold. Then, chemicals like drain cleaner, battery acid, and bleach are added to extracted chemicals from the pills to increase its strength and effectiveness. Then all of them are cooked carefully until you have what we call crystal meth, glass, speed, or tweak. These poisonous chemicals are literally some of the worst things you can put inside of your body. Such toxic ingredients even lead to whole buildings being blown up by a “cook” that doesn’t know what he/she is doing. Simply just overestimating how much of a certain chemical they need to use, may cause an explosion of tragic proportions if there happened to be a gas leak.

In addition to the dangers of cooking meth, the labs produce large amounts of toxic waste that can’t be disposed of properly considering the illegality of the operation. Anyone that comes in contact with these chemicals risks serious injury or death. The National Drug Intelligence Center reports that San Bernardino County is the “methamphetamine capital of the United States,” due to the large number of meth labs, both grand and tiny, found in the district.

The effects of meth are varied and terrifying. Rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, convulsions, and lack of appetite are all immediate effects of the poisonous substance. Paranoid delusions, hallucinations, depression, and anxiety can all stem from long-term crystal meth use. Other effects include coma, stroke, physical deformities, and lifetime inhibition of the heart and brain.

When a user is tweaking, or craving the drug, at a drug rehab center it is common for the addict to see visions and delusions that do not exist. The most infamous hallucination is the sight of bugs crawling on the body, the walls, and elsewhere. Violent behavior is also common while tweaking. The psychosis the drug creates as well as intense anguish from the withdrawal process can put the addict, and others around them, in serious danger.

Addiction to crystal meth is due the extraneous levels of dopamine triggered by the chemicals cooked in a lab. The euphoria the user experiences not only brings the person back to the drug in alarming numbers, but risks altering dopamine levels in the brain, making it difficult for them to experience happiness without using meth. Addicts will continue to use the drug despite the mounting risks and side-effects, until their brain is fresh-out of dopamine and is impaired for the rest of their life.

The longer an addict waits to get treated for their crystal meth addiction, the less happiness and meaningful experience they will have in their life. It is pivotal that if you are addicted to crystal meth, you find the right detox facility immediately. To have a more successful recovery, post-detox treatment like intensive outpatient therapy and monitoring are imperative. Please call Right Path addiction recovery centers today.