Long term effects of Ice addiction

Abusing Methamphetamine for a long duration of time has many negative consequences, including addiction issues. Addiction is a very chronic disease that relapses. It is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use and accompanied by functional and molecular changes in the brain.

Tolerance to methamphetamines pleasurable effects develops very quickly when it is taken often. Users have to consume bigger amounts of the drug, and must take it more frequently or change how they take it in an effort to get the desired effect they may of gotten when first using Meth. Chronic methamphetamine abusers may develop difficulty feeling any pleasure other than that provided by the drug. This fuels further abuse. Withdrawal from methamphetamine occurs when a chronic user stops taking the drug; symptoms of withdrawal include depression, anxiety, fatigue, and an intense craving for the drug.

In addition to being addicted to meth, users may exhibit symptoms that can include significant anxiety, social anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood disturbances, and violent behavior. They also may display a number of psychotic features such as intense paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations (especially when sleep deprived), and become very delusional. Psychotic symptoms can sometimes last for months or even years after a person has stopped using meth, and stress has been shown to precipitate spontaneous recurrence of methamphetamine psychosis in formerly psychotic methamphetamine users.

Some long term effects are stated below:

- addiction

- psychosis, including:

- paranoia

- hallucinations

- repetitive motor activity

- changes in brain structure and function

- deficits in thinking and motor skills

- increased distractibility

- memory loss

- aggressive or violent behavior

- mood disturbances

- severe dental problems

- weight loss

These are only some of the many negative effects methamphetamine have, not to mention the relationships, friendships, criminal records, careers, families it destroys along with the addiction - which we will speak a bit more about in the next article.