Augusto aliaga
English 120
Professor Morale
11/08/13

Effects of Speed Do you have any addiction? Addiction is the condition of being abnormally dependent on some habits. Most of the times the word “addiction” is related with drugs. Buddy T. a psychologist and ex alcoholic did a research about the use of illicit drugs in the United States. Buddy’s research showed an estimated 20.4 million people used illicit drugs in the last 30 days. The most sad and shocking part of his research was the age of the users. His research involved 12 years old teenagers already consuming highly addictive drugs. He also did a survey about the most commonly abused drugs. In first place was marijuana, second cocaine and last methamphetamine. In addition, he concluded his research naming the most dangerous drug, methamphetamine. Crystal meth, crank, chalk, ice and the most commonly used Speed, which are the street nicknames for methamphetamine. Speed’s effects on user’s bodies are horrible. The three mainly effects are damage to the teeth, insomnia and brain damage.
First, Speed first acts as a stimulant but then starts destroying your body. Speed is commonly used while partying at night clubs or at rave parties. Speed can be smoke, snort and injected. The first dreadful effects of speed are on the mouth. This effect is also known as a “Meth Mouth”. A meth mouth is dental condition characterized by severe decay and loss of teeth, as well as fracture, enamel erosion and other oral problems. Users who snort speed have the worst meth mouths. The magazine Journal of Periodontology specialist on dental research reported that users who snorted the drug had significantly worse tooth decay than users who smoked or inject it. Another great example comes from Dr. Athena Bettger, a dentist who practices two days a week at the Multnomah County Jail in Portland. “One gentleman I saw said he used speed for four months and there was nothing except for root tips left in his mouth” said Dr. Athena. Another big cause of the meth mouth is the lack of hygiene.
The second big effect of speed is insomnia. Since most user are highly addictive they can’t stop having doses of speed, making them go days without any type of sleep. The “Utah Department of Public Safety” did an investigation on speed and insomnia. The Utah department found that as users become more addictive, they start increasing the doses and having long hours of highness. A high can last between “8 to 24 “hours. But the worst part is after the high goes away. The Utah department showed that users go into deep sleep that can last up three days without waking up. Also some addicts of speed can be awake up to “two weeks straight”.
Last, the use of a long time of speed can lead to brain damage. Speed can cause memory loss, vanish of brain cells, brain tissues destroyed, paranoid schizophrenia and anxiety. “We expected some brain changes but didn’t expect so much tissue to be destroyed” said Dr. Paul Thompson, an expert on brain mapping at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr.