|  | Family Health | Substance Abuse

The Effects of Crystal Meth on Teenagers

Methamphetamine --- often referred to as "crystal meth" --- is a highly addictive chemical, which is typically smoked or snorted for recreational purposes, and can have harmful long-term consequences for users. According to a "Monitor The Future" study, an alarming number of teenagers have tried crystal meth, with 2.8 percent of high school seniors admitting that they've used the drug on at least one occasion. As developing individuals, teenagers are particularly vulnerable to crystal meth addiction and its effects.

  1. Weight Loss

    • One of the major symptoms of crystal meth usage among teenagers is weight loss, which can be extreme in some cases. Typically, teenagers taking crystal meth on a regular basis have a severely reduced appetite, which leads to the user experiencing substantial weight loss over a short period of time. This weight loss is often appealing to adolescents, who may turn to the drug as a means of controlling their body weight, especially if they feel pressure to reach a certain weight. However, since this weight loss is connected to crystal meth use, when the teen stops regularly taking the drug, she'll put the weight back on again.

    Dangerous Behavior

    • Regular meth use often leads to a dramatic change in the personality and mental health of an individual. For example, the person may experience paranoid delusions, insomnia or dangerous mood swings. In teenagers, this alteration in mental well-being is often manifested by a growth in violent or otherwise anti-social behavior. As the Teen Drug Abuse website notes, meth-using teens will often engage in destructive activities, which might include damaging the property of others and perhaps even injuring themselves while on the drug.

    Views on Activities

    • Crystal meth usage takes over a teen's life, and skewers his view on the world, altering how he sees the activities he previously enjoyed before he began taking the drug. In particular, the teenager will often lose interest in activities he once found attractive, and will instead begin to look to the crystal meth to provide entertainment and comfort. As described by the Anti-Meth website, the user's confidence in the drug increases at the loss of confidence in other aspects of his life.

    Physical Effects

    • Teenagers are as susceptible to the consequences of crystal meth on their bodies as any other user of the drug. On a short-term basis, crystal meth usage can lead to skin sores, gum deterioration and sleep deprivation, while long-term users are vulnerable to memory loss, anxiety attacks and even brain disease.

Substance Abuse - Related Articles