Despite curbs, meth use spreading in U.S.

Catching on in urban areas
Methamphetamine isn’t popular and accessible only in rural Western towns like Klamath Falls. It’s quickly spreading across the nation, making significant inroads into Eastern states that previously had little evidence of meth abuse.

New York and Massachusetts have in the past few years seen huge leaps in the numbers of people seeking treatment for their addictions and for addiction-related health problems. 

In 2003, for instance, New York State’s Drug Enforcement Agency office saw a 31 percent increase in confiscations of methamphetamine, and 18 meth labs were seized by law enforcement in 2003, compared with just one in 1999, the first year in which one was seized, according to DEA statistics.

The problem is particularly prevalent in New York City, according to Dr. Perry Halkitis, an associate professor of applied psychology at New York University who researches meth use and its role in the spread of HIV.  Meth is the preferred substance for gay men in the city, he said, but it’s now spreading to the heterosexual party scene, as well.  He estimates that one in five gay men has used the substance, but the numbers in both gay and straight communities are growing.

“It’s the drug of choice at this moment,” Halkitis said. “Meth makes you feel like you’re on top of the world.” 

Besides the euphoric feeling, the convenience and affordability, meth also helps people escape difficult emotions, such as shyness, self-consciousness and stress. Methamphetamine is a more powerful drug than alcohol, cocaine or marijuana, and because the high also hits quicker and lasts so much longer than other drugs, it is more effective at lowering inhibitions, which increases its allure.

Exposure to childhood trauma also greatly increases a person’s risk of abusing drugs, said Halkitis.

“Not every addict is exposed to trauma,” said Halkitis, “but abused kids are more prone to risk-taking like drugs and sex.”

Vicious cycle
The chemical structure of methamphetamine makes it especially addictive, according to Halkitis. The euphoric rush and larger-than-life feelings that accompany the highs are the product of huge amounts of dopamine being released in the brain.

The higher the high, though, the harder the fall, and meth addicts frequently become severely depressed by the resulting chemical imbalance. To shake off the depression, they take more of the drug, alleviating the negativity — but only temporarily, only to have it return even worse than before. 

“It’s a vicious cycle,” said Halkitis, worse with meth than with any other drug. “This drug makes people feel so good for days on end that they don’t want to feel normal again.”

“Coming down hurt so bad,” Tracy said. “I had to have it all day and all night just to feel normal.” 

Controlled studies show that frequent or prolonged use of methamphetamine rewires neural circuitry, specifically the parts of the brain associated with decision-making and motor and memory function.

Recovery from the structural and functional changes that occur in a meth user’s head can take up to two years, Halkitis said. Some people, however, never recover, and scientists are finding that the duration of use seems to affect the ability of the brain to recover. 

Both Shawna and Tracy are trying to put their lives back together, staying sober and employed.

Shawna’s been free of her addiction to meth for four years, and Tracy marked one year of sobriety on Jan. 12. But both say they know things will never be quite what they could have been.      

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