9781422270561

THE YOUNG ADULT DRUG LIBRARY: AN EDUCATION FOR TODAY

BY AMY STERLING CASIL

MASON CREST M I A M I

PO Box 221876, Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) • www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2024 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-4762-4 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-4769-3 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-7056-1 Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress Developed and Produced by National Highlights, Inc. Project Manager: Andrew Morkes Cover and Interior Design: Tara Raymo • CreativelyTara Layout: Priceless Digital Media, LLC Publisher’s Note: Websites listed in this book were active at the time of publication. The publisher is not responsible for websites that have changed their address or discontinued operation since the date of publication. The publisher reviews and updates the websites each time the book is reprinted.

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Introduction............................................................... 6 Addicted to Methamphetamine at Age 15 . ..................... 8 Chapter 1: What Is Methamphetamine?......................13 “Chemsex” with Methamphetamine Can Kill . .............. 34 Chapter 2: The Negative Physical Effects of Methamphetamine................................................39 A Singer’s Descent into Meth Psychosis . ...................... 51 Chapter 3: T he Negative Mental Effects of Methamphetamine................................................55 Michelle’s Story: Long-Term Addiction and Recovery . ...72 Chapter 4: Treating Addiction to Methamphetamine....77 Series Glossary of Key Terms.....................................89 Further Reading.......................................................92 Internet Resources...................................................93 Index....................................................................... 94 Author’s Biography and Credits.................................96 Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more! Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

Drug abuse remains a major problem in the United States and in other countries. In 2019, 13 percent of people aged 12 years and over reported that they had used an illegal drug in the past month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Abuse of prescription drugs, such as painkillers, is also a serious issue. Abusing drugs can have serious effects on one’s physical and mental health. It can also be deadly. One example is the rising number of drug overdoses, which have been fueled by the growing use and spread of the deadly opioid fentanyl. Nearly 100,000 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses from June 2020 to June 2021, according to the CDC. As a young person, you may have a lot of questions about drugs, addiction, and therapy as a result of the constant flow of information from your friends, parents, teachers, coaches, social media, and the news media. It can be confusing, because

Crystal meth.

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Methamphetamine is a very dangerous drug that, if abused, causes many negative physical and mental health side effects and even death.

some of this information is accurate, and some is incorrect. Your questions might include: How are drugs grown or manufactured? What are the negative physical and mental effects of drug use and abuse? What are the legal penalties for possessing illegal drugs? How do you know if someone is addicted to drugs? What are some treatment options for people who are addicted to drugs? The Young Adult Drug Library series provides answers to these and other questions about illegal and misused prescription drugs, addiction, and therapy. Each title spotlights a major drug or type of drug (such as painkillers); discusses the negative physical and mental effects of the addiction on the addict, as well as its effects on family and other loved ones; and provides an overview of treatment strategies for the addiction. Stories of those who are battling drug addiction are also featured to humanize these issues and help readers better understand that anyone can become addicted to drugs, but also that there is a possibility for recovery.

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ADDICTED TO METHAMPHETAMINE AT AGE 15

Growing up in rural Montana, the last thing that Carren Clem expected to become was a drug addict. She was the daughter of a police officer and knew that drugs were bad and dangerous. She performed well academically, attended church, and had hobbies such as playing the violin and riding and taking care of her pony. But as she grew older, she started getting teased and excluded by other girls at school. To fit in, Carren started attending parties with older boys. One day at a party, an older boy raped her. Due to the trauma of this crime, Carren’s school performance suffered, and she eventually was kicked out of school. Taking a job as a telemarketer, she began to hang out with a group of coworkers who enjoyed partying. When she told one of her coworkers she felt tired one day, they offered her a “pick-me-up.” It turned out to be methamphetamine. Carren immediately began using the drug more. Carren smoked meth all weekend. “The high was so unbelievable,” Carren said in a first-person account at Webmd.com. “I felt like Superwoman.” After only a week of use, Carren was smoking meth four or five times a day. In only a month, she argued so much with her family that she had to move out of her house.

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The Young Adult Drug Library: Methamphetamine

Before she began to abuse meth, Carren loved riding her horse, playing the violin, and being involved in her church.

Addicted to Methamphetamine at Age 15

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Carren was able to reclaim her life as a result of support from her family and intensive therapy.

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The Young Adult Drug Library: Methamphetamine

Carren said, “I would do anything with anyone to get drugs.” She was willing to steal and have sex with anyone. She’d black out and wake up in strange places the next day. One day, Carren decided to kill herself. Her drug-using friends decided to help her accomplish this goal by giving her a “huge amount” of methamphetamines and alcohol. She didn’t die, however. When she woke up from her overdose, Carren contacted the youth pastor at her church. He and her family helped to get her into a treatment program. Carren was able to enter recovery through the treatment program and eventually started working for a fitness center. She married a man she describes as “wonderful” and now has a healthy daughter whom she calls her “little miracle.” Carren volunteers for the Montana Meth Project, which helps kids to stay away from meth and avoid addiction. She warns people to stay away from meth because she still has lingering problems from her days of abuse. “I don’t deal with stress well,” she says, because meth damages parts of the brain. She still has strong cravings for meth that make her feel almost like she has started using the drug again. Carren and her father Ron wrote a book, Loss of Innocence: A Daughter’s Addiction. A Father’s Fight to Save Her , which tells the story of her addiction to methamphetamine and her recovery. An animated documentary, Saving Carren, also tells the story of addiction and recovery.

Addicted to Methamphetamine at Age 15

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WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

cartel: an association of manufacturers and suppliers of goods or products that can either be legitimate or illegal crack cocaine: a powerful and addictive type of cocaine made from converting powdered cocaine to smokeable “rocks” euphoria: a state of heightened joy and happiness; in regard to drug use, an artificial state produced by drugs opioids: a type of drug that is refined from the opium poppy or lab-based processes that imitate natural opium or morphine psychosis: disruptions to a person’s thought processes that make it difficult for them to perceive what is real and what is imaginary stimulant: a drug that excites and energizes the brain and central nervous system

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HEROIN

WHAT IS METHAMPHETAMINE? A Powerful and Addictive Drug

Methamphetamine is a powerful and addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system. It is also often referred to as “meth.” The substance is a white crystalline powder that dissolves in water or alcohol. Meth was first developed in 1893 by a Japanese chemist who had been working to refine the underlying form of the drug, amphetamine. At first, the new drug was used to treat narcolepsy, a condition that causes sufferers to fall asleep suddenly. Other early uses included treatment for weight loss and help for people with asthma. How Is Methamphetamine Used? Methamphetamine can be snorted, smoked, taken in pill or oral form, or injected. There are local preferences for methamphetamine use, depending on the type of illegal meth that is imported into or sold in a certain area. People can smoke

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methamphetamine in a glass pipe, similar to the pipe that is used to smoke crack cocaine . People snort lines of meth through rolled-up paper or straws, similarly to cocaine. Meth can be injected into a vein in liquid form, and the powder can be pressed into pills, which are swallowed. About two-thirds of people who used methamphetamine between 2010 and 2019 preferred to smoke the drug in a pipe, according to a 2022 study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence . About 24 percent injected methamphetamine, and 10 percent snorted it. When methamphetamine is smoked, it enters the bloodstream quickly. The high or “rush” effect that follows occurs quickly and lasts for a few minutes at a strong level and then slowly subsides. The most common type of meth that is smoked is called “crystal meth.” It looks like clear shards of glass or blue pieces of rock candy or ice. When meth is injected, the powdered form is dissolved in water and then injected directly into the bloodstream. Some people inject and smoke methamphetamine at the same time for a stronger effect. Individuals who snort methamphetamine experience the effect of the drug within about three to five minutes. If taken in pill form, effects of the drug usually take longer to come on than when snorting, smoking, or injecting the drug. “Snorting or oral ingestion produces euphoria—a high, but not an intense rush,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). “Snorting produces effects within 3 to 5 minutes, and oral ingestion produces effects within 15 to 20 minutes.” Methamphetamine pills are prescribed medically for some conditions, including weight loss and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

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The Young Adult Drug Library: Methamphetamine

How is Methamphetamine Made? The original idea for methamphetamine, also called “speed” or “crank” because of the way the drug speeds up the nervous system, came from a Japanese chemist named Nagai Nagayoshi who had been working to duplicate the energizing and stimulating properties of the ephedra plant, which had been used for over 5,000 years in traditional Chinese medicine. However, it was difficult for early chemists to create easy-to-use ways to refine methamphetamine from ephedrine, the basic

A meth lab.

What Is Methamphetamine?

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Tour a large meth lab in the Philippines.

stimulant made from the plant. In 1919, Akira Ogata, another Japanese chemist, used phosphorus and iodine to create a crystalline substance—the first “crystal meth.” The underlying chemical used to produce meth is ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, which is found in cold medications. Several different chemicals are used to “cook” the ephedrine, which changes it into the stronger chemical, methamphetamine. In addition to ephedrine, meth can be made exclusively using industrial chemicals in the P2P (i.e., peer-to-peer) process. A wide range of household chemicals can be used to make meth in the P2P process. According to the US Department of Justice, ether, acetone, ammonia, iodine crystals, drain cleaner, battery acid, and lithium from batteries can be used in the manufacturing process for methamphetamine.

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The Young Adult Drug Library: Methamphetamine