Graphic Ads Help Prevent Meth Use

By Colin Gilbert

Methamphetamine abuse has become a serious problem among teenagers and young adults in Idaho. In 2007, the state ranked fourth in the country for meth use among individuals aged 12-25, and more than half of Idaho’s prison inmates acknowledged the drug as being directly involved with their initial imprisonment. It’s an alarming trend, but a recent advertising campaign from the Idaho Meth Project is working to stop users before they start.

In 2005, the Meth Project was formed to address what is still considered the number-one problem in Idaho—methamphetamine abuse. The powerful, highly addictive drug, which is often made in home “meth labs,” has become a widespread menace among the state’s youth, and the private, non-profit organization is founded on a passion for prevention. Their motto is simple—“Not even once.”

Beginning in January of 2008, the group released a series of graphic television commercials, billboards, radio spots, and print ads that were specifically designed to deter potential users through shocking factual evidence. In January of 2009, another wave of advertisements was released, and the Meth Project estimated that they would reach 70-90 percent of Idaho’s teens 3-5 times a week throughout the year.

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Former Drug Addict Finds Solace in Triathlons

Eddie Freas, 33, has found a different way to fight his 20-year addiction to alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine—he started training for and entering triathlons. “I feel better when I’m working out,” Freas told CNN’s Madison Park. “It does wonders for the mind. The reason I started running—it was a switch that went off in my head. I started feeling positive and feeling great about myself.”

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Painkiller Patch Can Lead to Dangerous Addiction

In 2005, morphine patches were introduced in Norway in the hopes of reducing the use and abuse of painkillers. However, researchers have found that the patches are often used incorrectly, which can lead to addiction.

Like a nicotine patch, the morphine patch releases small, steady doses of medication over a long period of time, which is good for patients who need low doses of pain-relieving medication. Ideally, this was meant to help reduce drug consumption and control the use of the medication, which would result in fewer cases of dependence. But with so many people using the patch incorrectly, the effect is just the opposite.

“The reason for this incorrect usage is that there is not enough information out there, and a lack of expertise in individuals who are writing prescriptions,” said professor Petter Borchgrevink, head of the Norwegian National Centre for Complex Disorders. When Borchgrevink and professor Stein Kaasa of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology started to research the actual use of the patches, they found that the patches were often being given in addition to other drugs, instead of being used as an alternative to habit-forming medications. “This increases the health burden and the risk of addiction,” said Borchgrevink.

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New Research Reveals Impact of Cocaine Addiction on the Brain

There are several popular misconceptions circulating in society today as to what exactly addiction is, and whether or not addiction should be treated as a disease by health professionals.  To many scientists, addiction has long been associated as a by-product of altered mental states where the brain cannot distinguish between healthy and unhealthy behavior.  For example, addictions manifested in the form of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) are thought to arise from abnormal neuron firing in the brain; in other words, the brain of an addict displays the same need for the desired object in the same way that one would crave basic necessities like food or water.  However, scientists from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine have revealed surprising information on how an addiction can actually alter the activity of certain proteins and neurons in the brain. This new research can help scientists understand why addiction is so hard to overcome, and how to effectively prevent and treat addict relapses.

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Nanotechnology Research May Offer Hope for Drug Addiction

The University of Buffalo has completed new research, suggesting that nanotechnology treatment for drug addiction may offer the answer to long-term recovery. Scientists involved in the research have developed a stable nanoparticle that delivers short RNA molecules in the brain to disable the gene that has proven to play a critical role in a variety of drug addictions.

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Methamphetamines Impacting the Middle Class

For years, methamphetamine has been considered the drug of choice for the lower class. It is cheap to make, easy to acquire and delivers the same euphoric high as more expensive “upper class” drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine.

Now that perception is changing as the drug itself has found a comfortable market among the middle class. This drug is being manufactured, used and sold by soccer moms, businessmen and others who do not give the impression of a user, much less one who is making a lifestyle out of the drug.

The manufacture and distribution of meth was first identified as a problem in Oregon in the early 1980s. It made its way through the western states in the late 1980s and 1990s with some help from Mexico where the drug originated. The low cost and easy access helped the drug spread throughout the west and into the rest of the country, finding a comfortable place in the middle class at the turn of the century.

Data from the National Drug Intelligence Center within the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) shows that methamphetamine is more available than ever before in states as far east as New Jersey. According to DOJ data, the profile of a typical meth user has evolved over time, showing the middle-class as the fastest growing user. DOJ data shows that 18-to-25 year olds are now the most likely of any age group to use the drug.

Information from the Illinois Attorney General shows meth moving across the socioeconomic strata, identifying the typical meth user as a lower- or middle-class white person in his or her twenties or thirties, living in a rural community. This profile is changing however, as the AG’s report also shows that meth use if growing in other social circles.

The middle class presents a great place for meth to hide as typical users can be women users trying to control weight, increase energy and maintain the high levels of energy needed for daily activities associated with family life. At the same time, business professionals are using for many of the same reasons. Both of these users are harder to detect as they do not fit the profile of a user, nor do they behave like typical users.

Meth is also becoming the popular “club drug” in metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. Its use is also rising steadily among women as it promises great benefits in the short term. In the long term, the impact on the physical body is the same no matter what gender or class the user belongs to: acute addiction, mental instability, and physical deterioration.

Perhaps the most dangerous perception circulating among users is that meth is not as dangerous as other “hard” drugs such as cocaine and will not cause long-term addiction. The National Drug Intelligence Center highlights that not only is meth a potent central nervous system stimulant, but the body also quickly builds up a tolerance, requiring more and more to achieve the same effect.

With so many misconceptions circulating, meth could present the greatest threat to users and potential users as to the threat associated with use. The reality is that meth can be devastating to the user and his or her family, no matter what their class.

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