The purpose of this report is to explore the affect that methamphetamines have on the brain and therefore on employment and relationships. This report will talk about what this drug does to your brain and why you make the decisions you make when you are on it. The focus of this report is going to be on how methamphetamine can compromise your job and how it makes it very difficult to find another job when you are a past ice addict. Relationships have a big effect on your job because you need to have a good relationship with your boss and co-workers, but being on ice doesn’t just compromise your job and relationships at work. It also compromises the relationships that you care most about with your family and friends. It is important issue because more and more people are becoming addicted to ice every day, with it being the second most used illicit drug in the world.
Methamphetamine is a synthetic drug which means it is man-made, the chemicals involved are: pseudoephedrine, acetone, lithium, toluene, hydrochloric acid, red phosphorus, sodium hydroxide, sulfuric acid and anhydrous ammonia. There are a few different ways to make methamphetamines but one of the most common is by reacting ephedrine to form amphetamine then reducing that to methamphetamines (image 1). There is a lot of waste while making methamphetamines on average for each kilogram of methamphetamines made there is about 2.5 kilograms of toxic chemicals waste.
What does using meth feel like: http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crystalmeth/the-stages-of-the-meth-experience.html 27/4/16
Drug affects: methamphetamines: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/methamphetamine 3/5/16
Before and after drugs(methamphetamine) : http://www.rehabs.com/explore/meth-before-and-after-drugs/infographic.php#.Vzscy5F9600 12/5/16
Facts about methamphetamines : http://adamhscc.org/en-us/facts-meth.aspx 17/5/16
How long does meth stay in your system : http://drug.addictionblog.org/how-long-does-meth-stay-in-your-system/ 17/5/16
Methamphetamine – chemical reaction : http://theconversation.com/breaking-bad-and-crystal-meth-a-chemical-reaction-17477 17/5/16
Background
Methamphetamine looks like a clear crystal, pure methamphetamine has no smell and a bitter taste. It is a stimulant that influences the central nervous system (CNS). It does this by releasing excessive amounts of dopamine and serotonin. Which gives you a high powered feeling of joy.Methamphetamine is a synthetic drug which means it is man-made, the chemicals involved are: pseudoephedrine, acetone, lithium, toluene, hydrochloric acid, red phosphorus, sodium hydroxide, sulfuric acid and anhydrous ammonia. There are a few different ways to make methamphetamines but one of the most common is by reacting ephedrine to form amphetamine then reducing that to methamphetamines (image 1). There is a lot of waste while making methamphetamines on average for each kilogram of methamphetamines made there is about 2.5 kilograms of toxic chemicals waste.
 |
| Figure 1 - ephedrine (C10H15NO) --> Amphetamine (C9H13N) --> Methamphetamine (C10H15N) retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Methamphetamine_from_ephedrine_via_chloroephedrine_en.png |
 |
| Figure 2 - the structure of methamphetamine CC BY-SA 4.0 retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetamine#/media/File:Racemic_methamphetamine.svg |
The chemical formula of methamphetamine is: C10H15N (see image 2) and its molecular weight is: 149.2328g/mol. Methamphetamines is solid a room temperature and can be in the form of a white powder or a clear crystal. Methamphetamines has a melting point of 170-175 degrees Celsius and a boiling point of 210-220 degrees Celsius. It is soluble in Diethyl Ether and ethanol.
Methamphetamine is an extremely addictive drug that can cause lots of serious mental and physical health problems. It is the second most used illicit drug in the world at the moment and that is because it is so addictive and that it triggers dependency faster than any other illegal drug. People often get addicted to methamphetamine after one or two uses because it causes the body to release 10 times more dopamine than normal. Dopamine affects the brains limbic system, the part responsible for emotion, learning and memory, the first time you take methamphetamine the decision is made in the prefrontal cortex which makes voluntary decisions. After one or two uses the decision is the made in the hind brain which is responsible for involuntary decisions like breathing. It also increases adrenaline levels which increases heart rate, breathing and blood pressure, and erases rational decision-making as well as the body’s craving for food and for sleep. All of these things give the body and brain extreme amounts of pleasure but when you come down from your high you almost always fall into serious case of depression, which is another reason lots of people get addicted because they never want to come down from there high. People also get addicted to methamphetamines because it is very strong, it is 3 times more powerful than cocaine and can last from 4-24 hours where as cocaine only lasts for a 1-8 hours.
There are lots of different ways to get high from methamphetamines, by smoking it, snorting it, eat it or inject it. Smoking methamphetamines is currently the most commonly used method because smoking and injecting are the two ways which get it into your blood stream the quickest and give the biggest hits. When methamphetamine enters the blood stream it travels through the circulatory system and to the brain. Which blocks some channels to the brain and causes a build-up of some chemicals and release excessive amount of other chemicals like dopamine which is why you like the high so much. Once the effects are in full potential normally after about one hour, the user usually experiences gruesome hallucinations, like bugs under their skin and monsters/people attacking them.
Methamphetamine is smoked by placing the substance into a glass pipe, heating it and then inhaling the vapours. The vapours then enter the lungs where they are able to cross into blood vessels, which are in the lungs then through the blood stream and to the brain resulting in the high experienced from smoking methamphetamine.
When methamphetamine is injected you inject it straight into the blood stream, so it can then be takin straight to the brain resulting in the quickest and most full-on high. But this is the most dangerous way to take methamphetamine because you can get multiple diseases from the needle or you can damage the vein or muscle around where you injected it if not done properly.
Swallowing methamphetamine is the method that takes the longest to affect the user and has the weakest high because the drug doesn’t enter the blood stream until it has been digested.
Snorting methamphetamine is another way to use it but isn’t as commonly used because the high isn’t as intense as when smoked or snorted, to snort methamphetamine you need to crush it up into a fine powder and then snort it. When snorted methamphetamine goes through the nose and enters the blood stream through the blood vessels in the lining of the nose. Snorting methamphetamine can result in damage to the nose sinus cavities, can make your nose stuffy, cause nose bleeds and even damage the lining and cartilage of your nose.
In conclusion, methamphetamine has an extremely strong effect on your life in a negative way. You can lose your job very easily when on methamphetamine because you become aggressive and have mood swings which compromise your relationship with your boss and co-workers. You can also lose your job because while methamphetamine is in your blood stream you do not make rational decisions which makes you very unreliable. You lose all of your relationships with friends and family when on methamphetamine because you become aggressive and will steal or even harm people just to get money for methamphetamines. You also can’t support yourself and rely on other people such as family and friends for food and a place to live.
Methamphetamine is an extremely addictive drug that can cause lots of serious mental and physical health problems. It is the second most used illicit drug in the world at the moment and that is because it is so addictive and that it triggers dependency faster than any other illegal drug. People often get addicted to methamphetamine after one or two uses because it causes the body to release 10 times more dopamine than normal. Dopamine affects the brains limbic system, the part responsible for emotion, learning and memory, the first time you take methamphetamine the decision is made in the prefrontal cortex which makes voluntary decisions. After one or two uses the decision is the made in the hind brain which is responsible for involuntary decisions like breathing. It also increases adrenaline levels which increases heart rate, breathing and blood pressure, and erases rational decision-making as well as the body’s craving for food and for sleep. All of these things give the body and brain extreme amounts of pleasure but when you come down from your high you almost always fall into serious case of depression, which is another reason lots of people get addicted because they never want to come down from there high. People also get addicted to methamphetamines because it is very strong, it is 3 times more powerful than cocaine and can last from 4-24 hours where as cocaine only lasts for a 1-8 hours.
There are lots of different ways to get high from methamphetamines, by smoking it, snorting it, eat it or inject it. Smoking methamphetamines is currently the most commonly used method because smoking and injecting are the two ways which get it into your blood stream the quickest and give the biggest hits. When methamphetamine enters the blood stream it travels through the circulatory system and to the brain. Which blocks some channels to the brain and causes a build-up of some chemicals and release excessive amount of other chemicals like dopamine which is why you like the high so much. Once the effects are in full potential normally after about one hour, the user usually experiences gruesome hallucinations, like bugs under their skin and monsters/people attacking them.
Methamphetamine is smoked by placing the substance into a glass pipe, heating it and then inhaling the vapours. The vapours then enter the lungs where they are able to cross into blood vessels, which are in the lungs then through the blood stream and to the brain resulting in the high experienced from smoking methamphetamine.
When methamphetamine is injected you inject it straight into the blood stream, so it can then be takin straight to the brain resulting in the quickest and most full-on high. But this is the most dangerous way to take methamphetamine because you can get multiple diseases from the needle or you can damage the vein or muscle around where you injected it if not done properly.
Swallowing methamphetamine is the method that takes the longest to affect the user and has the weakest high because the drug doesn’t enter the blood stream until it has been digested.
Snorting methamphetamine is another way to use it but isn’t as commonly used because the high isn’t as intense as when smoked or snorted, to snort methamphetamine you need to crush it up into a fine powder and then snort it. When snorted methamphetamine goes through the nose and enters the blood stream through the blood vessels in the lining of the nose. Snorting methamphetamine can result in damage to the nose sinus cavities, can make your nose stuffy, cause nose bleeds and even damage the lining and cartilage of your nose.
Discussion
Methamphetamine affects relationships and employment in many different ways. Firstly, it will affect your relationships because when you are on methamphetamine you have drastic mood swing and become very aggressive. You become very unreliable because when you are on methamphetamine you will stay awake for days and forget all your responsibilities, then sleep for days when you are coming down from the affects. During this time, you are very unlikely to attend work and if you do go to work you will not be making good decision so you are very likely to lose your job. You will do almost anything to get more methamphetamine and when you aren’t getting any money because you don’t have a job anymore, you will do anything even hurt or steal from your closest friends and family. You will even sell everything you own just to get some more methamphetamine. You will spend all your money on methamphetamine and not be able to pay your rent or even buy food and will have to rely on your friends and family. Most of your friends will not let you move in with them because they know how aggressive and dangerous a methamphetamine addict is. They don’t want you to move in because they are worried that you will steal their stuff or even hurt them to take their stuff. A lot of methamphetamine addicts end up living with their families, but some don’t want them living with them because they think that you will be a bad influence on their own families and children. Family members normally don’t let a methamphetamine addict live with them unless they are willing to give up the drug, which is almost impossible for a lot of users. The fact that most users just can’t give up the drug causes a lot of unemployment because of all the reasons above. It can also cause homelessness because their family and friends can’t help them and that they can’t afford to pay their bills because they spend all their money on methamphetamine.Conclusion
To summarise, this report has discussed the effects of methamphetamine on the brain and therefore relationships and employment. This report provides an understanding of the chemical formula and structure of methamphetamine, it also goes through the production process, reaction pathways, raw materials, who it enters the blood stream from all the different way of taking methamphetamine and what happens in the receptors in the synapse.In conclusion, methamphetamine has an extremely strong effect on your life in a negative way. You can lose your job very easily when on methamphetamine because you become aggressive and have mood swings which compromise your relationship with your boss and co-workers. You can also lose your job because while methamphetamine is in your blood stream you do not make rational decisions which makes you very unreliable. You lose all of your relationships with friends and family when on methamphetamine because you become aggressive and will steal or even harm people just to get money for methamphetamines. You also can’t support yourself and rely on other people such as family and friends for food and a place to live.
Public Education Piece
My public education piece is a pamphlet to advise the general public of the information learned during this research assignment.References
Meth addicts how can they get help : http://www.healthyplace.com/addictions/meth-addiction/meth-addicts-where-can-the-crystal-meth-addict-get-help/ 24/4/16What does using meth feel like: http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crystalmeth/the-stages-of-the-meth-experience.html 27/4/16
Drug affects: methamphetamines: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/methamphetamine 3/5/16
Before and after drugs(methamphetamine) : http://www.rehabs.com/explore/meth-before-and-after-drugs/infographic.php#.Vzscy5F9600 12/5/16
Facts about methamphetamines : http://adamhscc.org/en-us/facts-meth.aspx 17/5/16
How long does meth stay in your system : http://drug.addictionblog.org/how-long-does-meth-stay-in-your-system/ 17/5/16
Methamphetamine – chemical reaction : http://theconversation.com/breaking-bad-and-crystal-meth-a-chemical-reaction-17477 17/5/16
Post a Comment
Thanks for your contribution. Our students appreciate your comment.