FEMALE ADDICTS TEND TO HURT THEMSELVES, MEN LASH OUT

Methamphetamine spells violence, according to former users and drug
experts.

How it manifests itself depends largely on your personality, and your
gender.

For example, "D" says when she was high, she used to cut or burn
herself with a lighter. The experts say that's common among many
female users.

Meth, combined with low self-esteem, leads many women to harm
themselves.

In men, that anger is often turned outwards. They arm themselves to
protect against their perceived enemies. Like Andrew Moore. The
35-year-old meth addict was shot dead by Saskatoon police Const. Tim
Bayly April 30, 2004 inside a grocery store. During the scuffle, Moore
pointed a loaded .357 magnum revolver at Bayly's stomach. Bayly
reacted by shooting Moore once in the head, killing him instantly and
saving his own life.

Recovering users cite a myriad of other health problems. For the
20-year-old "D", they include lung scarring, sinus problems and
something called "meth bumps," zit-like bumps filled with crystal that
appear on the skin and in the mouth. For some, that causes them to
pick at the bumps until they become festering sores.

"D" says she stopped using soon after her 20th birthday.

"It got to the point where I felt like shit and hated it," she says.
"I felt like I was rotting from the inside out.

"The drug also turns people into something else. It makes them shady.
You really don't have any friends. A friend is someone who'll just
stab you in the back. You snap very easily."