THE FACTS OF METH: CHEAP TO PRODUCE, HIGHLY ADDICTIVE

Cooking up a batch a meth is not much more complicated than cooking
supper. You get the ingredients and follow a recipe. Just be careful,
though, the toxic fumes in your chemical "kitchen" can blow up on you.

Four hours after you put together its elements, the speed, crank,
crystal or go fast is ready to be divided into bumps.

Methamphetamine users who prefer to cook, or manufacture, their own
drug know the drill well.

Over time, users also learn, they will develop acne, tooth decay from
calcium degeneration and blotchy skin, known as spider bites. They
will lose weight and become delusional, all because of the drug's
direct effect on the brain.

Usually this doesn't matter to the addict needing another bump--slang
for a dose of meth.

Combine the low cost of manufacturing with its highly addictive
quality, and little wonder the popularity of methamphetamine has skyrocketed.

Dr. Jane Maxwell, a research professor with the Gulf Coast Addiction
Technology Transfer Center, part of the University of Texas, said
more people are becoming addicted to the drug.

"In the past year, the number of monthly users didn't change ... but
the abuse or dependence of methamphetamine went from 28 to 59 percent
of past-month users. The proportion of users who became addicted
doubled," she said.

People begin taking meth for several reasons, including weight loss,
a way to increase sex drive and heighten alertness. Meth can be
snorted, injected, taken orally or smoked.

"It has always been used by workers to stay awake. World War II
pilots used it, and it's always been a drug used by truckers,"
Maxwell said. It wasn't declared illegal until recent years.

Methamphetamine works by stimulating the central nervous system. It
disrupts neurotransmitters, or nerve cell chemicals, used to
communicate with each other. The primary neurotransmitter meth preys
upon is dopamine, which influences one's ability to feel good or pleased.

"Most people are surprised at how good it feels ... but it's not long
before they are dependent on it. The real worry is they are going to
get in trouble very quickly," she said.

Once referred to as "poor man's cocaine," methamphetamine has become
a less expensive, longer-lasting high than many of its predecessors.

"The thing that really worries me is in the past, we've seen other
drugs like crack cocaine turn into epidemics, but after a while the
numbers leveled off. But not meth, it's going up," Maxwell said.

Not only can meth be cooked in home or mobile laboratories, but an
influx of the drug from Mexico is also adding to a national problem.

Maxwell said the interstate road system provides easy distribution,
and tougher laws in the United States aimed at curbing sales of meth
ingredients, has opened up the Mexican market.

"I think as we see more pseudoephedrines harder to get, we'll see
more of the Mexican meth. Powdered Mexican meth is a better, much
purer product," she said. Pseudoephedrine, commonly used in cold or
allergy remedies, is a key ingredient of meth.

Methamphetamine hydrochloride, or ice, is also gaining in popularity.
Ice derives its name because the finished product resembles ice crystals.

Ice is the pure form of methamphetamine.

"We already know the price of ice has dropped in the past year in
Houston, so we know there's more of it and it's getting cheaper. It's
going to last longer, be stronger and people can stay up longer," she said.

After prolonged exposure, meth deteriorates the brain, cognitive
functions and other processes.

Dr. John Keppler, clinical director of the Department of State Health
Services Substance Abuse Division in Austin, said meth users are at
risk for a variety of conditions.

"It leads to a real decline in physical functioning and mental
functioning over time. If they are not caught by a heart attack,
seizure or stroke, they are left in a very disabled mental state," he said.

Tolerance to methamphetamine builds rapidly, so users take more to
achieve the same effects as their initial high. Keppler said this
excessive use leads to higher elevations in body temperature, sleep
deprivation, lack of appetite and heart issues.

"The first time he has a lot of energy, doesn't sleep, doesn't eat
and gets a lot of work done. But over time the effect wears off. When
someone comes off meth, they are severely depressed because it's a
brain stimulant," he said.

And since meth increases sexual arousal, Keppler said the number of
HIV and hepatitis C cases also have risen.

"People tend to lose inhibitions and engage in dangerous sexual
activities," he said.

Keppler said meth addicts often resemble schizophrenics.

"They often engage in self-harming, psychotic behavior," he said,
adding many meth users feel like insects are crawling on their
bodies. "They will actually pick their skin off."

While the proportion of addicts is increasing, more meth addicts are
looking for help.

Keppler said from 2004 to this year, the number of people seeking
treatment at more than 200 publicly funded treatment service centers
across the state has risen.

In 2004, the number of meth admissions was a little more than 5,000
people. This year, that number has grown to more than 6,700.

"We had it go from being the fifth most-used drug in admissions to
the fourth," he said.

Treatment includes medications used to wean users off meth, as well
as treat depression. Keppler said group and individual therapy is
also a large part of meth recovery.

"They encourage each other to stay off the substance. Treatment is
successful probably 50 to 60 percent of the time," he said.

Maxwell said meth users won't get better overnight.

"One of the things we have learned is when they first stop, three or
four months later they really have cognitive problems. Their brains
aren't working ... over time the brain will repair itself," she said.

Maxwell said there are a couple of keys to treating meth addicts.

"You need to have the staff of a treatment program trained to treat
meth because of the cognitive damage. They need to be able to deal
with people not quite with us yet," she said.

Also, meth addicts need to realize the road to recovery will be a long one.

"They need to know that the longer they are in treatment, the better
they are going to do. Like all drugs, it's a chronic disease. They
need to stay in treatment a long time," she said.

Methamphetamine users aren't the only ones affected by addiction.
Often children of users suffer as well.

Dr. Karen Farst, a pediatrician who works with children at both the
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's
Hospital in Little Rock, said children face a myriad problems when
they are raised around methamphetamine.

She sees children, mostly 12 years old and younger, who are sexually
and physically abused and neglected because of meth problems in the home.

"It's double jeopardy for kids in a home where there is not only
substance abuse, but also the risk of living in an environment where
there are toxic chemicals used to make meth," she said.

Children in meth homes are at greater risk of having accidents, such
as spilling or drinking meth ingredients.

"A lot of times the way meth is made, materials are soaked and
separated and they'll have a color that looks like Kool-Aid or
Gatorade, which is enticing to kids," Farst said.

When acids or bases are ingested, Farst said they will burn whatever
they touch, which leads to serious medical conditions.

"There is scarring and burning into the pipe and stomach, which makes
it difficult to breathe and swallow. It hits the stomach where it
irritates you. You cough and vomit, which raises the risk of you
actually inhaling it into the lungs, which gives you problems
breathing and a condition called pulmonary edema," she said.

Another risk is children getting into finished meth, which the
parents may have left lying around the house.

"They can get enough meth into them where they have high heart rates
and their blood pressure goes up. They come in intoxicated and we
have to watch and monitor them closely," she said.

Sexual abuse is another problem among children living with parents
involved with the drug. Farst said when parents are either high or
not around, children are left to fend for themselves.

"There are usually people coming to the home, and parents aren't
oftentimes around to protect them. The kids are left there with
people raising their sex drive," she said.

Farst said when meth homes are raided they usually contain lots of
pornographic material.

"Kids are oftentimes exposed to pornography, which is technically
sexual abuse itself," she said, noting there are different levels of
the definition of sexual abuse.

Farst said exposing a child who is not developmentally able to
comprehend the material is classified as sexual abuse by pediatricians.

Another concern about children living around methamphetamine include
neglect, and Farst said that can range from not going to school to
not being properly fed.

She said another problem is when a meth lab is discovered, if the
children aren't home law enforcement officials may not realize they
are a part of the home.

"They may not be noted, and the kids may go live with an extended
family member. We know there is a big meth problem in the state, and
that is probably one of our main concerns," she said.

Farst said part of her job is testing and identifying at-risk
children for methamphetamine when they come to the hospital.

"Kids raised in a home with substance abusers are more likely to
become abusers themselves," she said. "We would like to identify as
many as possible and intervene at this point so they don't grow up to
be the next generation of abusers."