Just a spoonful of sugar…
The ingredients in meth are hardly just a spoonful of sugar coined by the Disney movie Mary Poppins, however for some reason people still decide that putting things like paint thinner into their systems is a good thing. I know sniffing battery acid, shooting up gasoline or better yet, snorting drain cleaner all sound appealing to the average person that its no wonder meth addiction is growing in the state of Idaho. I say this all facetiously because I really do not think any of this sounds appealing and leaves me wondering why would anyone want to try meth in the first place? Meth is not just an Idaho problem, it’s so widespread that states all over the nation are launching, about to launch or have launched an anti-meth campaign. I chose to focus on Idaho because that is where I am from and they are in the midst of launching their campaign. Again, all of this brings me back to my question of why? Why try meth? Here is what I found.
“People who try methamphetamine do so for a variety of reasons. Some are looking for an adrenaline rush, energy, and confidence. They might want to stay awake or have the energy to dance all night. Others might want to use it because they think it will help them fit in with their friends. Or they might think it will help them lose weight. Some people try it because they’ve heard about it and are curious about how it will affect them. Or they might be feeling down about themselves and think and hope that meth will help them feel better.” http://www.no2meth.ca/students/WhyTryMeth.aspx?lvl=1
When reading over this list of why people try meth I can pick out a couple of reasons why young people would be so tempted to try meth despite the ingredients. The ability to stay awake and losing weight are the first two to pop into my mind as big sellers. With our lives becoming more and more busy, the need to “buy” more hours in the day is in high demand and with meth, you can get just that. The energy to stay awake and “dance all night”. I can see how that would be perfect if I had exams I needed to study all night for. How about the weight loss issue, I’ve tried all the other shakes and powders to lose weight fast, what’s trying one more miracle drug going to hurt? Women especially fall victim to this aspect with the desire to be skinny and wanted by men like we see in the media, can you blame someone for wanting to get thin quickly? However, the sad reality to all of this is that using meth isn’t just a quick fix. According to the Idaho Press Tribune nearly 1/4 of teens believe meth will help them feel happy and help them lose weight and 20% see little to no risk in trying meth. What they don’t know is that, the high is never as high as what you achieve the first time. It’s not a glamorous drug. If it doesn’t end up costing them their lives, it will cost them what’s most important to them: relationships, family, friends, job and home”
http://www.idahomethproject.org/documents/methbenefits12308.pdf
