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How Iraq’s crystal meth epidemic is ravaging the nation

independent.co.uk

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Re: How Iraq’s crystal meth epidemic is ravaging the nation

#51

Post by elmomle »

mc32 wrote: post #21
elmomle wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Legalization is one key part; destigmatization is the other. Those who understand addiction, either first-hand or through research, understand that the root problem is not the drug/habit; the drug/habit tends to be the addict's best known way to sooth immense psychological pain. Shame drives addiction in deeper. So to actually help addicts, one needs to destigmatize the conversation, allow people to say "Hey, I'm in…

I’m not saying we punish the user, but rather find a way to minimize availability. Also, trauma is not always a cause for addiction. Lots of people suffer trauma and don’t get addicted, conversely we also have people with little trauma who get addicted.

https://silvermistrecovery.com/blog/2018/09/2019-guide-the-l...

It isn't a 1:1 causal link--virtually nothing is. But there's very strong evidence that unprocessed trauma is one of the core drivers of addiction.

It's constructive to think of drugs and addictive behaviors as emotional crutches. You don't help people with problems walking by making crutches illegal; you do so by focusing on treating the root cause, which may include taking the crutch away in a properly supportive therapeutic environment.

I'd also point you to the experiments dubbed "Rat Park" (https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/what-does-rat-park-tea...). Addiction is ultimately a social/emotional disease; the drug/habit is the symptom.

Re: How Iraq’s crystal meth epidemic is ravaging the nation

#52

Post by mc32 »

tremon wrote: post #45
el_nahual wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Again, drugs exist and are available now . So you shouldn't think of the options as "drugs are legal and available vs drugs are illegal and unavailable". They are available in either case! Making drugs legal means that one can control the points and conditions of distribution. So one could require licensing, education, or even controlled application. Sure, you can take good, cheap, heroin, but you have to take it her…

To draw a parallel with filesharing: "Of course, the more onerous the path the get legal movies, the more appealing illegal downloads become, so there's a profit-maximizing point somewhere along that integral." We've all witnessed the war-on-piracy that the powers-that-be have been pursuing a few decades ago, and we've all seen it fail spectacularly. Similar to the drugs story, by going after the Napster-type filesha…

If we look at entertainment we see that ease of access has increased viewership (consumption). In terms of drugs we want to wean people off of addiction. Of course making drug use less dangerous is better than not, but it does nothing to mitigate the issue of having a population addicted to harmful substances.

Re: How Iraq’s crystal meth epidemic is ravaging the nation

#53

Post by Synaesthesia »

wil421 wrote: post #46
tcj_phx wrote: post #19

Stimulants -- amphetamines, cocaine, etc -- have physiological effects sort-of similar to Mono Amine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI). MAOIs were sold as the first generation of anti-depressant drugs. These substances have mood-elevating benefits sort-of similar to cocaine and amphetamine, but without the euphoria and crash. Later generations of anti-depressants are less effective that the MAOIs, but MAOIs fell out use beca…

How’s does ADHD medication compare to Meth? Is it the higher dosage with Meth? When I took Aderall it said methamphetamine salt.

They're basically the same thing. Difference is ADHD meds are 5-10mg Meth, or similar drug at a lowish dose, and orally. But you can take meth a low dose and achieve the same effect.

Taking more doesn't help your performance, it makes it worse, and you get way more side effects, especially mental side effects. These build up with time.

Re: How Iraq’s crystal meth epidemic is ravaging the nation

#54

Post by nsp »

wil421 wrote: post #46
tcj_phx wrote: post #19

Stimulants -- amphetamines, cocaine, etc -- have physiological effects sort-of similar to Mono Amine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI). MAOIs were sold as the first generation of anti-depressant drugs. These substances have mood-elevating benefits sort-of similar to cocaine and amphetamine, but without the euphoria and crash. Later generations of anti-depressants are less effective that the MAOIs, but MAOIs fell out use beca…

How’s does ADHD medication compare to Meth? Is it the higher dosage with Meth? When I took Aderall it said methamphetamine salt.

Adderall is amphetamine salts not methamphetamine. While methamphetamine can be prescribed for ADHD/occasionally weight loss, it's pretty rare in the US. That said, the mechanism of action is very similar

Re: How Iraq’s crystal meth epidemic is ravaging the nation

#55

Post by freeone3000 »

wil421 wrote: post #46
tcj_phx wrote: post #19

Stimulants -- amphetamines, cocaine, etc -- have physiological effects sort-of similar to Mono Amine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI). MAOIs were sold as the first generation of anti-depressant drugs. These substances have mood-elevating benefits sort-of similar to cocaine and amphetamine, but without the euphoria and crash. Later generations of anti-depressants are less effective that the MAOIs, but MAOIs fell out use beca…

How’s does ADHD medication compare to Meth? Is it the higher dosage with Meth? When I took Aderall it said methamphetamine salt.

As prescribed, it's at a much lower dosage. Adderall is tuned in 10mg increments, and meth is sold by the gram. Moreover, you absolutely can get addicted to and have serious health problems from prescribed medication -- it's a balance of risk versus reward. A handful of people prescribed stimulants have suffered sudden cardiac death.

The main difference here is modality of use -- taking something, once per day, in controlled doses, is very very different from taking something until you feel good. With a prescription, you also have a steady supply and no need to commit crimes to keep up your supply. So the societal problems from drug abuse, like overdose, increased criminality, and breakdown of relations don't happen with prescription drugs to the same extent, even if it's the same substance. Look at when the opoid crisis became a crisis -- it was when cheap, easy opioids stopped being available.

Re: How Iraq’s crystal meth epidemic is ravaging the nation

#56

Post by dls2016 »

kaesar14 wrote: post #2

Everytime I read an article like this, 18 years out from the start of the war, I'm reminded of this Onion headline from that time: https://www.theonion.com/this-war-will-destabilize-the-entir... "This War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave Of Anti-Americanism vs. No It Won’t" The statistic in this article about under-25 unemployment being 36% breaks my heart. This would've been…

Another classic focusing on the 18-year aspect: Soldier Excited To Take Over Father’s Old Afghanistan Patrol Route

https://local.theonion.com/soldier-excited-to-take-over-fath...

Re: How Iraq’s crystal meth epidemic is ravaging the nation

#57

Post by luckylion »

blackoil wrote: post #47

Be it Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq or Central America. Wherever British/US army goes to bring culture and democracy, drug epidemic follows along.

To be fair, Afghanistan was a huge drug producer before the US/NATO invaded. Have they become a giant consumer as well?

Re: How Iraq’s crystal meth epidemic is ravaging the nation

#58

Post by bsagdiyev »

Synaesthesia wrote: post #53
wil421 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How’s does ADHD medication compare to Meth? Is it the higher dosage with Meth? When I took Aderall it said methamphetamine salt.

They're basically the same thing. Difference is ADHD meds are 5-10mg Meth, or similar drug at a lowish dose, and orally. But you can take meth a low dose and achieve the same effect. Taking more doesn't help your performance, it makes it worse, and you get way more side effects, especially mental side effects. These build up with time.

ADHD meds are definitely not methamphetamines. They are amphetamine salts. Methamphetamine can be prescribed in rare cases but that isn’t the typical treatment at all.

Re: How Iraq’s crystal meth epidemic is ravaging the nation

#59

Post by tonyedgecombe »

mc32 wrote: post #28
tonyedgecombe wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cigarettes are legal yet many Western countries have been successful at driving down their use.

Do you think if we made them illegal use would go up or go down?

Did people stop drinking alcohol during prohibition?
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