In Overcoming Crystal Methamphetamine Addiction, one of the few books to address the topic for a general audience, Dr. Steven Lee, MD, a psychiatrist who specializes in crystal meth addiction, offers a complete guide to the drug, its effects, and how to overcome it. Based on extensive scientific and social research and drawing from his professional experience, he covers everything from the definition and history of crystal meth to the physical and psychological effects; from dealing with the addictive personality to helping a friend or family member cope with it. He focuses on understanding rather than outright condemnation of the drug, and empathetically covers all of the crucial questions: What is crystal meth? How is it made? How does it affect the body? How do you know if you're addicted to it? How do you stop using it? What if you don't want to stop? If you are going to use CM anyway, how can you minimize the damage? What if you quit but slipped and used again?
Methamphetamine, made easily in clandestine labs from over-the-counter ingredients, can cause depression, rapid tooth decay, psychosis, sensations of flesh crawling with bugs, paranoia, skin lesions, and kidney damage. Still, use has spread nationwide. In this work, two experts on methamphetamine addiction and recovery explain why this drug has such a physical, psychological, and social draw for addicts, despite all the damage it causes. Vignettes from addicts take us inside the subculture of meth users. Authors Taylor and Covey explain why this drug and its addiction is different from other illicit drugs and why, therefore, the treatment needs to be specifically tailored in order to be effective. Stephan Jenkins, singer for the band Third Eye Blind, says methamphetamine makes you feel bright and shiny, but it also makes you pathetically and relentlessly self-destructive, so much so that you will do unconscionable things to feel bright and shiny again. This drug, made easily in clandestine labs from over-the-counter ingredients, can also cause depression, rapid tooth decay, psychosis, sensations of flesh crawling with bugs, paranoia, skin lesions, and kidney damage. Still, use has spread nationwide from California to Maine, with known addictions now highest in the West, Midwest, and South. Treatment admissions for methamphetamine addictions have increased more than fivefold in the last decade, with a federal report in 2006 showing 136,000 known cases. Meth is particularly addictive to women because it causes rapid weight loss. The results, as shown in recent cover stories in Newsweek, National Geographic, and USA Today, are pain for far more than the abuser. Meth addiction also ravages life for spouses, children, and other family members, as well as communities. In this work, two experts on methamphetamine addiction and recovery explain why this drug has such a physical, psychological, and social draw for addicts despite all the damage it causes. Vignettes from addicts let us see inside the subculture of meth users. Authors Taylor and Covey explain why this drug and its addiction is different from other illicit drugs, and therefore why the treatment needs to be specifically tailored in order to be effective. This book, focused only on the addiction avenues and paths to recovery, is a perfect companion to Covey's earlier book, The Metehamphetamine Crisis (Praeger, 2006), which details the emergence and history of this drug use in the United States, as well as the social and community effects, and criminal justice approaches, successes, and failures to date. This book at hand will appeal to meth abusers, their families, and professionals trying to aid recovery from this new scourge, including substance abuse treatment providers, health professionals, psychologists, school personnel, and criminal justice staff.
Crystal meth is reported to be one of the most abused substances in the world. And although it isn't always easy to tell who is addicted to meth at first glance, given the statistics, it is very likely that you know someone who is. Crystal meth users are actually able to go about seemingly normal lives: They can maintain successful careers, or get decent enough grades to stay in school - at least until they get too deep into the addiction and it becomes too late. Now, if you are certain that you someone you love is abusing crystal meth, you may already realize that it's not going to be an easy journey to get them to overcome their addiction. This book is going to help you understand what your loved one is going through, and how to properly support them and help them get over the addiction. I will explain how to confirm whether or not someone is addicted to meth, and then what to do and - just as important - what not to do when talking to and relating to a user. You'll also learn when and how to get outside help, and exactly how to help a recovering addict avoid situations that could lead him back to the habit. Helping a loved one overcome an addiction is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one, and it all starts with knowing what to do.
The definitive book on the impact of methamphetamine on individuals, communities, and society by two of America's leading addiction and criminal justice experts. In recent years, the media have inundated us with coverage of the horrors that befall methamphetamine users, and the fires, explosions, and toxic waste created by meth labs that threaten the well-being of innocent people. In Methamphetamine: Its History, Pharmacology, and Treatment, the first book in Hazelden's Library of Addictive Drugs series, Ralph Weisheit and William L. White examine the nature and extent of meth use in the United States, from meth's early reputation as a "wonder drug" to the current perception that it is a "scourge" of society.In separating fact from fiction, Weisheit and White provide context for understanding the meth problem by tracing its history and the varying patterns of use over time, then offer an in-depth look at:the latest scientific findings on the drug's effects on individualsthe myths and realities of the drug's impact on the mindthe national and international implications of methamphetamine productionthe drug's impact on rural communities, including a case study of two counties in the Midwestissues in addiction and treatment of meth.Thoroughly researched and highly readable, Methamphetamine offers a comprehensive understanding of medical, social, and political issues concerning this highly impactful drug.Written for professionals and serious lay readers by nationally recognized experts, the books in the Library of Addictive Drugs series feature in-depth, comprehensive, and up-to-date information on the most commonly abused mood-altering substances.
"There are precious few things in this life of which I am certain. One is the love I have for my son, Andy... The other thing of which I am certain is this: no one wants to be an addict." - from the book. Here's what readers have to say: "Kim's writing style is clear, lucid, revealing, and on a par with the best of skilled non-fiction authors - Thor Heyerdahl, Thomas Thompson, even James Michener or my favorite, Jan de Hartog, and she is able to make the reader relive her addictions - all of them - to the point that I HAD to put the book down several times and "de-tox" myself, or at least breathe normally, before I could return to it. I've never felt so much inside the skin of someone who is going through the horror of addiction as when reading this biography." "Kim has cleansed her soul by once again facing the demons of her past, and I can only imagine how much strength it took for her to reopen her wounds and recount them one by one." "Crystal Clean is a book I couldn't put down about an amazing woman who was once completely immersed in the world of crystal meth. If you didn't know that she made it through the other side (because she is telling her own story), you might not believe she will come out of it alive. Kim lays out her life story, with memories that help show her state of mind as she started using different drugs and then meth. But it's not a "woe is me" story, and she doesn't dwell on the bad things that contributed to her mental state. It is ultimately a story about how a mother's love can overcome the terrible odds associated with this addiction." "This is a well-written, entertaining book. The author's style is light even when when the subject is not. It would have been easy to simply write about the misery that must come with Meth addiction. Instead, the author gives insight into her background and motivations. You can't help but root for the author as she describes her descent into drug addiction "hell," even though she is responsible for all her choices." "Being a mom of a special needs son (only child) and struggling to be everything to that child, while barely hanging on yourself is such a familiar story to me." "While reading this book, it hit home so much I had to stop reading it for moments at a time. So real and writing was so descriptive, I had to separate her feelings from my own in some regard. Thank you for opening up to your readers and trusting us with your story. I picture you kind of like a female "Rocky" winning in the end. Can't help but root for you and Andy!" "What an insightful and bravely written book. What Kim has shared is an amazingly helpful understanding to anyone who has been touched by the outreaching fingers of meth addiction and mental illness. And to those who haven't, a good reminder that not everyone or everything is as it may seem." "A beautiful memoir about one mom's struggle with her lot in life and how she chose to deal with it using illegal drugs. It's told in a brave, clear manner with no careful wording. I loved reading more about Andy and was absolutely rooting for Wollenburg through it all." "At first, you don't understand Kim. Then you love her." "Kim illustrates with graphic detail and genuine emotion the pain of addiction as well as the sometimes circuitous path to recovery. This book is extremely well written. I wish I lived next door to this courageous mother, daughter, and woman of worth." "CRYSTAL CLEAN: A mother's struggle with meth addiction and recovery is an honest and transparent look at the world of meth addiction and recovery. As a reader, I was swallowed up into this world of addiction, pain, anger, and fear. Many times I wanted out -- I wanted to skip to the end of the book and be assured that this young woman was going to be okay. I applaud the author for her obvious courage in sharing her story and exposing her pain and allowing herself to be so vulnerable. The author's writing is superb -- strong imagery and an authenti
The most innovative leaders in progressive addiction treatment in the US offer a groundbreaking, science-based guide to helping loved ones overcome addiction problems and compulsive behaviors. The most innovative leaders in progressive addiction treatment in the US offer a groundbreaking, science-based guide to helping loved ones overcome addiction problems and compulsive behaviors. Beyond Addiction eschews the theatrics of interventions and tough love to show family and friends how they can use kindness, positive reinforcement, and motivational and behavioral strategies to help their loved ones change. Drawing on forty collective years of research and decades of clinical experience, the authors present the best practical advice science has to offer. Delivered with warmth, optimism, and humor, Beyond Addiction defines a new, empowered role for friends and family and a paradigm shift for the field. Learn how to tap the transformative power of relationships for positive change, guided by exercises and examples. Practice what really works in therapy and in everyday life, and discover many different treatment options along with tips for navigating the system. And have hope: this guide is designed not only to help someone change, but to help someone want to change.
The brain is the most complex organ in our body. Indeed, it is perhaps the most complex structure we have ever encountered in nature. Both structurally and functionally, there are many peculiarities that differentiate the brain from all other organs. The brain is our connection to the world around us and by governing nervous system and higher function, any disturbance induces severe neurological and psychiatric disorders that can have a devastating effect on quality of life. Our understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of the brain has improved dramatically in the last two decades. In particular, the critical role of cations, including magnesium, has become evident, even if incompletely understood at a mechanistic level. The exact role and regulation of magnesium, in particular, remains elusive, largely because intracellular levels are so difficult to routinely quantify. Nonetheless, the importance of magnesium to normal central nervous system activity is self-evident given the complicated homeostatic mechanisms that maintain the concentration of this cation within strict limits essential for normal physiology and metabolism. There is also considerable accumulating evidence to suggest alterations to some brain functions in both normal and pathological conditions may be linked to alterations in local magnesium concentration. This book, containing chapters written by some of the foremost experts in the field of magnesium research, brings together the latest in experimental and clinical magnesium research as it relates to the central nervous system. It offers a complete and updated view of magnesiums involvement in central nervous system function and in so doing, brings together two main pillars of contemporary neuroscience research, namely providing an explanation for the molecular mechanisms involved in brain function, and emphasizing the connections between the molecular changes and behavior. It is the untiring efforts of those magnesium researchers who have dedicated their lives to unraveling the mysteries of magnesiums role in biological systems that has inspired the collation of this volume of work.
