Why do some people engage in the use of recreational drugs? Answering that would take more space than this post provides, and I'm sure each and every drug user has a "reason" for taking drugs. Do any of them matter? That's up to the drug user and their human reasoning ability (if it exists).

In recent times, the drug known as crystal meth (crystal methamphetamine) has become popular due to its lower cost, easy availability and the effects it has on the human body (c'mon, there must be some!). A recent study shows that crystal meth use may be higher than previously thought, and that its main user is often a young, poor, white man whose father is in prison. No surprise there.

In a recent study just published this past week in Addiction, it was found that 2.8 percent of those surveyed (a group of over 14,000 young people) said they used the drug in the past year while 1.3 percent used it in the past month. This was in a group of 18 to 1 year-olds taken in 2001 and 2002 (over five years old). Is it worse now? Probably.

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Researchers in Hawaii are examining crystal methamphetamine addicts to see what effects the illicit drug has one newborn children, young kids, adults and former users.

In an attempt to see what kind of overall effects crystal meth can have on addicts, the research team will be using MRI methods to look at the chemistry and physiology of the brains of these addicts.

In a new twist for such a study on crystal meth, though, this one will look at how the drug changes the brain during different stages of life -- from right after being born to becoming an adult. The detriments of using meth are well-known (even after an addict stops using), but this may give insight into the specifics.

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The drug addict is a model of behavior that I like to study on a consistent basis. Why do drug addicts subject their bodies to synthetic "recreational" drugs? To escape real life? To get a constant physical "high" that feels good? There are a thousand other reasons most likely. But, once a drug is tried, the possibility for addiction sinks hooks into you.

The drug that man of us hear about these days is "meth." Commonly called "crystal meth," the technical term is methamphetamine, and the effects of this drug are outright damaging (psychologically and physically). Meth s produced cheaply (sometimes with off-the-shelf ingredients), which makes it very popular.

In an added note of absurdity, drug pushers are adding "sweet flavorings" and other junk food ingredients into the mix to get first-time meth users into the habit using "taste" hooks. If you know somebody using meth in any way (flavored or not), setting that person up to get help is the only humane thing to do.

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