Amphetamines In Many Forms example essay topic

550 words
Amphetamines are a desirable type of drug. They increase mental and physical activity and give an easy high. The type of high that amphetamines give are type 2, which means that it doesn t impair motor skills, but does affect judgment and memory. Amphetamines are also easily obtained, because they can be made in backyard labs with legally bought chemicals, and can be prescribed by doctors for hyperkinesia or narcolepsy. Amphetamines come in many different forms.

The most popular are Benzedrine and Methamphetamine. The nick-names for these are Bennies, Ice, Uppers, Pep pills, Meth, Ecstasy, Wake-Ups, Ups, denies, black beauties, jollies and Speed. You can buy amphetamines in many forms as well. They come in pills, powder and liquid. They can be snorted, ingested or injected.

Most people choose to inject the drug, generally injectingMethanphetamine; a reddish brown liquid, that can also come in capsules. After taking the drug, the user becomes more alert and their reflexes quicken. Their heart races and they feel a state of euphoria, becoming more and more relaxed. They experience visual as well as auditory hallucinations, and become more talkative. Their actions are compulsive, repetitive, and less organized. However as time goes on and the high wears down, the user becomes dizzy, irritable, nervous and shaky until they finally fall asleep.

After a long period of sleep, the user wakes up and feels severely depressed. Sometimes the user is so depressed that they commit suicide. If a person takes a large dose of an amphetamine, they get a fever and begin sweating. They also get tremors, a headache, dizziness and an irregular heartbeat. The long term affects of usage are: Becoming overly alert, tense and suspicious, mental illness, schizophrenia, malnutrition, violence, tendency toward addiction of other drugs, blockage of blood vessels, paranoia, hallucinations, brain damage, physical collapse and death. One of the good things about amphetamine is that addiction is possible to break.

But, the withdrawal symptoms are severe. While going through withdrawal a user may suffer severe exhaustion, go into a deep sleep for 24-48 hours, have a psychotic reaction, go into a deep depression, have anxiety or have a long but disturbed sleep with nightmares of monsters. The history of amphetamines begins in China where the ma huang plant was used to treat asthma. The ma huang plant contained amphetamine substances. In 1932, a synthetic form ofthe ma huang plant, made out of ephedrine was sold over-the-counter until 1954 when amphetamines were outlawed. During World War Two, amphetamines were given to soldiers and pilots to keep them awake, alert, and to fight off fatigue.

Now, amphetamines are only available through prescription and in small doses or from the black market. The amphetamines sold onthe black market are made in labs, which can be set up in a person's home. Missouri is one of the main makers of amphetamines, which can be attributed somewhat to the rural areas and availability of chemicals due to farming. The affects of amphetamines are far more severe then the high you get. Not to mention the jail time and social unacceptability you will face if caught..