Sex on Methamphetamine
What is meth?
| Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant of the central nervous system that may be smoked, snorted, orally ingested, or injected into the body. It is commonly referred to as meth. | 
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Effects on the body
When meth is taken, the user feels an intense rush almost immediately, which is caused by the release of large amounts of dopamine in the area of the brain that controls pleasure. Meth increases alertness and energy, decreases appetite, and may last up to twelve hours at a time. Immediate side effects include convulsions, dangerously high body temperature, stroke, cardiac arrhythmia, stomach cramps, and shaking.
Chronic users have a good chance of building up a tolerance for meth, which will then require the person to use greater and greater amounts of it to achieve the same high. This, in turn, leads to a greater likelihood of overdose. Some abusers will go on a "run" of meth, refraining from eating or sleeping for days, subsisting only on the drug, until they either run out or are too dazed to continue.
Long-term effects of meth use may include:
- Psychotic behavior, such as intense paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and out-of-control rages that can result in episodes of violence.
- Sores on the body from scratching at "crank bugs," a common delusion that bugs are crawling under the skin.
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Malnutrition
- Lead poisoning (due to the way Meth is usually manufactured)
- Many heart problems, including inflamed heart lining, rapid or irregular heart rate, increased blood pressure
- Stroke-causing damage to tiny blood vessels in the brain
- Damage to up to 50% of dopamine-producing brain cells
- Extensive damage to serotonin-containing nerve cells
Effects on sexuality
Methamphetamine first gained popularity as a sex drug in the gay community in the 1990s. Because of meth's ability to increase energy and significantly delay or inhibit ejaculation, sex on meth is usually a marathon event. This drug also lowers inhibitions, boosts confidence, increases libido, and heightens the intensity of sex, making it all the more alluring to those seeking a uniquely powerful sexual experience. Sex on meth is, however, extremely dangerous. Its effects encourage people to engage in high risk sex -- that is, unprotected and with multiple partners.
The recent upsurge in methamphetamine use is easily linked with the spread of STIs and AIDS, especially in the gay community. In a recent study, meth users were 6 times less likely to use a condom than non-meth users. In another study, 25% of those men who reported Methamphetamine use in the previous month were infected with H.I.V. Meth appears to double the risk of infection, not only because of lowered inhibitions, but also because the prolonged sexual encounters lead to chafing, tearing, and trauma to the sex organs, which makes the virus easier to transmit.
Additionally, using Meth while pregnant can lead to numerous problems, including premature delivery, altered neonatal behavior patterns, such as abnormal reflexes and extreme irritability, and may cause congenital deformities.
Though Methamphetamine is quite attractive to many who seek dynamic and guiltless sex, the consequences of abusing the drug can be quite severe.
References
- Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy Factsheet. http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/factsht/methamph/
- Koch Crime Institue. http://www.kci.org/meth_info/faq_meth.htm
- Koch Crime Institue. http://www.kci.org/meth_info/faq_meth.htm
- "Crystal and Sex". Wikipedia, Online encyclopedia.