Okay here is another drug in the Illegal drugs and teens articles I have been writing...Speed is the second most used illegal drug in Australia...It is very closely related to Ice...Ice is just a purer crystal for of amphetimine...Speed in the group of drugs known as stimulants which means it affects the central nervous system and sends messages to your brain faster than normal....In this group also are drugs like ecstasy and Ice...

Some street names for this drug are... Meth, crystal, whizz, go-ee, shabu, paste, zip, eve, leopards blood, oxblood, snow, gogo and mdea...

Speed comes commonly in two forms...powder or liquid that is in a few different colours white to yellowish or brown or pink...The powder form can be fine to really course or even a really thick liquid...It comes in these different colours because of what the back yard manufacturers add to this amphetamine...It could vary from sugar, bicarbonate of soda, glucose, and ephedrine...

The way this drug is used is either through snorting by sniffing up the nose...swallowing...Injecting and can also be smoked through a pipe commonly known as snow cones...When this drug is mixed with depressants this can sometimes make the effects stronger and unpredicatable...

As with most drugs this drug too has its short term and long term effects...the short term effects can be but not limited to, Increased blood pressure and pulse rate, Increased breathing,Teeth grinding, Anxiety,  Restlessness, Insomnia, Fever and sweating, Flushing,  Dry mouth and lips, Dilated pupils, Nausea and vomiting and Mood swings...Some of the more severe side effects of this drug from long term use are, Paranoia, Hallucinations, Chronic sleep problems, Cracked teeth through grinding, High blood pressure, Panic attacks, Anxiety, Nervousness, Decreased emotional control, Severe depression, Violent behaviour , Speed psychosis, Nerve cell damage, Death from heart failure or suicide, High risk of addiction, especially if injected, HIV and hepatitis infections from sharing needles...

This drug is easily addictive or really habit forming...It gives a high that most users just love to be on giving them unlimited energy but also gives them the idea that they are 10 foot tall and bulletproof leaving the user unable to make good and safe decisions...Speeding is a way to forget your troubles and feel good and if the user is prone to having an addictive personality there could be trouble with this drug...It ruins lives the users and their familys'...It is found through reasearch that physical as well as verbal abuse are linked to the use of this drug...

Again I will say it and will keep saying it over and over...Communication is the key to help our teens say no to speed and all of these drugs...Knowledge is Power and I will say it again lets give our kids the knowledge to have the power to say NO...Drugs not only ruin the users life but also effects all around them...Please lets do the best we can to help our kids...

Have a great day
Cheers
Angie