I
know a lot of speed users who have Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD/ADHD). Is it a coincidence?
Attention Deficit Disorder is a behavioral disorder.
Without treatment, many people with ADD often have trouble
staying focused, are easily distracted, or are physically
restless. Sounds like being high, doesnt it? Well,
for many crystal users who have ADD, some stimulants
like crystal actually have the opposite effect. Instead
of becoming hyperactive or tweaky, they
actually calm down and become more relaxed and focused.
This is why Riatlin, a close amphetamine cousin, is
often prescribed to treat ADD.
Many
crystal users who have ADD also have emotional struggles
as well. Many are very self-conscious about their hyperactivity
and often feel very depressed about it. Many feel angry
when people assume or accuse them of being high or tweaking
when they really arent. They may only feel normal
when theyre high and very abnormal
when theyre not.
It
doesnt take long for someone experimenting with
crystal to find out that stimulants can sometimes make
these troubling symptoms go away for awhile. At first,
using crystal may not be about getting high, but about
getting normal. Good old-fashioned addiction,
however, can easily grab hold. If you have ADD, or think
you have it, talk to your doctor. There are more effective
drugs than street-produced methamphetamine for treating
it.
Will
Ritalin kids become addicted to meth later
on? This
is a common myth, but not entirely true. Taking Ritalin
as a child does not guarantee you will become addicted
to methamphetamine, or any other stimulant, as an adult.
Addictions develop for many reasons. While it
makes sense why adults with ADD might find stimulants
appealing, nothing dictates who will become addicted.
Plenty of adults who took Ritalin as children (or who
still do) never even experiment with street drugs or
use them regularly.
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