People abusing ice drugs end up looking way worse than their sober selves. Ice drug addiction, the purest form of methamphetamine, causes drastic changes in a person’s appearance. These changes are hard to miss, and we’ll discuss eight of them in this article. If someone you care about displays these eight visual indications of ice drug addiction, guide them to getting help. The effect of ice drugs goes beyond physical deterioration. It can cause death. In Australia, the death rate for meth and other stimulants is 1.8 per 100,000 population.
8 Physical Indications of Ice Drug Addiction
From extreme weight loss and severe dental problems to premature aging, people struggling with ice drug addiction go through physical changes that are heartbreaking to see.
1. Severe Tooth Decay
Consuming ice drugs on a regular basis causes a person’s teeth to stain, rot, chip, and eventually break and fall out. They call this meth mouth. The exact length of time for extreme tooth decay to set in depends on the individual. It can be as early as one year into abusing ice drugs to a few years. On the other hand, the extent of damage is affected by how the user consumes the substance.
Extreme tooth decay occurs because the ice drug causes the salivary glands to dry out. Because the mouth lacks enough saliva to neutralize acids, the teeth and gums become susceptible to cavities. Since ice drug users also tend to grind their teeth compulsively, eat sugary foods, and neglect brushing and flossing, the cavities are exacerbated.
In the first stage of meth mouth, gum tissue will appear swollen and red. The person will have bad breath, and the teeth will show signs of cavities. In the second stage, the gum tissue will begin to recede, and tooth cavities will get worse. Dental lesions may also be present on the lips. In the last stage, dental lesions will become more apparent, and some teeth will be missing. Teeth have also decayed down to the gum line.
2. Premature Aging
Ice drug users tend to age faster. Check out the online gallery called “Faces of Meth,” and you’ll see how ice drug users appear older just after a few months or years of using the substance. Studies have found that premature aging happens because ice drugs accelerate the production of ceramides. Ceramides are fats that regulate cell aging. So, the more ceramides there are, the faster a person looks old.
3. Fat and Muscle Loss
As a stimulant, ice drug suppresses a person’s appetite. Some ice drug users can go days without eating nutritious food. To make matters even worse, ice drug speeds up a lot of the body’s processes. It means the person burns off the calories they gain quite easily. As a result, a person loses weight quickly.
Since the body needs a certain amount of fat to be healthy, losing too much weight can be hazardous. Likewise, skipping full meals can lead to vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition. If your loved one suddenly got skinnier, find out whether they also show other signs of ice drug abuse.
4. Sores and Lesions
Face and mouth sores are another visual sign of ice drug abuse. The sores can be mistaken for acne, but they’re actually red and inflamed flesh wounds. In the beginning, the sores look like small bites. Meth users tend to scratch them constantly, causing them to become infected or irritated and become larger.
Sores don’t heal quickly because ice drugs inhibit the body from repairing any damage. The substance can also cause formication, a condition that makes the person think and feel like bugs are crawling beneath their skin. As a result, they obsessively pick their skin.
5. Chapped and Cracked Lips
Chapped and cracked lips occur because of dry mouth. Many medications cause dry mouth, and ice drugs are one of them. As mentioned, ice drugs inhibit the salivary glands from producing enough saliva to keep the mouth wet.
6. Tweaking
Tweaking happens when an individual addicted to ice drug is at the end of a substance binge. Ice drug users tend to become extremely agitated when they can no longer achieve a high or rush from the substance. Then, they become desperate to feel the euphoric effects of the substance again.
Some common indicators of tweaking include repetitive and nonsensical speech, rapid eye movements, and erratic behaviour. The person may become extremely restless and paranoid and pick at their hair or skin.
7. Dilated Pupils and Dull Eyes
Ice drug use also affects a person’s eyes. When you look into the eyes of an ice-drug user, you will typically see dilated pupils, visible blood vessels, and even yellowing of the eyes. These wide ranges of symptoms are also referred to as crystal meth eyes. Some of the signs, like pupil dilation, disappear as the drug wears off. However, the enlargement of blood vessels and yellowing can be permanent.
8. Poor Hygiene
Individuals addicted to ice drugs tend to stop caring about their appearance. Their addiction comes first. They spend most of their time too high to care about hygiene and the rest of the time trying to get more drugs. For others, they barely notice that they haven’t brushed their teeth or showered for days or that their clothes are already smelly.
If your loved one displays visual symptoms of ice drug abuse, immediately connect them with treatment professionals. Your intervention may prove crucial as they won’t likely get help on their own.
Break the Ice: Get Help Today!
More than 9 million people in the U.S. alone have used meth at least once in their lifetime. In Australia, 1% of people aged 14 and over consumed the substance from 2022 to 2023. You may wonder what makes the substance so attractive. It’s mainly because ice drug causes the brain to release excessive amounts of dopamine. As a result, a user gets a sudden rush of pleasure followed by a euphoric high. The euphoric feeling that the substance gives is unlike anything you’ll ever experience. So after the first try, users tend to want more of the drug to get the feeling again.
Over time, ice drug changes a person’s brain chemistry, so users struggle to overcome their addiction despite all its negative effects. Although a user may start looking unattractive, the substance can make them feel the other way around. They may feel confident and good-looking.
Hence, intervention is necessary if you want someone you care about to get clean. Let your loved one know that you care about them and want to support and help them recover from their ice drug addiction. Then, offer to help them find a reputable treatment facility. They may not accept help immediately, but don’t give up. Continue showing them your love and support until they are ready to get help.
At Hills & Ranges Private (HARP), we can help your loved one break free from their ice drug addiction.
