Fact or Fiction?  Find out!

Meth is less harmful than cocaine, or heroin.

Fact: Meth is a drug that has no basis in nature.  And, where cocaine is quickly removed from your system and almost completely metabolized, Meth has a much longer duration of action. The longer presence of Meth in the brain ultimately leads to prolonged stimulant effects.

The risk factor: There is a greater chance of suffering a heart attack, stroke, or serious brain damage with Meth than with other drugs.

Using Meth is like using diet pills.

Fact: Diet pills must meet standards and regulations.  Meth cooks use whatever they can to make a batch of their drug - the purity and strength will vary from supplier to supplier, even from one batch to the next.

The risk factor: Though it is easily attainable, Meth is dangerous and addictive. From 1998 to 1999, deaths due to Meth rose 38%.

Some people might get addicted, but my chance of that is low.  I can use Meth for a while and walk away - no harm, no foul.

Fact: Meth is more addictive than most any other drug.  Some people do become hooked from the first time they use it, many are addicted after just a few times. 

The risk factor: Would you play Russian Roulette if there were two bullets loaded instead of one?  How about three or four?  When you use Meth, it's like picking up a revolver - you don't know how many times you can pull the trigger.  You won't even realize you're forming an addiction to Meth until it's too late.

Meth can give me a high without really affecting the rest of my life.

Fact: Meth affects your brain, your body and your self control every time you use it.

The risk factor: Meth causes mind and mood changes such as anxiety, euphoria, and depression. It increases the heart rate, blood pressure, and risk of stroke.  It can cause aggression and violent or psychotic behavior.