BLAST OF EUPHORIA TAKES A GRISLY TOLL

Crystal meth makes you feel good -- at least in the
beginning.

"It made me feel like I was God," recalls David Morse, a former meth
addict who says he has no desire to recapture that feeling.

Still, even now, his eyes grow wide and his hand stabs the air as he
describes how he felt after injecting meth.

"You get this intense heat rush all over your body and it's like one
of the best feelings in the world."

The problems begin when the feeling ends.

Meth is a central nervous system stimulant that triggers the release
of dopamine, a brain chemical associated with pleasure. The effect
lasts for hours: you're alert, confident, even euphoric.

But when the effect wears off, the body's dopamine supply is severely
depleted, leaving users feeling depressed and irritable -- a condition
known as dysphoria.

"The dilemma for meth users is: use or be dysphoric. It's no
competition," says Dr. Alex Stalcup, medical director of the New Leaf
Treatment Center in Lafayette, Calif.

As meth users begin taking higher doses more often, they can stay
awake for days.

"You can't live long at those pressures. There isn't an organ system
that isn't affected."

Users can become paranoid and hallucinate during a long binge. Some
imagine bugs crawling under their skin and cause scabby sores trying
to dig them out.

"I was starting to see all kinds of s--t flying around -- people being
swallowed up by holes, people jumping off buildings," says Wes, a
former user from Edmonton.

Meth suppresses appetite and long-term users lose unhealthy amounts of
weight.

Teeth, already vulnerable to decay from an addict's typically poor
diet and dental hygiene, can be ruined. The condition, dubbed "meth
mouth," is caused because the drug decreases production of
bacteria-fighting saliva.

"We would see teenagers come in who would need extractions, partials
or a full set of dentures," says Ida Ovnicek, oral health co-ordinator
for a health district in Spokane, Wash.

Organizations in the gay community are worried the drug will fuel a
spike in HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Crystal
meth has long been associated with the gay club culture because of its
ability to enhance sexual pleasure. The danger is that more gay men
are having unprotected sex while they're high.

Research is beginning to show it may take a user years to regain
proper dopamine levels. Some findings suggest prolonged use also
damages cognitive skills and memory.

"Imagine not being able to enjoy anything that usually brings you
pleasure -- eating, drinking, sex," Stalcup says. "They feel so bad
when they stop using, it's hard keeping them in treatment."