Meth and the Middle Class

Recent reports indicate that meth use is not only migrating into eastern states, but into middle-class America. Originally a western phenomenon, associated with underprivileged, rural, and vagrant populations, meth is asserting a new presence both geographically and throughout the socioeconomic strata.

In 2003, NBC News in Los Angeles reported a story about a wealthy young woman in Orange County who was arrested for running a meth lab out of her parents' mansion. Along with several other individuals (including two male parolees), Adriean Volz, 22, was arrested on suspicion of turning her mother's $3 million Mediterranean-style home into a methamphetamine production site. The Orange County Sheriff's Department seized about $1 million worth (50 pounds) of crystalline stimulant, cooked up and ready to sell.

Campbell is a small, upper-middle-class community located near the Silicon Valley in California. However, according to a story published in the local Campbell Reporter, as early as 1999 meth use was becoming rampant in this community. Roland Williams, director of the chemical dependency program at Good Samaritan Hospital Recovery Center in Campbell, was interviewed for the story. Williams admitted treating adults from ages 18 to 50, from all walks of life, including housewives who are "trying to stay slim, take care of the kids and keep the house clean" to engineers working in Silicon Valley's high-tech sector.

A 2002 story published by the Associated Press describes how a middle-class single mother in Des Moines, Iowa, ended up receiving a 35-year prison sentence for selling meth. According to the article, Debra Breuklander was an energetic mother and homemaker with a nice house in the suburbs. She volunteered in her children's classrooms and maintained an excellent credit score. She also took and sold meth to give her energy and to help her financial situation.

The article, titled "Meth Use Difficult to Detect in Women," explores the idea that women's meth use is at least initially more difficult to recognize because of different motivations for taking it and reactions to use of the substance. Sheigla Murphy, director of the Center for Substance Abuse Studies at The Institute for Scientific Analysis in San Francisco, was interviewed for the article. She said she started seeing women like Debra Breuklander in the early 1990s. According to Murphy, middle-class women with families take meth to control weight, increase energy, and maintain a high level of daily activity associated with family life. These women go unrecognized as addicts because they do not behave like typical addicts.

The first meth "epidemic" was identified in Oregon in the early 1980s. Since then, the "I-5 corridor" (Interstate 5 runs the length of the United States' western coast, from Oregon to Mexico) has become a major route for meth distribution and use. Since appearing on the national scene in the late 1980s and 1990s, meth has been consistently more prevalent in the western states. This is largely due to the fact that, historically, a large portion of the illegal manufacture and trafficking of the drug originated in Mexico. However, meth use is now becoming a problem in the Midwest and eastern United States.

According to an information sheet published by the New Jersey Dental Association, citing data from the National Drug Intelligence Center within the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ), methamphetamine is more available than it has ever been in New Jersey. The DOJ data indicate that the profile of the typical meth user has evolved. Today, young, middle-class individuals are using the drug. The DOJ data indicates that 18- to 25-year-olds are now the most likely of any age group to use meth.

According to information published by the Attorney General of Illinois, the typical meth user is a lower- or middle-class white person in his or her twenties or thirties, living in a rural community. However, the report also points out that meth use is growing in other social circles. For example, it is a popular "club drug" in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and other urban areas; meth afflicts upper-class Americans; and meth use is increasing not just among youth but also among adults.

Young Adults Have Internet and Gaming Addictions, Too

Both teenagers and young adults can become addicted to online activities or video and computer games. The addiction can be to something as unthreatening as spider solitaire or to something truly menacing like cyber-pornography or cyber-gambling. Learn more about internet and gaming addictions.

Living to Eat: Do You Have a Food Addiction?

In many ways, food can closely resemble a drug - caffeine and sugar offer a quick pick-me-up while carbohydrates and comfort foods can help soothe and relax the mind. Some people use food, like drugs, to feel at ease in social situations or to unwind after a long day. Read about the signs of food addiction and learn about the treatment.

Protecting Your Family from Teen Pharm Parties

The risks of teen prescription drug abuse are momentous, yet few adults in a position to take action against them have realistic grip on this new frontier of teen crime. The culture growing between young people who abuse prescription drugs is poignantly different from that around other narcotics. Learn more about teen pharm parties.

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