Tennessee: Meth's Sexual Effect Explains Addictions

At a recent task force meeting on the methamphetamine epidemic in Appalachia, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) cringed when a federal prosecutor bluntly explained an obvious reason people become addicted to the drug: sex. Though meth will eventually destroy a user's sex drive, its short-term boost to sexual appetite and performance is more powerful than drugs such as cocaine, according to doctors. "Who wouldn't' want to use it? You lose weight and you have great sex," Assistant US Attorney Paul Laymon sarcastically said at the meeting.

Meth use can cause brain damage, violent behavior and hallucinations. The drug is often injected, placing users and their partners at risk for HIV, hepatitis C and other STDs.

Dr. Mary Holley, an obstetrician who runs the Albertville, Ala.-based Mothers Against Methamphetamine ministry, said her interviews with male and female meth addicts revealed that sex in the No. 1 reason people use it. "The effect of an IV hit of methamphetamine is the equivalent of 10 orgasms all on top of each other lasting for 30 minutes to an hour, with a feeling of arousal that lasts for another day and a half," said Holley.

But the euphoric effects do not last long. Dr. John Standridge, an addiction specialist with the Council for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services in Chattanooga, said meth and similar stimulants initially "rev up the dopamine nervous system in the brain. They rev it up and burn it out."

According to a 2002 National Institute on Drug Abuse survey on drug use and health, 12.4 million Americans over age 12 -- about 5 percent of the population -- had tried meth at least once in their lifetimes. And reflecting how serious the problem has become in Appalachia, 1,083 clandestine meth labs were cleaned up in Tennessee in 2003 -- more than any other state. A Bredesen-appointed meth task force is recommending expanded treatment for addicts and harsher penalties.

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