Methamphetamine as a Sleepless Dream or Addictive Nightmare

Methamphetamine as a Sleepless Dream or Addictive Nightmare

Methamphetamine has reclaimed a place in the lexicon of "party" drugs. Hailed by

nocturnal adventurers, condemned by raver idealists, is speed a sleepless dream

or an addictive nightmare?

Here at the end of the millennium, the pace of modern life seems fleeting -- a

whirl of minutes, hours and days. In dealing with the changes, humans have

equipped themselves with the tools to move faster, more efficiently. At the same

time a dependence for the marketing, high-speed transportation and pharmacology

of this modern age has evolved. In a race to outdo ourselves, we have moved

dangerously toward the fine line between extinction and evolution. Therefore,

the human capacity to handle the velocity becomes a fragile balance.

Our generation (see Gen X, 20-somethings) could be considered the sleepless

generation. An age of society's children weaned on the ideals of high-speed

communication and accelerated culture has prided itself in mastering many of the

facets of human existence -- doing more, sleeping less. The machines of this age

have in a way enabled us to create a 24-hour lifestyle. We have pushed the

limits of the modern world further -- ATMs, high-speed modems, smart bombs and

bullet trains. However, the limitations of human existence, like sleep, may

still provide the stumbling block for infinite realization. That is, without

chemical aid.

In many ways, capitalism fuels the idea. Our society is based upon the mass

consumption of these substances. Cultural ideals, while seemingly benevolent as

"Have a Coke and a smile" have sold the link to chemical substances like

caffeine and nicotine to "the good life." Today, stimulants are the bedrock for

consumer culture. For our generation, this appeal was heightened by raising the

stakes in the '80s on what it meant to have fun.

Late night clubs, high speed music and 24-hour lifestyles brought the specter of

drugs to the fold as a necessity for being able to attain more. Leaps away from

the psychedelics of the '60s, in the '80s these stimulant drugs became tools --

utilitarian devices to gain wealth, intelligence and prestige. Sleep became a

barrier for success. Dreams were the frivolous luxuries of childhood.

Raves, founded equally in the post-conservative underground late-'80s and the

chaotic early-'90s, are pa...

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..., however, by

methamphetamine's nature -- as a refined, concentrated addictive substance -- it

only perpetuates the cycle for needing more.

There is very little factual information about amphetamines and their dangers

available to the lay person. Research on the subject, aside from medical

journals, is virtually nill. There is however a great deal of dangerous

propaganda -- hear-say, lies, rumors. Misinformation sometimes is more dangerous

than no information and real answers are only found through communication.

Many other drugs have been part of the rave community over the years -- nitrous

oxide, Special K (ketamine) and especially ecstasy (MDMA) but none have

exhibited the burn-out or addiction rate associated with methamphetamine. While

meth (or any drug) is an inert substance that we cannot attribute blame to, by

its nature it has raised the question "Are we really built for speed?" It seems

that the human body, while naturally resilient to much self-inflicted abuse, may

not be a reliable container for the soul at high speeds. Methamphetamine may

have the ability to chemically fuel the ride, physically it may just prove the

limitations for human society.