Pubdate: Thu, 24 Jun 2004
Source: Cape Argus (South Africa)
Copyright: 2004 Cape Argus.
Contact:  http://capeargus.co.za/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2939
Author: Di Caelers
THE DRUG THAT KEEPS TEENS FROM GROWING UP

It gives a quick rush of confidence and power that all adolescents 
seek, but the down side is that Tik addiction makes users lag 
behind their peers emotionally - and can leave them paranoid and 
prone to violence

Tik, Tuk-Tuk or crystal meth gives adolescents what they want - 
confidence and a sense of power.

And it's out there and available. Recent research in Cape Town 
found that one in four high school pupils canvassed knew of a 
dealer at their school. The number was even higher for those who 
knew how to get it outside of school.

But it's also highly addictive - almost as high as heroin - and could 
set addicts back years as they struggle later to make up for the 
emotional and physical development retardation they will suffer 
while they're taking it.

That's the blunt message for users from Grant Jardine, director of 
the Cape Town Drug Counselling Centre, who said the devastating 
reality was that the effect of the drug - confidence, energy and a 
sense of power - dovetailed exactly with the adolescent state, and 
what youngsters saw as "lacking" in their lives.

Jardine puts the sudden rapid upswing in the use of tik to two 
things:

Every new generation tends to define itself separately, with new 
music, clothes and slang. Often, new drugs come along with that.

"I think we're seeing the younger generation preferring tik to 
mandrax. It's all about learnt behaviour from previous generations 
- - the same behaviour, just different drugs.

"From generation to generation, the choice of drugs also often 
skips from uppers to downers. Mandrax is a downer, now tik is an 
upper," Jardine said.

His second point relates to the fact that tik gives adolescents 
exactly what they want.

"Adolescence is a time when youngsters find their role in society 
changing. They have more responsibility and sexuality becomes a 
factor. These changes often result in lack of confidence and 
awkwardness.

"Tik counteracts this, giving them a sense of power and 
confidence," Jardine said.

The proof of tik's potency, drug counsellors believe, lies in the fact 
that users seek help quite soon after experimenting with the drug.

"It's taking over people's lives quicker. With dagga it's a long time 
before the effects are noticeable, but with tik, that's not the case," 
she said.

Realistically, not everyone who takes drugs gets addicted. But while 
those experimenting with dagga have a better chance of escaping 
addiction, with tik the odds are definitely against the user.

And, as Jardine points out, the biggest problem is that young users 
are only masking their feelings of incompetence, prolonging the 
battle that goes naturally with teenage development.

When (and if) they quit, they'll have to go through the struggle 
anyway, but by that time they could be in their 20s.

"The greatest negative impact tik has is on the emotional and 
physical development of the user.

"If a 20-year-old comes into treatment, but has been taking drugs 
since age 13, they'll have the emotional maturity of a 13-year-old," 
he said.

Development is retarded or even halted, so even if the user 
manages to quit, they'll almost certainly struggle with stress, 
especially around making decisions, with relationships and 
especially sexual relationships.

"Taking drugs won't mean you skip having to go through those 
natural experiences. It'll just mean the battle will be much more 
difficult later on," Jardine said.

Another real concern among drug counsellors is the ease with 
which tik is manufactured and sold. As Jardine puts it, "it doesn't 
take a rocket scientist to make it".

Generally, the drug sells for between R20 and R40 a "straw", 
depending on its quality.

Tik works by mimicking naturally occurring substances in the body, 
especially feel-good chemicals that would, for example, be 
released if a teenager kissed someone they really liked.

But if these substances are taken externally, as in tik, the body not 
only stops producing these feel-good chemicals naturally, but also 
kicks into trying to prevent absorption of the chemicals, so killing 
off receptors.

"There's no natural high left for them then. They won't be able to 
feel good in relation to a real-life experience.

"The only way to get that back is the withdrawal process, a process 
during which the body readjusts and starts producing those 
chemicals naturally," Jardine explained.

The worst effects they're seeing among their mostly teenage clients 
are psychotic episodes, hallucinations and delusions. It can also 
heighten aggression.

Tik is a stimulant, so Jardine warns parents to watch out for signs 
that include restlessness, youngsters talking very fast, not finishing 
their sentences, an inability to stick to one topic, hyperactivity, 
weight loss, jitteriness and trembling.

"The impact of this drug is severe, and the effects can be 
devastating," he said.

* For more information, visit the Cape Town Drug Counselling 
Centre website at www.drugcentre.org.za 
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