As they begin to recover from their drug addiction, their food issues resurface. In recovery they put on five to 10 pounds. Meth seems to have a particular appeal to people who have attention deficit disorder or related problems, say local experts. Drugs like Dexedrine, which are given to people with ADD, belong in the speed family. It's possible some young people who don't know they have ADD may end up self-medicating with meth.
Users debate meth quality the way home brewers argue over who makes better beer.
As much as racial issues appear to be at play in that assessment, so are geographical issues. Some addicts even ship their drugs off to commercial labs for analysis, convinced they are being cheated or fed something other than meth. The high from meth is notoriously long, easily lasting up to 10 hours. During that time, addicts say, they might stare at a spot on the floor for an hour or chomp mindlessly on the same piece of gum for eight hours. They are more likely, however, to find it almost impossible to sit still.