The Stages of the Meth “Experience”

1 The Rush—A rush is the initial response the abuser feels when smoking or injecting methamphetamine. During the rush, the abuser’s heartbeat races and metabolism,* blood pressure and pulse soar. Unlike the rush associated with crack cocaine, which lasts for approximately two to five minutes, the methamphetamine rush can continue for up to 30 minutes.

2 The High—The rush is followed by a high, sometimes called the shoulder. During the high, the abuser often feels aggressively smarter and becomes argumentative, often interrupting other people and finishing their sentences. The delusional effects can result in a user becoming intensely focused on an insignificant item, such as repeatedly cleaning the same window for several hours. The high can last 4–16 hours.

3 The Binge—A binge is uncontrolled use of a drug or alcohol. It refers to the abuser’s urge to maintain the high by smoking or injecting more methamphetamine. The binge can last 3–15 days. During the binge, the abuser becomes hyperactive both mentally and physically. Each time they smoke or inject more of the drug, they experience another but smaller rush until, finally, there is no rush and no high.

4 Tweaking—A methamphetamine abuser is most dangerous when experiencing a phase of the addiction called tweaking—a condition reached at the end of a drug binge when methamphetamine no longer provides a rush or a high. Unable to relieve the horrible feelings of emptiness and craving, an abuser loses his sense of identity. Intense itching is common and a user can become convinced that bugs are crawling under their skin. Unable to sleep for days at a time, the abuser is often in a completely psychotic state, existing in their own world, seeing and hearing things that no one else can perceive. Their hallucinations are vivid and seem real. Disconnected from reality, users can become hostile and dangerous to themselves and others. The potential for self-mutilation is high.

5 The Crash—To a binge abuser, the crash happens when the body, unable to cope with the drug effects overwhelming it, shuts down. This results in a long period of sleep. Even the meanest, most violent abuser becomes almost lifeless during the crash. The crash can last 1–3 days.

6 Meth Hangover—After the crash, the abuser is in a deteriorated state, starved, dehydrated and utterly exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. This stage ordinarily lasts from 2–14 days. This leads to enforced addiction, as the “solution” to these feelings is to take more meth.

7 Withdrawal—First, the meth addict becomes depressed, loses their energy and the ability to experience pleasure. Then the craving for more methamphetamine hits, and the abuser often becomes suicidal. Since meth withdrawal is extremely painful and difficult, most abusers revert and take more of the drug.

* metabolism: the processes in the body that convert food into energy

Updated: 2025