A zombie-like creature is staggering around the city centers across the Europe and North America, numbing passersby and collapsing hither and thither on losing control over them. A mind-altering drug, widely known as Spice (Zombie Drug), is swapping the streets and parks into real-life horror movies. Spice is a powerful drug with dehumanizing effects that is ruining lives across Britain, making users paralyze and turned into walking dead within a few minutes.
What Actually Is Zombie Drug Spice?
Spice is a mixture of herbs and manmade chemicals having mind-altering effects. It is often labeled as not for human consumption. Spice is also termed as synthetic marijuana because some of its chemicals are similar to marijuana. However, its effects are different and even stronger than marijuana or cannabis. The chemicals frequently found in Spice are illegal because they have a high potential for abuse. The sellers of this zombie drug pretend it to be natural and harmless, but in actuality, it has severe and unpredictable effects and in some cases cause death. Some people smoke spice rolling it in a paper like they do with marijuana, and it is often mixed with marijuana. Some consume it as herbal tea, while some others vaporize spice liquids in the e-cigarette.
Manmade or Synthetic drugs such as Spice are produced to mimic the effects of illegal drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. The manufacturers keep altering the chemicals of these drugs to avoid being classified as illegal. These are labeled with common household names to hide real identities such as bath salts, plant food, potpourri, herbal incense and jewelry cleaner. These are marketed under names such as Flakka, K2, Salvia, Black Mamba, Cloud Nine and Kush etc. These are cheaper than other drugs and are easy to obtain online, at gas stations and tobacconists.
Spice Is Second Most Popular Drug Used By Teens
Zombie drugs marketed as Spice is widely being used by high school students owing to easy access, low cost and the misperception that it is natural and harmless. Spice is the second most popular illegal drug among high schoolers (Marijuana is on first). Synthetic cannabinoids such as Spice are 2 to 100 times stronger than marijuana and have a high risk of adverse health concerns.
A research published in Pediatrics journal examined the 30-day use of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) and found that one-fifth of teen SC users use these drugs on almost daily basis. This high use is distressing due to the adverse outcomes associated with SC use.
The research also indicates that SC use is linked with marijuana use as 8 out of 10 SC users are also marijuana users. When the researchers compared the SC users, who were also the current users of marijuana, to the marijuana-only users who were not current SC users, fewer SC users than marijuana-only users perceived that occasional SC use can cause adverse health impacts and more SC users perceived that occasional use of marijuana can cause potential risks. These findings indicate that the young users have lack of information about health risks attached with the use of synthetic cannabinoids.
A majority of youngsters use Spice and other synthetic cannabinoids because they suppose that these drugs are less risky than marijuana. Another reason of this high use is that many SCs are not yet illegal. They perceive that marijuana is riskier because it is illegal to possess but synthetic marijuana drugs are not illegal and secure. However, these synthetic chemicals are far dangerous and are no safe alternative to marijuana.
What Happens To Your Brain And Body When You Use Zombie Drug Spice?
The zombie drug users report paranoia, anxiety, and hallucination. The feel like everyone is out to get them, and they see and hear things that did not exist. Moments after taking Spice, the user starts sweating and loses control over legs and mind. The zombie-like effect lasts for 10 to 30 minutes but the other side-effects such as dizziness and paranoia last for up to eight hours.
The severe reactions of the drug include symptoms like fast heart rate, violent behavior, and suicidal thoughts. Spice can cause kidney and liver failure, raised blood pressure and has been linked with heart attacks and death. Spice can be addictive which means the user cannot stop using it even having a desire to get rid of it. The withdrawal can cause terrible consequences to health and its symptoms include anxiety, depression, and irritability.
What Should You Do If Your Teen is Using Zombie Drug?
Imagine that your teen girl visits her friend’s home and then you receive a hysterical call. You rush towards her friend’s house and find him staggering around the street. She is in a state of stupor, paranoia, and even cannot stand on her feet. When you ask her if she has taken drugs, she fails to give a clear answer. When you take her to the hospital, you learn that she has taken a kind of synthetic drug with mind-altering and dehumanizing effects.
This is not an impracticable situation and if you think that it won’t happen to you because your family is protected and your neighborhood is safe, you need to think again. The anxiety, curiosity, risk-taking behavior, and impulsiveness can make your adolescent give a try to such substances. If any of your children started using a synthetic drug considering it a safe and harmless, educate him about the adversaries of these drugs and provide him proper substance abuse treatment if needed. If your kid is facing any sort of anxiety, depression or fear, talk to him and make him feel loved and supported. You can also take the support of a psychiatrist and professionals who can solve such delicate issues more accurately.
Monitoring Supports Beyond Your Expectations
The unsupervised adolescents are more likely to be a victim of substance abuse, so never leave your kiddo unmonitored. The mobile phone spy application provides you major support in this regard. You can keep tabs on all of your kid’s activities to ensure he is not wandering around like a Zombie.
