Sadly our society is being overcome, or should I say...is overwhelmed with a new epidemic involving bath salt. This substance is being abused by our peers, our young people...not just junkies on the street! It is sweeping through towns swiftly and as menacingly as heroin. In the past two years the abuse of Bath Salt has gone national. Unfortunately there has not been much research done on the matter because this is a new force our law enforcement is beginning to recon with.
Not only has the epidemic of Bath Salt Abuse taken over big cities like New York and Miami...it is hitting small towns just as hard. Bath Salt is cheap and readily available in stores, being sold as a therapeutic bathing product. I live in a small town of roughly 1200 people and it is grossly apparent that the young people in this town are using Bath Salt. I have seen some of them wandering around town, staring off into space...they reminded me of a zombie! They go around bragging about doing the stuff and have no idea that they are messing with dangerous stuff.
The effects of bath salt are like that of LSD or cocaine, but it is more intense to the point where the user ends up becoming delusional and see's things that are not really there. They could end up hurting people they know such as family members or neighbors. It is said that people high on Bath Salt cannot be reasoned with, they have a tendency to bite or harm themselves or others. People that are abusing Bath Salt heavily are dangerous and unpredictable. It has been reported that people on Bath Salt are hard to restrain or sedate when being apprehended by police, this is a scary factor...what if someone like that walked in your home or just hopped into your vehicle (this happened to a few people in a town in New York) How would you defend yourself if this person is all strung out and feeling nothing at all to the effect of pain.
There was an incident around town recently where a man on Bath Salt walked into some people's homes, and the man had no idea where he was or who was around him. The man walked up to people he had known for years and asked them who they were. This person was completely delusional, thinking he was in another place and time...even climbing into vehicles that were parked in front of homes and just sitting there! I saw a show on Intervention about a man on Bath Salt and it was a little disturbing to see how he acted on the stuff...I suggest watching that episode just to get an idea.
It is reported that the side effects of Bath Salt are hallucinations, paranoia, dependency, fear, delusions (may see people as devils or other creatures and try to harm them), self mutilation, heart problems (increases heart rate), overdose, and death either by overdosing or commiting suicide. Hospitals are not sure how to treat some of these cases because this is still new to them.
Everything I have researched about Bath Salt is inconclusive in the sense that they are still gathering information. We will not know the true destruction of this drug for some time, until research can be complete and the effects of the body and mind are gone over. There will be more to come on this in the future...keep your ears and eyes open to those around you. If you see someone acting strange or walking around in an "out of it" kind of manner...just stay away from them! If you see someone freaking out and you suspect they may be on Bath Salt then do not approach them...call the police and let them deal with the matter as they are trained to.
If you suspect a loved one is using Bath Salt, please contact a local support facility that can help you and your loved one get through this and overcome the addiction.
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