Visible Signs of Meth

Undoubtedly Meth is an addictive and cheap drug. It  causes many physiological symptoms that are visible. According to How Meth Destroys the Body, "Chronic abuse can lead to psychotic behavior, including paranoia, insomnia, anxiety, extreme aggression, delusions and hallucinations, and even death"("How Meth Destroys the Body," n.d.). Some of the physical signs include but are not limited to acne, sores, meth mouth which results in tooth decay and tooth loss, and weight loss ("How Meth Destroys the Body," n.d.).
In the correctional setting we encountered many addicts with meth mouth. One particular person that comes to my mind was a young male about 23 years old. He had been a meth addict since he was fairly young. I can't remember the exact year but probably about 12 years old. He dropped out of school at a very young age and was quite illiterate. His parents were also meth addicts, but lost contact with them when they both got arrested. He lived with other family members, who of course also were addicts to meth and alcohol. He became a run away and began to hang out with other addicts and would commit theft at stores to feed their addiction. I remember looking at his teeth, because he was complaining of  pain. His gums were red and swollen. His teeth looked rotten, but did have some teeth. When he was referred to the dentist, he received the awakening reality of what his addiction had caused him. The dentist mentioned that none of his teeth were salvable, and because his gums were infected it was imminent to have all his teeth removed. He was then given antibiotics and referred to Oral Surgery. 
When you are incarcerated the jail system does not provide you with dentures, because they see this as a cosmetic and unnecessary need. Not to mention the fact that they are expensive. Their only purpose is to treat you and keep you as healthy as possible. This young man not even 25 years old had to deal with the fact of having to eat soft foods while he was going to be incarcerated or at least until he was released and could afford dentures. People at jail don't have many choices of what they can eat. If you are prescribed soft foods from the doctor, your choices are oatmeal, cottage cheese and sou, all of which are tasteless, and very bland. If you want to eat or buy from the commissary you would have to first of all have family to put money on your account or hustle inside gail, then soak the food in some type of liquid in order for it to be consumed without causing injury. Meth mouth is real and it's one of many dreadful consequences meth has on the body of an addict. 

Bellow is a picture from the website.

References:

How Meth destroys the Body. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/body/