Individuals who get addicted to crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ice among other names, are unable to sleep or eat. This condition is usually followed with the user breaking down and sleeping for several days.

Habitual users experience depression and exhibit hostile and unreasonable behaviour. Even if an addict stops using, he or she may suffer severe psychological disorder for years.

Narconon International says "ice addicts" are prone to experience injuries to the heart and blood vessels which increases the risk of strokes and heart attack. Those who inject meth into their blood vessels are exposed to the risk of collapsed veins, abscesses, pneumonia or blood-borne diseases.

In big urban centers, crystal meth is often used in gay communities, where it multiplies the hazards of hepatitis and HIV due to risky sexual contact while high on the drug.

ABC News reported that the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre said "the popularity of ecstasy is falling, with 27 per cent of people nominating it as their drug of choice in 2011, down to 10 percent from 2010. In the same period, there has been a 9 per cent jump in the number of regular ecstasy users who take ice."

Lucy Burns, a senior lecturer of the facility mentioned the result is worrying because of ice's effect on people's mental health. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant.

Crystal methamphetamine gained ground in Australia in 2001 during a scarcity in the heroin supply.

ABC Online published a report that "because crystal meth is produced in neighboring Asia and domestically as well, there is a steady availability of the drug to Australians. By 2006, Australia was seeing an epidemic of meth addiction and admissions to treatment. New Zealand found that it had to learn how to deal with this problem as well, when the number of meth labs in that country increased from 10 to more than 200 in just a few years."

Crystal meth is normally smoked in glass pipes, similar to how crack cocaine is used. It may be injected (either dry or dissolved in water), snorted, swallowed, or inserted into the anus or urethra.

Females take crystal meth more than their male counterparts, perhaps because it can cause weight loss quickly.

However, the desired effects are short-term. The body builds induces tolerance to the drug so weight loss peters out and stops within six weeks after taking the drug. Likewise, weight that is lost is regained once a person stops taking methamphetamine.