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The images are like something from a horror movie. Weeping open sores on a man's arm, black rotting teeth in a diseased mouth, and a brain with more dead tissue than alive.
The images come from the United States where methamphetamine - crystal meth as it's commonly known
there - has been destroying lives for nearly two decades.
In New Zealand, the notorious drug - known here as P - has been around for only half that time but it is already leaving a trail of destruction that is gearing up to be equally as graphic as that in the US.
Experts in New Zealand say they are seeing the same kinds of effects at addiction and treatment centres
Stuart Anderson, director of West Auckland-based rehabilitation centre Higher Ground, said skin sores and decaying teeth were frequently being seen in meth-addicted patients.
The sores come from constant picking at the skin - a reaction caused by users thinking there are bugs under their skin.
"The scratching starts quite early; that's one of the side-effects. The more you use it the more you scratch."
Other skin conditions include "crank sores", which can occur when crystal meth recrystallises in the skin, causing a pimple-like reaction.
Mr Anderson said decaying teeth was another big problem the clinic was noticing, and many of its patients required dental work.
Tooth decay is a result of reduced saliva production when smoking P. To quench their thirst, many users drink sugar-laden drinks that further add to the decay. Teeth-grinding, another common side-effect of P, adds to the problem, crumbling the already-brittle teeth.
Mr Anderson said P users also tend to have poor hygiene and bad diets so things like not brushing their teeth contribute to the decay.
National Addiction Centre director Professor Doug Sellman said images of large weeping wounds and decaying mouths were at the extreme end of the scale but did happen.
He said there were tens of thousands of people taking P in New Zealand each year - many of whom were "walking around in business suits and going to work each day".
They were able to control their drug use better or seek help. It was addicts at the other end of the scale who tended to end up with the extreme side-effects.
Professor Sellman said many of the people displaying graphic side-effects were probably suffering from a range of addictions and often mental health issues as well.
Research suggests when a person smokes, snorts or injects methamphetamine he or she experiences feelings of alertness, increased energy and self-confidence, and euphoria.
The intense feelings of pleasure are due to the release inside the brain of large quantities of dopamine, which helps control things such as impulses, mood and memory.
The problem, according to researchers, is that prolonged exposure to low levels of methamphetamine can damage up to 50 per cent of a person's dopamine transporters. That reduction may be responsible for many of the psychiatric symptoms often associated with P use.
A survey of frequent Auckland users found the most serious problems reported were psychological rather than physical.
While many had pre-existing mental health problems, levels of psychological problems after using P increased dramatically, with two-thirds reporting anxiety, mood swings, short temper, paranoia and depression.
Twenty-one per cent reported suicidal thoughts, while 13 per cent had tried to take their life. Fifteen per cent experienced violent behaviour.
The Price Of P
The Weekend Herald begins an extensive series covering the scourge of methamphetamine - the illicit drug making the greatest impact on our society.
Four years after we published a series about the emergence of what is popularly referred to as "P", the drug and its precursors continue to pour across our border, while police statistics indicate domestic drug cooks are as busy as ever - as are those in the role of the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, the health and addiction workers.
Today in News, we introduce you to the pushers and the usersand describe what happens whenthe drug enters your system, whilein Review we examine the business of P.
