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ALBANY, GA -- Cheaper than most alcohol.

More potent than heroin.

More addictive than crack.

Methamphetamine is perhaps the most deadly street drug in history.

"Meth is one of those drugs that’s a stimulant just like cocaine but you stay high longer," said Victor Camp with the Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit. "You smoke crystal meth, 2 or 4 seconds, you’re going to feel the effects. Now you can stay high up to 6,7,8,12 hours."

It comes in two forms: powder, for snorting and inhaling, and crystal for smoking.

The side effects are devastating – paranoia, rotting teeth and tingling sensations in the skin, called ‘meth bugs,’ that are so strong they cause users to tear off their own flesh.  

Meth is also a drug that easily lends itself to regions like Southwest Georgia, with thousands of acres of isolated wooded areas and farmland.

"We can just go and hide on somebody’s farm that nobody sees out in the woods and then we can make our meth," said Camp.

The production process of methamphetamine is one of the reasons behind its popularity.

"Put everything in a 2 liter coke bottle and in 3 or 4 hours, you can have your finished product," said Camp.

Thanks largely to the internet, meth recipes are easy to find, with step-by-step instructions for anyone interested in setting up their own methamphetamine laboratory.

And the main ingredients for meth are widely available. Like Sudafed from a drugstore, drain cleaner from a grocery store, and brake fluid from an automotive store.

Like most drugs, the first meth ‘high’ is an intense feeling of euphoria.

Users will continue to chase that original high but it can never be completely duplicated.

"You’re trying to reach that plateau but you will never reach that plateau, that first experience you ever had," said Camp. "You’re always going to drop just a little bit lower and a little bit lower."

Which inevitably leads to addiction.

Andy Martin is an addiction specialist with Insight Psychotherapy and Assessment Solutions.

He says methamphetamine addiction is an affliction that does not discriminate.

"It’s not about character," said Martin. "It’s not about how much money you make. It’s not about your gender. It’s not about our race. It’s about your predisposition and how your body processes a chemical."

Meth dependency – like all addictions – is extremely difficult to treat successfully because it involves both genetic and behavioral components and both must be addressed.

"Maybe you need to go to a long term treatment," said Martin. "Maybe you need to change where you live, quit hanging around all these friends that you used to hang out with and use with."

Most disturbing is the rise of methamphetamine abuse in children.

Lisa Spears of Morningstar Children and Family Services sees children as young as 12 already suffering from addiction to methamphetamine.

"Kids who get this entrenched in these drug addictive patterns will do anything to be able to get their drugs," said Spears. "That includes stealing from family members. That includes stealing from school."

Some children have already been forced into prostitution by their parents so establishing trust is a major challenge.

"With every kid we deal with, it’s all about relationship and it’s all about modeling that life could be different and helping them to picture a future that does not involve drugs, that doesn’t involve abuse," said Spears.

The treatment of addiction is in its infancy but knowledge about the brain and its disorders is growing.

"We know so much more now about what’s happening chemically in the brain and the more we learn about that, the more we’re able to address those issues that can reduce craving," said Martin.

On the horizon are treatments like injectable craving blockers, receptor inhibitors, and even vaccinations.