Meth Addiction Treatment
Prescription Drug Addiction Treatments
Table of Contents
Understanding Meth Addiction
Methamphetamine was formerly widely and legally accessible in pill and injectable versions throughout the US. It was initially recommended as a decongestant and weight reduction aid. Most methamphetamine addicts consume the substance illegally, including meth and crystal meth.
What Is Meth Addiction?
Meth is a stimulant that is highly addictive and can lead to addiction after only one usage. The drug’s dopamine surge mainly causes this. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that affects motivation, memory retention, learning, and reward processing, and makes us feel good. 2Meth produces a surge of dopamine significantly greater than the amount naturally created in the brain. This keeps users taking the substance to maintain elevated and happy sensations. 3
How Common Is Meth Addiction?
How Is Meth Misused?
Sometimes, prescription drugs like antidepressants and opioids are used to cut methamphetamine. Due to pharmacological interactions, these additives can be harmful and might increase the risk of overdosing.
How to Recognize Meth Addiction?
Mood Changes
Unusual mood swings frequently accompany the abuse of methamphetamine. These mood swings can be abrupt and can shift abruptly. Anxiety, impatience, and paranoia are possible symptoms of these alterations.
Behavioral Changes
Physical Changes
Health Issues
Social Withdrawal
Poor Performance
Financial or Legal Problems
Side Effects and Risks of Meth Addiction
Meth addiction has both short-term and long term-term effects, which are explained below:
Short-Term Effects of Meth Addiction
The drug’s rapid and enduring high, for which it is known, is what drives users to consume it. When smoked, the substance’s vapor swiftly passes from the lungs to the bloodstream, which quickly reaches the brain. There is virtually instantaneous pleasure, followed by a boost in energy and vigilance that can continue for up to 12 hours—because the substance operates as a stimulant all through the brain and body.Long-Term Effects of Meth Addiction
When crystal meth is consumed over an extended period, the short-term effects intensify and become more complicated, resulting in severe health and psychological problems. The following are warning signs of chronic crystal meth use:- More enduring psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations, paranoia, and delusions
- Increased instances of social isolation, sadness, and other mental health problems
- Unusual conduct and confusion
- A skin-borne bugging sensation
- Body sores caused by skin plucking by users
- Breathing issues brought on by smoke inhalation.
- Damage to blood vessels is permanent, especially in the heart and brain
- Stroke
- Coma
Meth Addiction Treatments
Helping you maintain a healthy lifestyle without taking meth is the aim of therapy. Other underlying problems like anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may also be addressed during treatment. Meth addiction has a variety of treatment methods which include:
- Intervention
- Detoxification
- Inpatient treatment
- Outpatient treatment
- Medications
- Counseling and therapy
- Aftercare and support groups
Meth Addiction Therapies
Meth addiction is treatable with the following therapy measures:- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy is frequently utilized in the fight against addiction. Cognitive-behavioral techniques assume that learning processes are crucial in emerging maladaptive behavioral patterns, such as substance misuse. Meth addiction is treatable with the following therapy measures:
- Contingency Management Interventions: In Contingency Management (CM) treatments, patients are given a benefit if they achieve a treatment objective or, in certain situations, a penalty if they don’t.
- The Matrix Model: The Matrix Model offers a framework for drawing stimulant users into treatment and assisting them in achieving abstinence (for example, methamphetamine and cocaine). Patients receive guidance and support from a qualified therapist, gain knowledge about self-help programs, and gain insight into aspects that are crucial to addiction and relapse. 4
Get Help For Meth Addiction at Arrow Passage Recovery
Insurance coverage often covers the cost of heroin, cocaine, and meth addiction treatment programs. However, the extent of each person’s plan’s insurance coverage for addiction might differ significantly.
What to Expect From Meth Addiction Treatment?
Contact an Addiction Professional Today
If you are addicted to meth, you may want to get professional help at Arrow Passage Recovery as soon as possible. There are professionals who have been trained to assist you through recovery and will give you the best care possible so that you don’t have to do it alone.
Resources
- https://www.healthline.com/health/addiction/meth-addiction
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1199019/
- https://www.verywellmind.com/what-does-it-feel-like-to-get-high-on-meth-22357
- https://nida.nih.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/evidence-based-approaches-to-drug-addiction-treatment/behavioral-therapies/matrix