Everything You Need to Know About Meth Addiction Treatment
How to Overcome a Life-Altering Meth Addiction with Addiction Treatment
Methamphetamine (also known as meth) is a very dangerous stimulant drug that comes in the form of a powder or pill. Another form of this drug is the more popular drug known as crystal meth, which looks like shiny rocks that resemble glass or bluish-white rocks. Meth addiction is an issue that affects millions of Americans within a wide age range. Meth is a highly addictive substance, often leaving users hooked after the first try. For anyone wondering how to get off meth, there is help out there for you in drug addiction rehabilitation.
What Does Meth Do to the Body?
Meth enters the body by smoking, swallowing, injecting, or snorting. Either way this drug is introduced to the body, it's equally as harmful. Users experience an extreme high for a short period of time with this drug, which is why users abuse this drug as frequently as every hour.
Methamphetamine directly affects the brain by flooding it with the chemical dopamine. The rapid increase of dopamine in the brain produces feelings of extreme euphoria for a short amount of time. Users often try to replicate the rush they feel, so repeated use occurs. It doesn't take long for meth to take a toll on the body, however.
Short-Term Effects vs. Long-Term Effects
It's no surprise that negative side effects and serious health issues rapidly occur with meth addiction. Aside from the obvious risks of altering mental status and affecting decision-making capabilities, meth brings upon many other problems to the body very quickly.
There are short-term effects associated with meth addiction. There are alertness, increase in physical activity, increase respirations, lack of appetite, rapid and irregular heartbeats, heightened body temperature, and increase in blood pressure. These side effects can cause severe cardiac issues with time. Accidental overdose is very likely as well, given the frequency of use among users.
Long-term meth use disrupts cognitive thinking, such as remember, understanding and basic thinking. Other side effects that occur with long-term use include: "meth mouth" (decay and serious dental issues), rapid and severe weight loss, anxiety, itching that results in sores all over the skin, violent outbursts, paranoia, hallucinations, and confusion.
In addition, the constant rush of dopamine over time causes problems in the parts of the brain that drive emotion and memory. Basically, meth is known to "fry the brain." Overdosing on meth can cause serious effects like seizures, heart attack, stroke, and death. It's important for anyone with a meth addiction to seek professional help immediately.
How to Get off Meth
Even those meth has so many The good news is that meth addiction recovery is available, and the sooner help is received, the better the chances are of repairing changes that have occurred in the brain.
Drug rehab centers offer residential and outpatient treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. Regardless of how severe you believe your addiction may be, there are dedicated drug treatment specialists waiting to help you through this transition to a better and healthier life.
Upon admission to a program, patients undergo physical and psychological evaluation to determine what the appropriate plan of care will be. From medical detox all the way to outpatient relapse prevention, drug treatment centers offer extensive therapy that will help with meth addiction recovery and all other forms of drug addiction as well. You don't have to wonder how to get off meth, you can actually achieve it by committing to addiction recovery and seeking professional help. Call today at (877) 804-1531 for more information on meth addiction and options for treatment.
Sources:
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/methamphetamine