Methamphetamine, also known as meth, is a stimulant that has been growing in popularity nationwide since the 1990s. Meth is a highly addictive stimulant that can result in meth withdrawal symptoms, or worse, meth overdose. At Clearbrook Treatment Centers, we offer a crystal meth rehab program to help patients find their sobriety from addiction. Whether someone is struggling with pill, powder, or crystal meth addiction, our Northeast addictions treatment centers are here to help.
What Does Meth Do to the Brain?
Meth is a drug that acts on the central nervous system in the brain, causing an increased release of dopamine, serotonin, and other “feel good” chemicals. These chemical increases result in a brief but intense high, reinforcing the repeated use of meth.
The short-term effect of meth use is a short high that includes feelings of alertness, well-being, and euphoria, along with decreased appetite. The high is brief, and soon users crash, often feeling the opposite of the high of the drug.
After the high, users experience a low that includes fatigue, depression, and even suicidality. Using too much methamphetamine can result in meth overdose. Symptoms of meth overdose include stroke, kidney failure, or even heart attack. The striking lows and chemically manipulative factors of meth use make meth and crystal meth addiction difficult to treat, but sobriety is possible with the help of our professional meth addiction treatment centers.
Warning Signs of Meth Use
- Severe weight loss: A sudden drop in weight, although the individual hasn’t been exercising or dieting.
- Dilated pupils: Pupils appear larger than normal.
- Decaying teeth: Also known as “meth mouth.” Methamphetamine is acidic. The larger amount or prolonged use of meth can create extensive tooth decay. This is also caused by a person’s lack of hygiene.
- Lack of hygiene: When a person is addicted to drugs, especially meth, personal hygiene is usually the last on their list of things they need to take care of. Their entire life centers around feeling the rush that meth creates.
- Obsessive and borderline psychotic behavior: Meth can cause someone to behave in an obsessive way, such as continuously picking at skin or hair. Furthermore, after being awake for long periods, a meth addict can become paranoid, believing that people are out to get them or that they are being watched, primarily by the police and/or government. Eventually, hallucinations set in, causing them to hear or see things that are not there.
- Hyperactivity: The person is abnormally hyper.
- Erratic sleep patterns: Staying awake for days and/or weeks at a time.
- Extreme fluctuation in energy: One minute, the person is extremely hyper, and the next, they are depressed and exhausted.
- Erratic movements: Twitching, jerking of hands, arms, and legs, facial tics, and animated mannerisms.
Treating Meth Withdrawal Symptoms
As with any drug, withdrawals can happen while treating meth or crystal meth addiction. Both our Clearbrook Massachusetts and Clearbrook Pennsylvania locations are equipped to handle meth withdrawal symptoms with our medically monitored detox services.
Meth withdrawal symptoms include:
- Severe depression
- Cravings
- Psychosis
- Fatigue
- Anxiety
Meth withdrawal symptoms are less intense than the symptoms of continued meth use, which include hallucinations, suicidality, stroke, heart attack, and aggression. Over time, drug use will rob users of their mental health, their happiness, and their futures. Ultimately, for people in this situation, getting sober is key to having a healthy and fulfilling life.
Our Meth Rehab Centers
The first step of recovery at our rehab for meth addiction is medical detox. Methamphetamine detox is a crucial step in the recovery process because it addresses uncomfortable, painful, and even life-threatening withdrawals.
Meth detox can be a highly uncomfortable process, which is why so many addicts relapse when they attempt to detox from drugs at home. Our detox programs are all led by a medical team that looks after clients round-the-clock to ensure their safety and their healing.
After completing medical detox at either of our crystal meth treatment centers, patients will address other factors of their substance use disorders. Because our meth rehab program is offered on a residential level of care, treatment services include individualized counseling, group therapy, 12-step philosophies, and more.
We make sobriety from meth addiction possible. For more information about our treatment for meth addicts or other addiction services, contact Clearbrook Treatment Centers today.
Sources:
- NCBI – The methamphetamine problem
- NCBI – The need for speed: an update on methamphetamine addiction
- NIH – Methamphetamine DrugFacts
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