An addiction to methamphetamines is powerful and serious. Meth has one of the highest relapse rates of any abused drug. More than 90% of people addicted to meth will relapse at least once, according to statistics. A meth addict experiences powerful cravings to use the drug regardless of its dangerous effects on physical and mental health.
Contact The Detox Center of Los Angeles today at (888) 346-4350 to learn how to access our addiction treatment programs.
Meth is a stimulant drug that users smoke, snort, or inject. It produces an intense, euphoric high as it triggers a rush of dopamine in the brain. It’s not uncommon for someone addicted to meth to use the drug over a period of days, but this pattern of use serves only to deepen their drug dependence.
It can be terribly hard to watch a loved one struggle with a meth addiction. The drug produces many side effects, including memory loss, skin sores, irregular heartbeat, increased tendency for aggression, weight loss, and more. Like other substance abuse disorders, a meth addiction is a chronic condition. It’s unlikely to get better–and far more likely to get worse–without quality addiction treatment.
The Detox Center of Los Angeles helps people who are battling addictions to alcohol and drugs like meth. We offer clinically supervised medical detox and supportive residential inpatient treatment programs. Meth dependence and addiction can feel relentless, but it is possible to manage their addiction successfully and stop using meth for good. Our team of experienced clinicians and addiction specialists can help you or your loved one overcome their meth dependence and rebuild their lives and health.
X Signs of Meth Addiction
There are both obvious and subtle signs that someone has developed a serious substance abuse problem or addiction. A person addicted to meth or other drugs may exhibit similar signs and symptoms, but a meth addiction will also involve some signs that are unique to the drug. Some of the most common signs of meth addiction include:
- Skin sores
- Pronounced tooth decay
- Uncharacteristic hyperactivity
- Increased wakefulness/insomnia
- Aggression
- Anxiety
- Paranoia
A person who is addicted to meth may also withdraw from activities and people they used to enjoy. Someone involved in drug abuse may exhibit uncharacteristic mood swings and seem preoccupied. Of course, they are preoccupied with their need to obtain the drug in question. If you find drug paraphernalia in their room or home, you might also suspect an abuse problem or addiction based on other present signs and symptoms.
You may also confirm that addiction is present by witnessing your loved one’s withdrawal symptoms. Coming off meth is incredibly hard. Withdrawal symptoms can be as unpleasant as the high was euphoric. Meth withdrawal symptoms include hallucinations, fever, muscle spasms, severe depression, nausea, dehydration, tremors, sweating, and confusion.
Health and Emotional Effects of Meth Addiction
Meth is a synthetic drug made in illegal laboratories. It’s made from different forms of amphetamine and ‘cooked’ along with other chemicals that quite literally include drain cleaner, antifreeze, and battery acid. The ingredients used to make meth are volatile and even flammable. It’s not uncommon for illicit meth labs to experience explosions.
Not surprising, when these chemicals are introduced to the body, even in small amounts, they can have disastrous physical and mental effects. Meth can ruin a person’s teeth as well as their liver. It can cause permanent kidney damage and trigger heart attack and stroke.
Meth can also sabotage psychological health, causing short-term and long-term issues like reduced cognitive function, memory loss, anxiety, confusion, paranoia, and psychotic symptoms like violence, aggression, mood swings, hallucinations, and delusions. There is no safe amount of meth to use. Meth labs are unregulated and there’s no telling how toxic a meth dose may prove to a person’s system.
X Ways to Help a Meth Addict
If you love someone who is addicted to meth, there are some measures you can take to help. These include:
- Meet with an intervention specialist and plan an intervention to convince your loved one to enter rehab.
- Learn about meth addiction and substance use disorders so you can become knowledgeable about your loved one’s condition. The more you know, the more effective your help will be.
- Speak with addiction medicine professionals and obtain their advice for helping your loved one.
- Stop your enabling behaviors. This means that you should not cover an addict’s rent if they have spent their money on meth or other drugs. You should not lie to cover up their behaviors.
- Confront your loved one when they are not high. Remember, when someone is high on meth, they are more likely to become aggressive–even violent. When they are not in the throes of a high or experiencing powerful withdrawal symptoms, talk to them about enrolling in a treatment program.
- Be realistic. You may have the most heartfelt conversations with your loved one and swear they’re ready to give up the drug only to find that they are continuing to abuse. This can be disheartening but, remember, this is a chronic and relapsing condition. A person addicted to meth needs professional addiction treatment to end their dependence on this drug.
- Take care of your own mental health. It can be immensely painful to witness a loved one’s struggle with addiction. The stress can be overwhelming at times. The stress can take a toll on your own mental health, which, in turn, can even trigger physical health problems. Join a support group for family members of drug addicts or seek a professional counselor. You can’t be an effective support for your loved one if you are depleted physically and emotionally.
The Detox Center of LA and How It Can Help a Meth Addict
Meth is powerfully addictive, dangerous, and difficult to kick. However, you can overcome meth dependence with the support that The Detox Center of LA can provide. There is no regulation for a meth habit and no safe means to use this drug. The only way to protect your physical and mental health from further effects is to stop using it.
If you or your loved one is struggling with methamphetamine addiction, there is hope and help available. The Detox Center of LA offers medical detox and inpatient treatment for meth addiction. During the detox process, our clinicians can provide medications to reduce the withdrawal symptoms, helping clients become weaned off the drug as comfortably and safely as possible. We offer holistic therapies, as well, during this phase of treatment to promote the body’s natural healing processes.
After medical detox, residential treatment at our treatment facility includes evidence-based therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy and alternative and holistic treatments that enhance the recovery process. Our programs help clients cope with their triggers and cravings to use meth or other addictive substances. Our therapies have a strong relapse prevention component so that once clean, people stay clean.
It may seem impossible, at first, to manage a meth addiction and end dependence on this drug, but it is possible, and it does get easier over time as people learn how to cope with their triggers and master them. Contact The Detox Center of LA for more advice about your or your loved one’s meth addiction. We can discuss our enrollment process and help you find the best treatment course for your loved one.
