Meth Addiction

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant drug that resembles amphetamine and has similar effects to other stimulants like cocaine. Also called chalk, ice, glass, and crystal, meth delivers up to three times the dopamine payload that cocaine does, making it one of the most addictive drugs treated by addiction recovery centers.

Methamphetamine is a Schedule II drug, meaning that it has some medical use, but the only prescriptions written for methamphetamine are for severe attention deficit disorder, depression, or obesity, and only if people haven’t responded to other treatments. Many healthcare professionals are rightly concerned about the extremely addictive properties of meth, which sends hundreds of thousands of Americans into addiction and addiction treatment facilities each year.

Because meth can be made with easily attainable over-the-counter materials, it can be produced in regular neighborhoods and homes, though the toxic fumes often make the dwelling uninhabitable, and deadly explosions are a constant danger due to the volatile compounds. However, home labs only create enough meth to sell a few local hits, while drug cartels and traffickers use super labs to manufacture huge quantities of the drug.

Meth is produced as a white pill or powder that can be smoked, snorted, or injected. Crystal meth comes in blue-white crystal form and can be smoked and inhaled. The high that comes from meth is immensely powerful but fades relatively quickly, prompting people to binge on meth, sometimes for days at a time.

Short-term effects of meth use include irregular heartbeat, raised body temperature, increased wakefulness and physical activity, lowered appetite, talkativeness, hyperactivity, and alertness. Because meth is a stimulant, it can dangerously raise blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration, leading to potential seizures, overheating, coma, and possibly death.

Long-term effects are wide-ranging and devastating. Physically, meth causes unhealthy weight loss, tooth and gum decay and disease, and skin scabs and sores due to scratching. Meth users are at risk for becoming infected with hepatitis B and C and HIV due to sharing infected needles. Meth use can also foment anxiety, insomnia, aggression, confusion, and mood disturbances, as well as more intense problems like psychosis and paranoia, hallucinations, and the sensation of bugs crawling under the skin. In the brain, meth damages motor skills and verbal learning, but fortunately these damages seem to reverse after a year or more of sobriety.

If you or someone you love is suffering from addiction, take a step toward ending the pain today and contact our understanding and empathetic representatives. Our luxury drug rehab program will work with you to ensure you have a rock-solid foundation of sobriety for your recovery. We begin with a carefully monitored detoxification to rid your body of all toxic substances, then design an individualized treatment plan that takes into account your desires, needs, and goals. Please make the choice to invest in your health and learn more about drug rehab today.