Methamphetamine use is usually easy to identify especially if it is someone you are close with such as a loved one or family member. They typically have specific behaviors and look a particular way. Most meth users will go through the binging, tweaking, and crashing stages. If you notice your loved one having high levels of energy for an extended period of time followed by long periods of sleep, this is a big clue that they are abusing meth. They may also be overheating which causes them to sweat even if they haven’t done anything physical or it is cold. They may be paranoid or hallucinating.
The meth will cause the user to lose their appetite resulting in rapid weight loss and their skin may develop sores from them picking at themselves. As mentioned before confronting a user while they are tweaking is dangerous especially if they do not want to get clean, so approach the situation with caution.
Learn more about our medically managed, inpatient meth detox clinic.
Methamphetamine addiction and the associated symptoms. both long term and short term can wreak havoc on the lives of individuals, their families, and their friends. If you have a friend or loved one that is suffering from meth abuse, but you are not quite sure how to engage them, you may want to contact a professional interventionist. An addiction interventionist can help convince your loved one that treatment is necessary. Depending on the severity of addiction, the type of treatment can range from detox, residential to intensive outpatient.
Recovery Ways offers varying degrees and levels of care for methamphetamine addiction treatment:
Short term effects and warning signs of methamphetamine addiction can vary in duration and severity. Regardless of the duration of the effects, it should not take away from the importance of treatment.
panic, paranoia, psychosis
dilated pupils
increased body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure
loss of appetite, nausea
erratic, sometimes violent behavior
disturbed sleep patterns
convulsions, seizures, coma, and/or death
hallucinations
Short-term warning signs of a methamphetamine addiction may require treatment and rehab. The first step in a successful meth treatment plan is a medically supervised detox. Meth detoxification is the process of the body removing the toxic substance. This should take place in a medically supervised environment with constant monitoring by addiction professionals.
Long term effect
weight loss, malnutrition
severe tooth decay (“meth mouth”)
permanent damage to blood vessels of brain and heart, high blood pressure leading to heart attacks, strokes, and death
infectious diseases such as HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis C, etc. if injected.
brain damage similar to Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, and strokes.
kidney, liver, and lung damage.
Are you in need of methamphetamine treatment?
Recovery Ways offers highly effective and compassionate treatment of meth abuse and addiction. If you or a loved one is in need of meth rehab we can help. We offer exceptional addiction treatment that includes both group and private therapy sessions with modern accommodations and amenities.
To start the admissions process and receive the care you need please call 888.986.7848
Methamphetamine Addiction
Recovery Ways offers clinically proven methamphetamine rehabilitative treatment programs that are personalized for each individual. Our highly qualified staff members guide the individual through a comprehensive healing process that looks at the reason behind the substance abuse as well as the medical assistance they may need. When overcoming an addiction to Methamphetamines it is important to have a highly structured recovery program with ongoing support and medical attention, these are only some of the things that Recovery Ways offers to our patients.
Methamphetamine or meth is considered to be one of the most destructive and addictive drugs. It produces three times more dopamine, which is a “feel good” chemical naturally produced in the brain, than cocaine does, showing just how addictive it is. This amount of dopamine is a lot higher than that which is naturally produced causing a reinforcement of the drug abuse. People often try it for curiosity, to lose weight, or solely in search of a high and continue using it for the energy and euphoria it offers, not realizing the addictive potential. It has destroyed thousands upon thousands of users lives across the world. It is extremely addictive and can be made using common household chemicals and medicines which contribute to the widespread use. Meth addiction starts quickly and is easy to spot. As people become more aware of the addictiveness of meth the number of first-time users has declined.
Some of the signs and symptoms of meth addiction may include extreme feeling of euphoria, confidence, heightened alertness, wakefulness, anxiety, and decreased appetite because of the effect of the drug on the reward system of the brain. Some users can also become irritable and aggressive. Similar to cocaine, it causes a “rush” because of increased dopamine production, heart rate, and blood pressure which last about 30 minutes. Methamphetamines can cause convulsions, overheating, loss of consciousness, heart attacks, coma, and/or death. After the “rush” the high can last for several hours, depending on how it was consumed. Users build a tolerance to the drug very quickly meaning each time they need more to experience the same effects. This quickly takes a toll on the body as well as finances. Some users go on long binges, where they use the drug frequently for days on end without eating or sleeping. After the high wears off the addict will not be able to control their fatigue and will fall asleep for many hours, also known as “crashing.” After using the drug enough times, the reward system in the brain rewires itself causing the cravings for meth to overtake the addict’s life.
Methamphetamines can be produced both illegally and legally. Desoxyn is a legally prescribed form of methamphetamine that is approved by the FDA for patients with severe ADD, narcolepsy, and obesity, in extreme cases. Illegal meth is a bitter tasting, odorless, white to light brown crystalline powder that can be taken orally, snorted, or injected. Another illegal form of meth is, crystal meth, which is small, bluish-white crystals resembling broken ice or glass that is smoked. It can also be found in liquid form.
Are you suffering from meth addiction and need help?
If you are dealing with methamphetamine abuse please contact our admissions coordinators today. They can review your insurance, walk you through the admissions process, and place you in the best possible inpatient drug treatment facility possible.
Types of Meth Users
Most methamphetamine users fall into three different categories: low-intensity abuse, binging abuse, and high-intensity abuse.
Low-intensity users are on the track to becoming binge users. These users typically swallow or snort meth using it as a way to stay awake or lose weight. They generally maintain families, jobs, and function “normally.” However, meth is highly addictive and any use can lead to dependency and/or overdose.
Binge users typically inject or smoke meth for the “rush.” After they binge, users can start to “tweak” regardless of more meth consumption. Tweaking is when the user feels empty and dysphoria making them very uncomfortable. They often turn to alcohol or even heroin to ease these feelings. After binging users will “crash” due to the bodies depleted energy. Users can sleep up to three days after a binge.
High-intensity users are the people whose lives are completely controlled by the drug. They constantly seek the first initial high they had when they first started and desperately avoid the “crash.” These users are most likely to overdose because of the constant increase of the drug to find the “rush.”
The most dangerous time to confront any user is during the “tweaking” phase because they are highly unstable, unpredictable and irritable. They may also be hallucinating and paranoid. If you confront them when they are not using they may also exhibit other strong forms of methamphetamine detox symptoms.
Recovering from methamphetamine addiction is difficult because of the reward system rewiring. People can become addicted after just one use and it is one of the hardest addictions to treat. Many addicts feel like their meth addiction has taken control of their life. With help from Recovery Ways, we can help addicts break the psychological and physical dependence through meth addiction treatment.
Start the admission process now:
Common Names for Methamphetamine
Depending on the kind of methamphetamine being used the name may be different. Most names can hint towards which kind of methamphetamine is being used.These are only some of the more common names for meth, however, meth is/can be mixed with other drugs which result in completely other names.
Powdered Meth
Crank
Chalk
Speed
Redneck Cocaine
Tweak
Crystal Meth (typically smoked)
Tina
Ice (Hot ice)
Glass
Crissy (Cristy)
Shards
Methamphetamine Treatment is Available
Recovery Ways offers highly compassionate and powerful treatment of methamphetamine abuse and addiction. If you or a loved one is in need of meth rehab we can help. To start the admissions process and receive the care you need please call 888.986.7848
Methamphetamine use is usually easy to identify especially if it is someone you are close with such as a loved one or family member. They typically have specific behaviors and look a particular way. Most meth users will go through the binging, tweaking, and crashing stages. If you notice your loved one having high levels of energy for an extended period of time followed by long periods of sleep, this is a big clue that they are abusing meth. They may also be overheating which causes them to sweat even if they haven’t done anything physical or it is cold. They may be paranoid or hallucinating.
Methamphetamines can be produced both illegally and legally. Desoxyn is a legally prescribed form of methamphetamine that is approved by the FDA for patients with severe ADD, narcolepsy, and obesity, in extreme cases. Illegal meth is a bitter tasting, odorless, white to light brown crystalline powder that can be taken orally, snorted, or injected. Another illegal form of meth is, crystal meth, which is small, bluish-white crystals resembling broken ice or glass that is smoked. It can also be found in liquid form.