Meth Addiction Treatment: How to Quit Meth

Why does my 9-year-old know more about the risk factors for addiction than most college students? As a clinical psychologist specializing in evidence-based addiction treatment, I’m trying to raise addiction-resistant kids. I fully accept the likelihood that they will use alcohol or other drugs at some point. Bear in mind that stopping taking drugs is only one part of recovery from addiction. Strategies that help people stay in treatment and follow their recovery plan are essential. Along with medical and mental health treatments, the following are steps you can take to help overcome substance use disorder.

When to speak with a doctor

Medications can be utilized to treat symptoms of withdrawal, help people remain in treatment, and prevent relapse. The type of medication a doctor prescribes depends on the type of addiction that is being treated. For example, there are different medications available to treat opioid, nicotine, and alcohol addiction. Developing an addiction to drugs isn’t a character flaw or a sign of weakness, and it takes more than willpower to overcome the problem. Abusing illegal or certain prescription drugs can create changes in the brain, causing powerful cravings and a compulsion to use that makes sobriety seem like an impossible goal. But recovery is never out of reach, no matter how hopeless your situation seems or how many times you’ve tried and failed before.

What Is Crystal Meth?

• Overcoming a meth addiction takes time and may result in some undesirable withdrawal symptoms.
• Use of the drug can also cause birth defects, profound weight loss and cardiovascular issues, including cardiac arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, stroke, seizures, extreme and unhealthy weight loss and even death.
• Meth causes physical symptoms typical of stimulants such as increasing blood pressure and heart rate and also changes how a person’s brain works.
• Before you begin detox, you’ll undergo an initial assessment and screening tests for other medical conditions.
• Methamphetamine is an addictive drug that has energizing (stimulant) effects.

Over 20 million people aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder in 2018. This article discusses how drug addiction is treated and offers suggestions for overcoming drug addiction. Long-term use of meth can cause significant damage to the brain and the cells that make dopamine as well as to the nerve cells containing serotonin. Presently, there are no medications to help people recover from meth addiction meth-related SUD that have received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration. According to a 2018 review of studies, people who have had adverse childhood experiences are more likely to develop methamphetamine-related psychiatric symptoms (MAP). According to older research from 2013, primate models demonstrate that meth alters brain structures involved in inhibitory control.

Treat Co-Occurring Mental Health Conditions

If you need a medical or dental procedure done, be upfront and find a provider who will work with you in either prescribing alternatives or the absolute minimum medication necessary. You should never feel ashamed or humiliated about previous drug use or be denied medication for pain; if that happens, find another provider. Join a 12-step recovery support group, such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and attend meetings regularly.

Avoid Relapse

Methamphetamine can cause long-term damage to the brain, which can require specialized treatment and continuous care over a sustained period of time to promote abstinence. With proper treatment, individuals can learn to manage the possible side effects of repeated use and disruption to the brain, and minimize instances of relapse for a healthy recovery. Martinez, who has been in recovery for two years, now works with a Washington, D.C.-based group called HIPS helping others with meth addiction. She says when she started her recovery, it was hard in part because there were no medical treatments to help with cravings and withdrawal.

Methamphetamine is highly addictive, and long-term use can lead to serious health problems such as heart attacks and strokes. There is no safe level of methamphetamine use, and even first-time users can experience serious health consequences. Drug and alcohol detoxification programs prepare a person for treatment in a safe, controlled environment https://ecosoberhouse.com/ where withdrawal symptoms (and any physical or mental health complications) can be managed. Detox may occur in a hospital setting or as a first step to the inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation process. The best method for treating co-occurring disorders is considered to be simultaneous and integrated care for both disorders.

• Blood pressure spikes, thoughts race, users often have to keep moving even though they’re accomplishing nothing.
• Having goals to work toward and something to look forward to can be powerful antidotes to drug addiction.
• Volunteer, become active in your church or faith community, or join a local club or neighborhood group.

What? Another medical form to fill out?

• If your previous social life revolved around drugs, you may need to make some new connections.
• Withdrawal symptoms from meth, especially when quitting methamphetamine cold turkey, can be severe.
• These changes in the brain also affect impulse control and judgment, which makes quitting that much more challenging.
• You may have heard the myth that addiction is inescapable, but that’s not true.
• With treatment, understanding, and a good support network, it is possible for a person to recover from meth addiction.

What is methamphetamine?