Beach House Center for Recovery offers compassionate meth addiction treatment from our safe, welcoming, and beautiful Florida campus. We provide individualized programs that address the root causes of meth addiction and dependency, helping patients find freedom from addiction and enjoy healthier, happier lives.
What is Meth Addiction?
Methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth or just meth, is a potent and devastatingly addictive psychostimulant drug. In extremely rare cases, an FDA-approved prescription medication called methamphetamine hydrochloride (Desoxyn) might be prescribed by a physician to address attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or obesity. However, the predominant version of the substance is an illicitly manufactured street drug. Meth can be smoked, snorted, injected, or taken in pill form.
Analyses conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2022 discovered an increase of nearly 40% in methamphetamine-related substance use disorder between 2015 and 2019. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported over 23,000 overdose deaths related to psychostimulant use (predominantly meth) in 2020 alone.
Nearly one-half of one percent of all Americans struggle with meth addiction. But not everyone seeks the proper meth addiction treatment. The drug’s intense effect causes it to be among the most addictive narcotics on the planet. People who struggle with mood disorders are at particular risk for meth addiction.
Some of the drug’s immediate effects are increased energy, euphoric happiness, and elevated concentration and focus. Between 2-8 hours after the initial high, users experience feelings of severe depression, anxiety, and fatigue that can last as long as several weeks. After the high wears off, the after-effects can be quite unpleasant. The after-effects, juxtaposed with the intense euphoric high, contribute to the strong desire to reuse.
Signs and Symptoms of Meth Addiction
Meth use can cause many harmful symptoms in addition to its pleasurable effects:
- Abnormally rapid heart rate
- Fast breathing
- Arrhythmias
- Appetite loss
- Fever
- High blood pressure
As meth addiction becomes more severe, some outward signs might become evident. These include the following physical and behavioral indicators:
- Weight loss
- Open sores
- Dental deterioration
- Confused behavior
- Erratic behavior
- Memory loss
- Bursts of violence
- Delusions
- Paranoia
- Anxiety
While the outward signs and symptoms of meth addiction can vary depending upon the frequency and length of use, symptoms of addiction disorder (regardless of the type of substance) are as follows:
- Experiencing extreme urges to use the substance
- Using a substance for longer than intended or in greater quantities than intended
- Being unable to stop using a substance despite making attempts
- Neglecting personal or professional obligations to procure or use the substance
- Engaging in high-risk behaviors while using the substance
- Using the substance regardless of apparent health or personal damage
- Needing greater quantities of the substance to achieve the desired sensation
- Spending excessive amounts of time thinking about, acquiring, using, or recovering from the substance
- Experiencing physical or mental withdrawal symptoms after stopping substance use
- Experiencing severe financial or legal consequences because of substance use
- Becoming less able to perform duties at home, school, or work because of substance use
Continual use of meth can also diminish cognitive ability and is an especially dangerous category of substance use disorder because the effects of methamphetamines can be quite violent. Meth addiction-related brain damage is comparable to the structural alterations of a brain with Alzheimer’s disease. The damage is considered irreversible.
Beach House Center for Recovery: Meth Addiction Treatment & Approach
At Beach House, we provide each patient with an individualized treatment plan that addresses every facet of the desire to use. From our low patient-to-therapist ratio to our alumni support program, we help patients through every step of the recovery journey.
If you or someone you know is struggling with meth addiction, don’t hesitate to contact our compassionate and helpful admissions counselors today.
