What Is Meth?
Methamphetamine, also known as meth, is a highly addictive illicit drug that acts as a central nervous system stimulant. Meth substance abuse can be smoked, snorted, or injected, and once it is consumed, it can quickly hook its users and lead them down a spiral of drug addiction that was not foreseen or planned. Once individuals engage in substance abuse by consuming meth, there is an overwhelming rush of pleasurable emotions and high-intensity energy. The world around you becomes significantly heightened. Many users will feel a sense of euphoria as they escape from any triggering emotions and situations around them to enter into a drug addiction fuelled state of bliss momentarily. However, what starts as a momentary method of coping can often escalate into a chemical dependency that leads to a physical, emotional, and mental addiction or substance use disorders.
Meth or drug addiction has been on the rise among American citizens, and Orange County residents have experienced the depths and despair that come from drug addiction. Meth is a synthetic illicit drug that uses household chemical components to create this substance within a homemade lab often tucked away in unsuspecting homes within suburban neighborhoods. With the low cost and easy accessibility, many Americans are turning to meth in their times of despair and need and opening the doors to a world of meth addiction and substance use disorders.
Why Is Meth So Addictive?
It is commonly said that meth is one of the most addictive substances, drug or alcohol, within the illicit drug market right now. Still, what makes meth addiction so compelling and challenging to exit is not often known. When an individual uses meth, the chemical components will target the brain functioning by releasing large amounts of dopamine within the brain. Dopamine is responsible for producing high levels of pleasure and reinforcement, leaving meth users searching for this same euphoric feeling that users are often never able to replicate but continue to go on an endless search for, therefore, creating a spiral of meth addiction.
The use of meth has been proven to affect the brain’s ability to rationalize and make decisions. When an individual starts using meth consistently, your brain’s prefrontal cortex will become impacted, which is responsible for your foresight on making a conscious choice to use meth. As your meth abuse progresses, your prefrontal cortex is no longer responsible for your decision-making skills, and it moves to your hindbrain, which is responsible for involuntary motions such as breathing or blinking. Even if an individual has expressed wanting to quit their drug use, the brain’s capacity to think about their actions before using meth is significantly hindered, making it hard for someone to stop meth use on their own. This can be repaired after someone gains sobriety and stays clean and sober for a couple of years. At that time, individuals will be able to cognitively be aware of their cravings for meth and have the ability to turn down meth use.
See the connection between addiction and money here:
Signs of Meth Addiction
Meth use has touched the lives of millions of Americans and does not discriminate against anyone. With so many Americans from different walks of life becoming affected by meth and drug addiction, many wonder what signs they can look for within their loved ones or themselves that meth use has become an apparent concern or developing into meth addiction. Knowing the symptoms will assist you in understanding how to best support your loved one by intervening with the appropriate resources for rehab centers or addiction treatment options and emotional support.
Physical signs of meth addiction include:
- Dilated pupils
- Sudden and dramatic weight loss
- irregular breathing patterns
- A dramatic increase in body temperature
- Rotten teeth, also known as meth mouth
- Convulsions
- Incessant scratching or picking at the skins
- Facial skin loses its elasticity and becomes droopy and loose
- Facial acne or scaring
- Increase in contracting infectious diseases due to a lowered immunity system
- Insomnia
- Stroke
Psychological signs can impact a person’s addiction and mental health. Common signs of someone living with an active meth or drug addiction are:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Paranoid behaviors or delusions
- Experiencing psychosis is characterized by audio, visual, or tactile hallucinations that can last for prolonged periods. Psychosis distorts an individual’s sense of reality and often produces a heightened sense of fear and anxiety.
- Inability to perform basic motor skills
- Tweaking: this often occurs for those meth users who engage in binge meth use seeking the original euphoric high, which creates feelings of irritability, confusion, and intense paranoia. Individuals will also experience rapid eye movement and involuntary facial movements.
- Intense mood swings or outbursts
- Suicidal thoughts
Meth addiction has significant impacts on an individual’s behavioral health, co-occurring disorders, and social interactions. Common behavioral health indicators of meth or drug addiction within Newport Beach, California residents are:
- Loss of interest in activities or hobbies that once brought you joy
- Financial constraints due to drug use, whether it be the inability to maintain bills, borrowing, or stealing money to fund a drug habit
- Isolating from loved ones
- Change of social group to one that other active drug users surround
- Claiming that they no longer want to use meth, but experience failed attempts at quitting your substance abuse
- Engaging in high-risk behavior or criminal behavior to obtain drugs or while under the influence of meth
- Difficulty maintaining school, home, and work commitments
Long Term Effects of Meth Addiction
As a meth addiction progresses, the drug abusers will need to continue increasing their use to reach the same desired effect. The longer drug abusers are engaged in active substance abuse, the more risk of developing long-term side effects that can be significantly damaging to an individual.
Long term effects of meth addiction are:
- Significant and severe weight loss
- Experiencing permanent tooth decay from meth mouth
- Organ failure
- Stroke
- Drug-induced psychosis
- Intense withdrawal symptoms
- Death resulting from cardiac arrest or hyperthermia
- Cognitive impairment
- Higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases due to increase in engaging in high-risk behavior
- Decreased circulation
- Significant increase in blood pressure
- Damage and weakening to veins
- Increased risk of permanent brain damage due to high-risk activities
- Difficulty with memory
- Damage to the heart and blood vessels
- A decrease in dopamine receptors impacts an individual’s ability to experience natural levels of pleasure and enjoyment
Meth Detox in Orange County
Taking the initial step to remove the harmful toxins of meth from your body within a drug detox is a courageous step, but Orange County residents want to know that their experience will be safe and avoid potential risk factors. Entering into a medical drug detox facility will ensure that you are provided with attentive care and support from medical professionals to ensure you remain safe and comfortable. Detoxing from meth usually does not pose a fatal risk for patients; there are times when meth drug detox can be highly unpleasant, or patients may experience severe dehydration that can threaten a person’s physical safety.
Orange County residents will often be in meth drug detox for 7 to 10 days. This is a unique and individual process for all patients due to the varying levels of addiction and mental health. Your length of drug detox will depend entirely on your history with meth use, including the length of time you have used for, the quantity at which you used, and the frequency of which you used meth. As you go through your meth drug detox process, you will experience a range of withdrawal symptoms monitored by the on-site nurses and physicians who will treat your symptoms as they arise. They will work to alleviate the severity of your symptoms to help keep you on track to meet your recovery goals for a life enriched in sober living and happiness.
Drug Rehab for Meth Addiction at Muse
Muse Treatment offers Orange County residents a meth addiction treatment center that provides the best and latest in evidence-based treatments for drug and alcohol rehab programs. Residents of Orange County will be invited to participate in inpatient rehab or outpatient treatment methods depending on the levels of care that you require. For those patients looking for intensive support and levels of care, choosing an inpatient rehab will provide you with a supportive environment that focuses on your healing journey to sober living.
Through addiction treatment methods of behavioral therapy, dual diagnosis treatment, dialectical behavioral therapy, and holistic treatments, patients will be able to address the root causes of addiction while developing a new foundation for sober living and happiness with the support of our compassionate counselors. Contact Muse Treatment at (800) 426-1818 today to hear more about the individualized addiction treatment programs offered to Orange County residents and get started on the healing journey of a lifetime.
