Meth Addiction in Worcester, MA
Perhaps the most addictive substance on the face of the planet, methamphetamine (also referred to as meth) is an illegal stimulant drug. Meth addiction is a serious chronic disease that affects a person’s mind, body, and soul in extreme ways. One of the reasons that meth addiction is such an issue is the way that meth affects the brain when it enters the body. Meth causes an incredibly potent and large surge of a neurotransmitter known as dopamine. Dopamine is known as the feel-good chemical in the brain and in such large amounts causes extreme wakefulness and euphoria.
Meth addiction is characterized by an inability to stop using and abusing meth in spite of all of the negative consequences that occur as a result. These consequences include relationship, financial, legal, and health problems. Of course, a meth addiction also changes the physical structure and functions of the brain.
Meth Addiction Prevalence
In the United States, aggressive efforts have been made to curtail the manufacturing, sales, and use of meth. Because of this meth addiction rates are declining. However, in some areas meth addiction is still prevalent.
As of 2014, there were around 1.2 million people in the United States who had used meth within the past year. These numbers, while lower than in years past is still a problem that needs to be dealt with through addiction treatment.
How Meth Affects the User
Meth, as previously noted, is a drug that causes intense euphoria and extreme wakefulness. It also causes a surge in energy that can make a person act manic and jittery as if they are bouncing out of their skin at times. Meth use also significantly reduces the appetite. With chronic use, this can lead to dangerous weight loss and malnutrition. It also raises the body temperature which can become dangerous as well.
More long-term effects of meth use include extreme dental decay (meth mouth), organ damage, skin infections due to lesions, depression, anxiety, and severe organ damage or failure. The effects of meth can make a person unrecognizable in a relatively short period of time if a person abuses the drug and develops an addiction.
Treatment of Meth Addiction
Because meth addiction is a chronic disease, it requires professional, medical treatment to be overcome. The first step in treating meth addiction is to break the physical dependence that the person has developed to the drug. This is accomplished through medical detox. Medical detox is a process that gets the meth out of a person’s system and allows their brain to learn to function normally without the drug again.
Of course, detox also causes withdrawals. A medical detox program can help to treat and manage these withdrawal symptoms by providing emotional support, administering medications, and using alternative therapies.
After detox is complete, a recovering addict will still need to continue with their treatment. They must address the reasons that they developed an addiction in the first place so that they can learn to better cope with their substance abuse triggers in healthy ways. This process can involve cognitive-behavioral therapy as well as alternative treatments to help a person avoid using meth in the future.
Meth addiction treatment is readily available through Worcester Drug Treatment Centers. If you are ready to break the cycle of meth addiction and get the support you need to do so, give us a call at (774) 221-6005 as soon as possible.