Chronic use of meth can cause significant health problems. Frequent and prolonged use can cause inflammation of the heart lining, damaged blood vessels, and skin changes such as abscesses or boils. A person may also develop a rapid heart rate and increased blood pressure and damage to small blood vessels in the brain which can lead to stroke. Hyperthermia, increased body temperature, is a side effect that can result in convulsions and death especially associated with overdoses. Researchers have found that long-term use causes damage to dopamine and serotonin nerve cells in the brain.
Meth treatment centers provide an educational forum to users to help them to understand the serious dangers to their health when using the drug. The psychological effects of the drug are strongly associated with the way the drug raises dopamine levels in the brain. The increase in dopamine levels causes the euphoria and hallucinations a user experiences. Methamphetamine addiction treatment focuses on rehabilitation to help the user overcome the depression that many users have especially during the withdrawal period.
During the rehabilitation a person may experience mood disturbances, increased motor activity, weight loss, and increased respiration. To treat a drug addiction a counselor will need to work with the patient to determine why they started using the substance to begin with. Some people start using drugs to fight depression and help them to handle stress. Others may be trying to numb their feelings or experience relaxation. Some get involved in drug habits because of peer pressure from their friends.
Some of the common names used for meth include speed, chalk, ice, crystal, crank, and glass. The drug is an amphetamine and was originally used in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers. Meth treatment centers emphasize the dangers of the drug to the nerve terminals of the brain. Long-term use can lead to molecular changes in the brain. Bingeing on meth is not uncommon with users because more is needed each time to maintain the euphoria.
Chronic users will exhibit the same types of signs with use including paranoia, acting as though they hear others talking to them, delusions, and the sense of something crawling on their skin. Someone who is high on the drug will not want to sleep or eat and may exhibit violent behavior. All drug abuse is dangerous and anyone who is considering using abusive substances or is doing so now can find out more about how to obtain help by doing a search on the Internet for meth treatment centers.
Labels: CrystalClear™, detoxification from amphetamines, Effects of Methamphetamine Use, meth treatment centers, withdrawal from speed
Methamphetamine addiction treatment includes a cognitive behavioral approach, helping the patient to go through detoxification and achieve a quality of life beyond addiction. A treatment center helps to resolve stress that may make it easier for a patient to feed an addiction, by using therapy to teach him or her new coping techniques and new behavior.
Meth treatment centers may prescribe the patient antidepressants to help him or her cope with depression so that the desire for meth is diminished. Meth is a powerful and addictive stimulant that gives the user increased energy, decreases the appetite, and often causes hallucinations. A person who is high may seem very paranoid, have difficulty sleeping, and will usually talk with exaggerated excitement. Withdrawal symptoms may include depression, increased appetite, and a craving for the drug.
Methamphetamine is a man-made drug and is used medically in some people who have heroin or other drug addictions. Other uses in medicine include the treatment of narcolepsy and attention deficit disorder. Because of the increase in the use of meth over-the-counter meds that contain pseudoephedrine have to be obtained through the pharmacist.
Methamphetamine affects the central nervous system and is smoked, injected, or taken orally. The appearance is described as a white crystalline powder that is odorless. People often take meth by dissolving the substance in water or alcohol.
Methamphetamine addiction treatment does not include a prolonged detoxification process but it takes several months for a person to get over the strong cravings for the drug. A common occurrence with using the drug is that it is often used in combination with other abusive substances such as alcohol, marijuana, or cocaine.
A person who is addicted to meth will benefit greatly from a drug rehab center that emphasizes the importance of spiritual healing. Fellowship with Christians and taking out time every day to spend in prayer with God can give a person a new attitude and perspective to help him or her heal from the devastating effects of drug abuse. "He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions" (Psalm 107:20).
Labels: CrystalClear, CrystalClear™, detoxification from amphetamines, Meth, Methamphetamine addiction treatment, withdrawal from speed
What is Methamphetamine?
Methamphetamine is commonly known as "speed," "meth," and "chalk." In its smoked form, it is often referred to as "ice," "crystal," "crank," and "glass." It is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol. The drug was developed early in this century from its parent drug, amphetamine, and was used originally in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers.
Methamphetamine's chemical structure is similar to that of amphetamine, but it has more pronounced effects on the central nervous system. Like amphetamine, it causes increased activity, decreased appetite, and a general sense of well-being. The effects of methamphetamine can last 6 to 8 hours. After the initial "rush," there is typically a state of high agitation that in some individuals can lead to violent behavior.
How Is Methamphetamine Used?
Methamphetamine comes in many forms and can be smoked, snorted, orally ingested, or injected. The drug alters moods in different ways, depending on how it is taken.
Immediately after smoking the drug or injecting it intravenously, the user experiences an intense rush or "flash" that lasts only a few minutes and is described as extremely pleasurable. Snorting or oral ingestion produces euphoria - a high but not an intense rush. Snorting produces effects within 3 to 5 minutes, and oral ingestion produces effects within 15 to 20 minutes.
As with similar stimulants, methamphetamine most often is used in a "binge and crash" pattern. Because tolerance for methamphetamine occurs within minutes - meaning that the pleasurable effects disappear even before the drug concentration in the blood falls significantly - users try to maintain the high by binging on the drug.
In the 1980's, "ice," a smokable form of methamphetamine, came into use. Ice is a large, usually clear crystal of high purity that is smoked in a glass pipe like crack cocaine. The smoke is odorless, leaves a residue that can be resmoked, and produces effects that may continue for 12 hours or more.
Labels: CrystalClear, CrystalClear™, Meth, withdrawal from speed
