Methamphetamine Detoxification - Walk The Road To Rehabilitation   by Ben Pate

in Health / Diseases and Conditions    (submitted 2012-01-09)

The need for methamphetamine detox has increased and it has been rising for at least 10 to 15 years. The care of addicts has been threatened by deep cuts to bloated state and local governments during the past few years. Further, insurance is more difficult to obtain and for the young in particular. Those looking for treatment will have to be more proactive than they needed to be just a few short years ago.

Military Use

Methamphetamines became prominent during the 1930s and 1940s but especially during World War II when they were given to both German and Japanese soldiers by their governments to help them stay awake for prolonged periods. The drug gave heightened alertness and energy but at a significant cost to health. Meth use is known to cause damage to the small blood vessels in the human brain, potentially leading to strokes. It also inflames the lining of the heart.

Symptoms

There are both short and long-term symptoms of methamphetamine abuse. The former include paranoid behavior, even violently so, skin damage running the gamut from rashes and sores to cracking lips, sunken, blood-shot eyes and frequent scratching of one's skin. The most frequently mentioned symptom, staying awake for several days on end, perhaps ought not be considered a "symptom of abuse" since it is so often the effect users are seeking.

Long-Term

As the addiction progresses, the methamphetamine addict may experience hallucinations. These hallucinations may be both visual and aural and won't necessarily coincide with the smoking of the drug but may occur sporadically as a result of damage done to the brain tissue. Further, the addict can expect to develop one of the most typical symptoms of long-term abuse, an alarming loss of weight and tooth decay in all teeth simultaneously.

Emotional Addiction

The physical effects of this drug, with its power to distort the mind, are only half the battle. Meth is an infamous "party drug" whose users tend to gather in mutually supporting small communities of drug addicts. Therapists treating the addiction found out early on that the lifestyle is at least as attractive as the drug itself, so patients might be cured of the latter only to be drawn back into abuse by the allure of the former.

Negative Social Bond

These social bonds need to be replaced for any real progress to be possible. Accordingly, an important part of meth rehab involves the addict's social life. The patient should be separated from his or her old life and friends, all of whom reinforce the drug culture. During therapy, it is best to move out of the area for a period.

Types of Therapy

Treatment can be both individual, working one on one with a therapist, and in meth addiction group counseling. One on one therapy is best for sorting the problems that underlie the addiction. These include compulsiveness, being overwhelmed with fears and a diminished sense of self. Group and then aftercare treatment is a good environment for identifying the events that trigger patients to seek and use the drug.

About the Author

Put these meth group counseling therapies together and you have the outline of a great program. Despite the abuse-scourge era we live in, help is out there. So, methamphetamine rehab is available and effective for anyone ready to change.