Meth Addiction Rehab in Colorado

What Are Methamphetamines?

Methamphetamines are ‘uppers’ (stimulants) that affect the central nervous system (CNS). Meth increases wakefulness, physical activity, blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, sociability, and euphoria.

Pure meth is a white crystalline substance that can be taken orally, smoked, or injected. Thus drug is highly addictive and abuse can cause permanent damage to the brain, heart, lungs, liver, and other organs leading to psychosis, strokes, and even death. Meth is also commonly referred to as crystal, ice, and speed.

What Is a Methamphetamine Addiction?

Methamphetamine addiction is a severe medical condition brought about by the continual use and abuse of meth and impacts the brain and the body negatively. Methamphetamine addicts face a compulsive urge to use meth despite the physical, psychological, and emotional harm it causes to themselves and their social relationships. They often struggle to control how much and how often they use meth, and they continue to use it despite its negative consequences, such as health difficulties, legal problems, or relationship issues.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports show a 108% increase in meth use (1.2 million to 2.5 million users) in the United States between 2016 and 2021. Further NIDA reports show that people suffering from methamphetamine use disorder increased 100% (0.8 million to 1.6 million) within the same period. Overdoses and deaths from meth abuse increased by more than four times, from 7.663 in 2016 to a whopping 32,537 in 2021. Methamphetamine has grown enough in popularity to pose a serious threat to public health.

Methamphetamine addiction is not an ethical defect or character fault. It is a chronic disease that anyone can succumb to, regardless of age, gender, race, or background. This addiction is influenced by many factors, such as genetics, environment, stress, and mental health. Treatment for this condition can include a combination of medications, counseling, and behavioral therapies.

What Effects Does Meth Addiction Have on the Body?

Meth addiction has harmful effects on the body in the short and long run. Some of these effects include:

• Brain damage: Meth abuse can cause shifts in the brain structure and function, such as reduced levels of dopamine and serotonin, the hormones that regulate mood and motivation. Meth addiction can also damage the neurons and blood vessels in the brain causing memory loss, cognitive impairment, strokes, and increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
• Heart problems: Meth abuse increases the heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature (stressing the cardiovascular system), and can further cause irregular heartbeat, inflammation of the heart muscle, and damage to the blood vessels which increases the probability of heart attacks, heart failure, and death.
• Lung damage: Prolonged smoking of meth causes shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, and chest pain. Meth smoke damage the lungs and airways, leading to infections, pneumonia, and pulmonary edema (fluid-filled lungs).
• Liver damage: Meth abuse can impact the liver’s ability to process toxins and drugs, causing liver inflammation, hepatitis, and cirrhosis.
• Immune suppression: Meth addiction weakens the immune system and increases the risk of contracting infectious diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis.
• Skin problems: Meth addiction causes skin problems, such as acne, sores, infections, and scars. Prolonged abuse also causes the skin to lose its elasticity and luster, making the user look prematurely aged and unhealthy.

What Does Addiction Treatment for Meth Involve?

Addiction treatment for meth involves a combination of medications and behavioral therapies to curb addiction, manage withdrawal symptoms, and streamline the recovery process.

• Medications: No FDA-approved drugs for meth addiction treatment exist yet, but research is underway to find sufficient pharmacological interventions. A few medications being tested for meth addiction are bupropion, modafinil, naltrexone, and ibudilast. These medications could lessen the cravings, withdrawal symptoms, and rewarding effects of meth.
• Behavioral therapies: Behavioral therapies are psychological interventions targeted at changing the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that contribute to meth addiction. These therapies can help people cope with stress, triggers, and cravings, develop new skills and strategies to prevent relapse, and improve their motivation and self-reliance.
• Support services: Support services and aftercare planning are additional aids to help people with meth addiction address their social, emotional, and practical needs. Such services can include case management, peer support, housing assistance, recovery coaching, employment help, legal aid, and health care.

Meth addiction treatment can be undertaken in different settings, such as residential facilities, opioid treatment programs, and outpatient clinics. Treatment intensity and duration depend on the addiction’s severity, service availability, progress recovery, and a host of other factors such as the general health and medical history of the patient seeking treatment.

Each treatment plan will be personalized for the individual by a medical professional that takes into account their specified needs, requirements, and preferences.

12 Step Recovery for Methamphetamine Abuse

At our Colorado drug and alcohol rehab, we immerse residents into 12 step programming. While AA’s 12 steps were created to treat alcohol addiction, we’ve found the principles of these steps to be useful in teaching coping strategies, building accountability, and taking action to overcome a variety of substance use problems.

In our 12 step program, we provide residential addiction treatment for men and guide them through the 12 steps to achieve recovery. Our beautiful setting among lakes and mountains gives our residents a unique opportunity to participate in wilderness therapy, which can be very healing mentally, emotionally, and physically.