eth has different appearances: white like powder, shiny blueish rocks, or pieces of glass. The drug can be swallowed, smoked, injected, or snorted depending on how it is made. Some of the accessories associated with intravenous use of meth are spoons, armbands, and syringes. It is a very addictive substance that affects your central nervous system and includes your brain. In a few cases, the drug is prescribed for severe obesity and adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder treatment. Abusing meth has a long-term effect on your physical and mental health. The main reason meth is so addictive is that it gives one an effect of intense happiness and excitement, eases fatigue, and boosts wakefulness and attention. Once the drug’s high effects have subsided, the brain continues to want more. People with substance disorders and mental illness often have an increased risk of developing an addiction to such a drug.
Causes and risk factors for meth addiction
Meth addiction is a disease in itself caused by various factors working together. Common causes include:
- Psychological: according to multiple pieces of research, people suffering from meth addiction are trying to self-medicate the signs and symptoms of underlying mental illness
- Biological: in a few cases, some individuals are born with a defect in their reward brain system, making them not feel any pleasure sufficiently. Since meth has a potent effect on the pleasure center of our brains, it explains the meth addiction.
- Genetics: from various statistics, people with first-degree relatives addicted meth, primarily siblings, parents, or guardians, have a higher risk of developing meth addiction in their later life.
- Environmental: Individuals raised in chaotic home surroundings have a greater risk of developing an addiction to meth or more hardcore drugs.
Physical, behavioral, and psychological signs of meth abuse
The following symptoms emerge either in a new user or an increasingly dependent one. They include;
- Convulsions
- Psychosis
- A dramatic increase in average body temperature
- Susceptibility to new infections
- Facial sores
- Euphoria is due to this drug’s ability to increase levels of dopamine
- Liver damage
- Effects such as lung infections and nosebleeds are majorly experienced by people who smoke meth.
Co-occurring disorders of meth addiction
Addicts of methamphetamines also suffer from co-occurring disorders such as:
- depressive disorder
- alcoholism,
- anxiety,
- conduct
- antisocial personality disorder.
Effects of meth withdrawal
Over time, meth addict gets accustomed to the presence of the drug in the body system and may develop a need for meth for the body to function. When an addict attempts to withdraw, the individual experience a lot of discomforts hence the need for qualified medical personnel. Some meth withdrawal effects include rapid weight gain, extreme fatigue, overpowering cravings for the drug, tics, and flu-like symptoms.
Find treatment for meth addiction at the skyward treatment center.
Whether you are an addict to meth or close to someone using meth, recovery, and treatment are possible. The Skyward Treatment Center in Dallas, Texas, offers several behavioral therapies like the matrix model, which uses several approaches such as drug testing and family education. In addition, the center also uses cognitive behavioral therapy, which majorly aims at counseling one to avoid triggers and change thinking patterns. You can also get after-care and support group therapy offered by the treatment center to help you adjust to a drug-free life.
