Introduction
As a neurotoxin stimulant, meth is a highly addictive drug that has the power to alter the chemistry of our brain if left untreated significantly. Over time, it could manifest itself in the physical body, mood, behavior, and mental and psychological issues. The cause of meth addiction is not known, but it involves several factors such as biological, genetic, psychological, environmental, and even the availability of the drug. The good news is that it’s not very hard to notice some of the meth addiction signs and symptoms, and it is highly treatable. Organizations such as All American Detox Center have over 30 years of experience and have been helping user users beat addiction for a long time.
If you believe you or someone you love may be struggling with addiction, let us hear your story and help you determine a path to treatment. To learn more about addiction treatment, there are a number of confidential, free, and no-obligation ways to contact us.
What is Meth Addiction?
Meth is a drug that is scientifically known as Methamphetamine. It is a neurotoxin stimulant that causes a temporary effect on the brain, which makes one feel a sudden sense of happiness, wakefulness, confidence, and rush. Addiction to meth can be debilitating, but there is hope for recovery. After quitting the drug, there is evidence that the brain can return to a normal state after a significant period of sobriety.
When subjected to this neurotoxic drug, the feeling that one gets creates an addiction in them. Once the drug hits the brain, they get this sudden feeling of rush, confidence, happiness, among other emotions that they may have never felt before, at least not without the drug or with this intensity. But these feelings are temporary, and they go away slowly as the drug begins to wear off.
The effects can last 6 to 8 hours depending on the dosage taken, and it can be further extended to 12 hours. Once the drug wears off, all the feelings of happiness, self-confidence, and positivity go away, and the users come back to the same state that they were before the introduction to the drug. Not to mention, some side effects may also begin manifesting after the drug wears off. They will feel much worse as time passes, and the mind will crave the feelings they had when they were on the drug. It will quickly leave them wanting more, which will worsen as time passes. Unable to control the urge, they may take the drug again and thus creating a vicious cycle that leads to meth addiction.
The drug works by causing your brain to release large amounts of dopamine levels, giving you feelings of pleasure. Our brain can also create dopamine levels naturally through various activities that bring joy and happiness. However, suppose the drug is consumed multiple times. In that case, it will completely disrupt the brain’s natural ability to produce dopamine levels and become dependent on the drug to have the said dopamine levels. So, with no natural dopamine production, they will not feel happiness, joy, or confidence, no matter what they do, and taking the drug is the only way to find happiness again. This is how meth addiction or meth drug abuse takes place.
Causes of Meth Addiction
Unfortunately, there are no exact causes for why an addiction manifests in a person. It depends on several factors that a person experiences, and it also changes from person to person. But here are the 4 factors that various drug detox center believes contributes to the addiction to meth. Have a look at the causes of meth addiction:
1. Biological and Genetical
If the parents or close relatives struggled with addiction in the past, their children’s chances of drug addiction would be a lot higher. The genes get passed on to the children, putting them at risk of getting addicted.
2. Environmental
If a person’s environment is rife with addiction, that creates significant issues. Certain factors such as peer pressure or curiosity can push them to try. Many times, one try is what it takes to get addicted.
3. Psychological
Untreated depression, anxiety, and sleeplessness can often push a person to turn to drugs to see if they can help them. This urge for self-medication often leads them down the path of addiction that is very hard to overcome.
4. Higher Availability of the Drug
Meth is very cheap as the ingredients needed to make Methamphetamine can even be found in common cold medicines. All one needs to do is isolate the ingredients and process them for consumption, and that’s it. Due to the relatively easy process, it can be cheaper than actual medication. So, people would rather take the drug instead of going to a doctor and taking prescribed medication.
Meth Addiction Signs and Symptoms
As people become more addicted, they may go through a series of changes in their moods, behavioral, psychological, and even physical bodies. Let’s see what kind of changes they go through exactly.
Signs and Symptoms Related to Mood
Depression, anxiety, euphoria, or even the overall sense of happiness and sadness are possible factors that can change a person’s mood.
Signs and Symptoms Related to Behavior
Here are some potential signs and symptoms when it comes to behavioral changes-
- Social Isolation
- A risky pattern of behavior
- Aggression
- Impulsiveness
- Incarceration
- Significant increase or decreases in appetite
Signs and Symptoms Related to Psychology
Suppose a person has been abusing meth for a while. In that case, specific psychological signs & symptoms will begin to manifest, such as nervousness, repetitive activities, paranoia, hallucination, and even a sensation of bugs under the skin.
Signs and Symptoms Related to Physical
Here are some potential signs and symptoms when it comes to physical changes-
- Twitches, spasms, and shakes
- The feeling of nausea and vomiting
- Insomnia
- Hair loss and open sores
- Vasoconstriction leading to tachycardia.
- Liver damage
- Fluctuations in body temperature
While these are the usual signs and symptoms of meth addiction, the meth drug overdose symptoms will be much more severe and will require immediate meth addiction treatment.
Meth Detoxification at All American Detox Center
The primary goal of All American Detox Center is to help anyone who’s going through addiction with a thorough proper education and treatment. Education on what is happening to their mind and body is vital to make them aware of the drug’s dangerous side effects. They use proven methods for addiction treatment that are customized for every individual. Meth detoxification is nothing but the withdrawal of methamphetamines. After a prolonged withdrawal, the body will automatically get rid of toxins and hence the name detox, a.k.a. Detoxification.
But the issue is that when they are withdrawn from meth, their body will go through a series of symptoms called withdrawal symptoms, and if they are not managed properly, things can get much worse. It is necessary that they get the right meth addiction treatment and that’s why we recommend All American Detox Center. Their proven meth addiction treatment methods are not only very effective at managing the symptoms but also help a user pass through the stage of withdrawal. They have an inpatient drug rehab & detox center based in Woodland Hills in California.
Conclusion
Meth is one of the most common and highly addictive drugs that can cause some significant damage to a person over time if left untreated. So, if you know someone who’s going through meth addiction or any other addiction, get them the help they need by getting them to a meth detox center in Los Angeles. Contact us if you want to know anything more.
