Surrounding yourself with the right support system can make all the difference when you or a loved one is trying to break free from the chokehold of crystal meth.
Unshackling yourself from the grasp of addiction is a tough task even when getting the proper care and attention from licensed professionals and people who have been there before. Going it alone makes an already big hurdle even harder to clear.
Meth rehab centers in Los Angeles could be the gateway you’re looking for to getting clean. The City of Angels, with its warm sun and proximity to the Pacific, might just be the place you need to be to start your journey towards sobriety in earnest and the best place for you to build the groundwork for a lasting recovery.
What Is Crystal Meth?
A form of methamphetamine, crystal meth gets its name because it quite literally looks like crystals. Meth itself was actually used widely during World War II because of its stimulant effect and only became a controlled substance in the 1970s.
Crystal meth is a powerful and highly addictive stimulant that affects the nervous system and goes by a whole host of street names so you may have heard it referenced as ice, speed, crystal, blue, tina, go-fast and many, many more.
The most frequent way it’s taken is by being smoked but it can also be snorted, swallowed or injected directly into a vein.
The effects on the brain are summed up succinctly by the National Institute on Drug Abuse:
“Methamphetamine increases the amount of the natural chemical dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is involved in body movement, motivation, and reinforcement of rewarding behaviors. The drug’s ability to rapidly release high levels of dopamine in reward areas of the brain strongly reinforces drug-taking behavior, making the user want to repeat the experience.”
That cycle of reinforcement creates bigtime cravings for the user and as long-term use of crystal meth takes hold, the mental and physical consequences get worse. If the injection is the main means of delivery, the longer you’re using the higher the risk of contracting diseases from inadvertently mixing fluids. In addition to that, extreme weight loss, sores, anxiety, confusion, paranoia and more accompany chronic use. Not to mention what is referred to as “meth mouth”, which is rampant tooth decay.
Do Meth Rehab Centers in Los Angeles Actually Help With Addiction?
Meth rehab centers in Los Angeles do help with addiction, yes! It’s all a matter of finding the right treatment center for your particular needs.
There are plenty of options in this city and pinpointing what works best for you is going to give you the best chance of success. In many cases, having a one-stop-shop is particularly beneficial for people. A facility that takes you through the whole process of getting you sober and setting you up for a lasting recovery.
That means starting with drug detoxification under the supervision of professionals to tackle the physical nature of addiction. Then moving into a residential inpatient drug rehab facility where you work through the mental side and the root causes of your reliance on crystal meth through individual and group therapy. And finally transitioning to outpatient/aftercare where you’re back to living on your own or if that’s too overwhelming, into a sober living home first.
Get Help With Crystal Meth at All American Detox
At All American Detox, we’re the type of rehab that can guide you through every step of the recovery process. No need to bounce from detox in one place to inpatient care elsewhere and a whole other facility for aftercare. If that sounds like a comfortable fit for your loved one, reach out to us. We’d be happy to give you more info or advice on the next steps. You can reach out to us by calling our addiction recovery helpline number.
