The highly addictive nature of crystal meth can cause addiction after the first use. The rush of dopamine causes this. Dopamine induces feelings of pleasure, motivation, learning, memory retention, and reward processing.
Meth causes a dopamine rush that is higher than the average dopamine level produced in the brain. As a result, people continue to use the drug to maintain the heightened pleasure.
Meth addiction
The prolonged use of methamphetamine causes many negative consequences. As you continue to take meth, your tolerance levels to its pleasurable effects continue to develop. Thus, you will take the drug more often, increase the dosage, or changing the way you take it to achieve a specific effect.
In the end, chronic meth abusers develop difficulty in feeling any pleasure other than what the drug provides. This fuels further abuse.
When a chronic abuser attempts to stop taking the drug, they develop withdrawal symptoms such anxiety, fatigue, and cravings for the drug. Addiction treatment center programs help patients to overcome these symptoms.
Effects of meth
Common side effects of meth include skin sores and infection because of picking, meth mouth, and tooth decay. Also, the use of meth increases your chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Meth abusers who inject the drug suffer from collapsed veins and are at risk of contracting diseases such as Hepatitis or HIV/AIDS because of shared needles.
Snorting meth damages the nasal passage and sinus cavities leading to chronic nose bleeding. Meth also affects the heart and the central nervous system leading to heart attack, seizure, or stroke. In addition, long-term use of meth causes significant damage to the brain, dopamine cells, and nerve cells that contain serotonin.
Other effects of meth include:
- Elation
- Talkativeness
- Loss of appetite
- Hyperactive
- Increased wakefulness
- Agitation
- Paranoia
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Irregular heartbeat
- Aggressiveness
- Insomnia
- Weight loss
The adverse effects of meth lead abusers to cheat or steal. Abusers might find themselves engaging in illegal behaviors to get more of the drug. Addicts cannot recognize the effects of their behavior on themselves and those surrounding them.
Meth abusers lie, mislead and manipulate others. Although they may have been living at some point, they may begin manipulating the family to facilitate their drug use. Also, they make fake promises and continue to feed on the concern of their loved ones.
Treatment for meth addiction
Meth addicts cannot think outside of their drug addiction until they receive treatment from top rehab centers in North Hollywood. The best private rehabs in North Hollywood, CA, and luxury rehab in N Hollywood offer expert evidence-based medical care to help your loved one recover.
We use behavioral therapy techniques that are key in treating meth addiction. These techniques include:
- Cognitive-behavior therapy. This treatment helps prevent relapse by increasing a patient’s awareness of their risky situation. Also, it helps them develop coping skills, manage cravings, and change harmful behaviors.
- The matrix model. It incorporates behavioral therapy, family therapy, individual therapy, drug testing, and positive reinforcement of the desired behavior.
- Contingency interventions. We offer tangible rewards to reinforce positive behavior.
A good addiction treatment rehab center in North Hollywood can help meth users break their psychological and physiological dependence on the drug.
Please contact SV Recovery at 1 (855) 941-2002 to verify your insurance or explore our programs.
