Abuse
Crystal Meth, like other addictive drugs, artificially stimulates the reward center of the brain without anything beneficial happening to your body or mind. A false sense of pleasure and satisfaction is produced and the cycle continues as drug use continues. As the tolerance level rises to produce the same effects on the brain and body, thus the demand for the drug also increases. First this happens on a physical level. Then, if affects the user psychologically. It quickly leads to decreased interest in other aspects of life and encourages more reliance on the drug. People and activities that were part of your normal reward system are put on the back burner. Increasingly, only those involved with the use of Crystal Meth become more important and take over your life. Eventually, with prolonged Crystal Meth use, a Crystal Meth abuser will resent any person or activity that gets in the way of their abusing the drug. Users are obsessed with sensation of the drug in their body and obsessed with continuing the sensation. It’s a never ending cycle that results in more tolerance for the drug and more damage done to the mind and body. The addiction deepens and starts to take hold.
With ongoing use, the user has to start taking larger doses. Crystal Meth addicts tend to be easilyirritated and anxious and sometimes become paranoid and violent. The combination of crystal meth’s physical and psychological effects cause the abuser to itch, causing open sores and welts. The look and feel sick and their behavior is erratic and out of control.
Crystal Meth abusers usually lose weight because the drug suppresses the appetite. When the person stops using the drug, there is a rebound effect…..an increase in appetite and natural weight gain usually occur. During Crystal Meth abuse, the body has literally been feeding off itself and waste tissue in order to survive. Abusers appear emaciated, jittery, and sickly. After a while, the abuser is so engrossed in feeding the need for the drug, that any self care and hygiene take a back seat to putting more drugs into their system.
Some of the long term negative effects the Crystal Meth produces are: long-term brain damage, cardiovascular damage, neurological damage, psychosis, memory loss, hallucinations, and increased risk of contracting infectious diseases such as AIDS and Hepatitis.
Counter conditioning treatments are necessary. Reversing the terrible effects to mind, body and spirit are essential.
Please call a trained telephone counselor now at 800.338.0899 to hear what can be done
to revearse the damage of Crystal Meth use. Our staff and facility are here to help you.