Meth Addiction in Durham, NC – (919) 267-1662
One of the ‘designer drugs’ that was incredibly popular during the ’80s, methamphetamine is among the most powerful stimulants on the streets today. Although meth addiction is now on the decline in the United States, it is still a serious problem for millions with devastating and sometimes even deadly consequences associated with its use.
How Does Meth Addiction Affect the Body?
Like most stimulants, the most dramatic and easily noticeable effects of meth on your body include a sharp drop in appetite, which usually leads to severe weight loss and/or malnutrition, and a high level of alertness. Meth users often go days without sleep, so it is no surprise that World War II soldiers were given meth to keep them awake and alert. Both the meth itself and the poor eating habits that it creates contribute to severe dental problems, often called ‘meth mouth’. Other physical effects of meth addiction include high blood pressure and heart rate, damage to the heart, stomach, liver, and other organs, loss of hair, loss of skin elasticity, recurring skin infections, and a severely compromised immune system.
How Does Meth Work on the Brain?
If the effects of meth addiction on the body aren’t disturbing enough, its effects on the brain are downright terrifying. It creates its signature ‘high’ by drastically elevating the levels of the natural ‘happy hormone’ dopamine in your brain. To compensate for this overabundance of dopamine, the brain actually begins to change its structure to better handle the rush of this hormone. Over time, it begins to consider the excess of dopamine as normal, and you begin to need more of the drug to feel the same sense of euphoria. Eventually, without meth in your system, the dopamine production that is normal for most people won’t have any effect at all – without meth, you won’t be able to feel happy.
Withdrawal Symptoms
Meth has some of the most painful, if not excruciating, withdrawal symptoms in the whole arsenal of illicit drugs available today. Due to the incredibly severe nature of most meth addictions, medical detox is essential for a user who is trying to get clean. Quitting cold-turkey and without professional medical supervision can lead to health complications that can be long-lasting or even fatal.
Some of the most common physical withdrawal symptoms include:
- Aches and pains throughout the body
- Headaches
- Stomach cramps
- Extreme tiredness
- Extreme hunger
- Plummeting blood pressure and heart rate
- Again, the mental symptoms of withdrawal can be even more difficult to tolerate than the physical ones:
- Deep depression
- Anxiety
- Visual, auditory, and tactile hallucinations
- Severe paranoia
- Loss of grip with reality
- Uncontrollable rage
- Sometimes, suicide, if detox is attempted alone
Overcoming a Meth Addiction
If you are struggling with an addiction to methamphetamine, it is imperative that you seek medical help right away. Durham Drug Rehab Centers offers addiction treatment programs that will see you safely from medical detox, through a holistic treatment, and all the way to relapse prevention far into the future to help improve your chances of success. Call us right away at (919) 267-1662; there is hope for the future with Durham Drug Rehab Centers.
