The primary long-term effects of meth abuse are both physical and psychological. As you take a closer look at how meth addiction affects your physical and mental health, you may decide it’s time to get professional help. A meth rehab center in Portland, Oregon, or elsewhere can provide meth detox and meth addiction treatment to help you recover. Contact Crestview Recovery to learn more more about meth addiction treatment.
Amphetamines and Meth
Amphetamines are legally prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. Illicit or street methamphetamine is a stimulant illegally produced from toxic household chemicals and ingredients, such as pseudoephedrine, found in over-the-counter drugs. Meth, also known as ice, crystal, and ish, is usually laced with other substances that make it a potent, highly addictive, and dangerous drug.
The stimulant creates effects such as euphoria, increased energy, alertness, and a false sense of well-being. Users experience a severe “crash” or physical and mental lethargy after the drug wears off. However, illegal meth has long-lasting and harmful effects on the body and central nervous system.
Long-Term Physical Meth Addiction Effects
Those who develop a tolerance for the drug and use it frequently are more like to suffer the long-term consequences. Physical effects include severe tooth decay and tooth loss (“meth mouth”), weight loss, and skin sores from habitually picking and scratching the skin.
Malnutrition and poor dental hygiene are primarily responsible for dental problems. Some chronic meth users also experience irreversible blood vessel damage, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular problems that can lead to seizures, heart attack, strokes, and death. That’s not all. You or your loved one may also suffer other lasting consequences such as:
- “Meth nose” (destruction of the nasal tissue from snorting meth)
- Infections from using or sharing infected needles
- Breathing problems from smoking the drug
- Liver, kidney, or lung damage
Long-Term Meth Addiction Effects on the Brain
Meth abuse can significantly impact you or your loved one’s mental, emotional, cognitive abilities. Most noticeable are changes in the brain’s dopamine system, which make it difficult for the brain to release and regulate dopamine. There’s also irreversible damage to brain structures responsible for decision-making. This affects your ability to suppress addictive behaviors such as compulsive drug-seeking and use. Other cognitive changes include:
- Memory loss
- Trouble thinking or concentrating
- Repetitive motor movements or behaviors such as nail-biting
Meth addiction effects on the brain are closely linked to the mental or psychological effects of the addictive stimulant. Some users of meth may display psychosis symptoms such as paranoia or hallucinations. Other potential mental effects are chronic sleep disturbances, mood disturbances, aggressiveness, violent behaviors, anxiety, or depression.
How Meth Addiction Treatment at Crestview Recovery Can Help
Our meth rehab center in Oregon can help you or a family member get over meth addiction effects on the body and brain. You’ll first need to undergo meth detox at an off-site clinic managed by our trusted detox partners. Meth detox cleanses your body of the drug and helps eliminate physical dependence on the substance. Then, meth addiction treatment comes next at our residential and inpatient treatment facility. Our addiction therapy services aim to promote drug abstinence.
Therapies include:
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy for addiction is a type of psychotherapy that aims to help people overcome their substance use problems by changing how they think and act. This approach focuses on addressing both the psychological and behavioral aspects of addiction.
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy for addiction is a type of therapy that focuses on the specific needs of an individual struggling with addiction. This type of therapy can help people work through the psychological and emotional factors that are contributing to their substance use, as well as develop strategies for managing cravings and triggers in healthier ways.
12-Step Recovery
12-step recovery is a type of addiction treatment that uses the 12 steps and principles from Alcoholics Anonymous to help people overcome their addictions. This type of recovery focuses on overcoming addiction through self-discovery, and helping other people in the process.
Additional Therapies
There is also dual diagnosis treatment for simultaneously treating meth addiction and a co-occurring diagnosis, such as depression or anxiety. Some clients are also a good fit for the extended (90-day) program designed to give you enough time to maximize recovery.
Crestview Recovery: Where Healing Begins
Our addiction treatment center is located in Portland, Oregon, but provides services to men and women from Seattle, WA, Montana, Idaho, and surrounding areas. Our professional and compassionate staff will help you through recovery and follow a personalized treatment plan to help meet your needs. If you’re ready to regain control of your life, call us at 866.262.0531. Our meth rehab center counselor can explain more about our treatment programs and our admissions process.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
