Methamphetamine Addiction Treatment

Getting treatment for meth addiction right away is important because of the many health risks of meth abuse.

If you or a loved one is living with a meth addiction and having trouble finding a meth rehab close to you, you might consider traveling to one.

Many addiction treatment centers often and easily accommodate people from out of state.

Read on to learn about the best treatment approaches for methamphetamine addiction.

What Is Meth Addiction?

Meth addiction is a substance use disorder (SUD) that involves strong cravings for and a dependency on the synthetic central nervous system stimulant methamphetamine.

Methamphetamine releases unnaturally high levels of dopamine in the brain. The euphoric meth high, and shortness of its duration, is part of what makes meth so highly addictive.

In addition to overdosing on meth, meth addiction’s long list of side effects includes psychosis, meth mouth, brain damage, and more.

Treatment For Meth Addiction

Meth addiction will affect each person differently. There are many evidence-based addiction treatment options for meth abuse available to suit a wide variety of needs.

Meth Detox

Methamphetamine detoxification involves the removal of meth through the body’s own cleansing process. It is often the first step in a meth treatment program.

Detox and withdrawal can begin just hours after the last dose of meth is taken. The effects of meth withdrawal can affect both mind and body.

Common meth withdrawal symptoms include:

• mood swings
• irregular heartbeat
• depression
• psychosis
• increased blood pressure

Unlike alcohol and opioid detox, no medication is available to assist with meth detox, but care from health professionals during the process can be helpful and reassuring.

Many treatment centers offer 24/7 medical detox. Once detox is complete, treatment can help address the underlying psychological, social, and behavioral health issues.

Inpatient Meth Rehab Treatment Programs

Inpatient rehabilitation centers for meth addiction are the most intensive form of meth treatment programs available.

These rehab centers require people to stay onsite for anywhere from a few weeks to six months or longer and provide 24/7 healthcare and support.

Withdrawal symptoms can last up to a week, but meth cravings will remain. They are especially strong for the first few weeks after drug use stops.

Inpatient treatment programs help people overcome their cravings through therapy that focuses on getting to the root of why the addiction developed in the first place.

This typically involves helping the individual regain their sense of power and replace destructive beliefs and behaviors with healthy ones.

Additionally, many people experience negative health effects such as weight loss from malnutrition during meth addiction.

At an inpatient facility, you can work with your care team to get the right nutrition to nurse your body back to health.

Outpatient Meth Treatment Programs

Outpatient meth treatment programs are less intensive than inpatient programs and allow people to tend to their day-to-day responsibilities while receiving treatment.

They also sometimes follow inpatient programs as a form of continued care.

With outpatient meth addiction treatment, sometimes called day programs, people are onsite at the treatment center for differing durations depending on their needs.

These programs can be more involved, with most of the day spent on site, or may involve just a few appointments per week.

Here are the main types of outpatient treatment programs for meth addiction:

• standard outpatient programs (OP): The biggest difference between outpatient and inpatient treatment programs is that the former doesn’t require the person receiving treatment to stay onsite 24/7. For some people, outpatient treatment is the only plausible option because they still must attend to their daily responsibilities while receiving treatment.
• intensive outpatient programs (IOP): IOPs provide structured care through a set number of hours or appointments spent onsite at a meth rehab facility. This is typically two to three hours of treatment per day, three or four days per week.
• partial hospitalization programs (PHP): PHPs are similar to IOPs but more intensive. They usually involve six to eight hours of treatment per day, four to five days per week.

Types Of Therapy For Meth Addiction Recovery

Therapy plays a critical role in recovery from meth addiction. It helps address critical underlying issues that may have contributed to drug use and abuse.

Every person is different, and so addiction therapy plans will differ. The right type of therapy may change as treatment progresses, such as from more individualized to group therapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) And Meth Addiction

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective therapies for addiction. It involves addressing thought patterns in order to stop unwanted behavior.

One study showed significantly less methamphetamine use and other positive changes after even just a couple of CBT sessions.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) And Meth Addiction

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a form of therapy that helps people overcome their ambivalence toward their addiction and regain a sense of power and purpose.

Even with a single MI session, improvements are seen in those with a meth addiction. However, repeated motivational interviewing therapy sessions have proved especially helpful.

Repeated MI for meth addiction has resulted not only in less use of the drug but also in fewer reported psychiatric problems, such as anxiety and depression.

12-Step Programs And Meth Addiction

Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA) is patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous and features the 12 steps and a group setting for the recovery process.

Many people with a meth addiction benefit from being among others who have had similar experiences related to meth abuse.

Shared experiences around meth use and related social, financial, and other issues, as well as what works in terms of stopping use and staying sober, are the focus of CMA.

Family Therapy And Meth Addiction

Family therapy for meth addiction brings family members together in a safe place to explore how they relate to each other and how they communicate.

Genetic and environmental factors, including early family experiences, can play a role in whether someone develops an addiction.

However, this doesn’t mean that parents are to blame for their child’s addiction. Family therapy’s focus on each individual’s role and goals has proved to be very successful.

A Word On Dual Diagnosis Treatment

There is a growing awareness of the tendency for meth addiction and other substance use disorders to co-occur with other mental health conditions.

This is called co-occurring disorders, or dual diagnosis. This growing awareness is helping medical care providers improve treatment methods and outcomes.

People with co-occurring disorders often don’t know that they have them. Some treatment centers today are equipped to both diagnose and treat these disorders.

This is important because dual diagnosis typically requires more intensive treatment options.

Aftercare For Meth Addiction

Effective substance abuse treatment often involves added support following intensive treatment programs to make continued sobriety easier and help prevent relapse.

Aftercare might look like attending Crystal Meth Anonymous groups, continuing therapy sessions, contingency management programs, or even entering sober housing for a period of time.

Sober living homes provide a stable, drug-free housing situation and other forms of support for people recovering from meth addiction and other substance use disorders.

They can make the transition from an inpatient treatment program back into daily living easier. Some might seek out sober housing during outpatient treatment as well.

Getting Help For Meth Addiction In Massachusetts

Treatment interventions such as onsite care and therapy are often necessary to overcome meth addiction and stay sober.

At Spring Hill Recovery Center in Ashby, Massachusetts, our meth addiction treatment programs focus on whole-person, individualized, compassionate care.

Our care team is ready to speak with you. Call us today to learn more about our treatment plans.