Despairing woman against wall in dark suffering with her meth addiction.Meth addiction usually starts when users build up a tolerance to the drug’s pleasurable effects. They then need to take more of the drug to experience the desired effect. Eventually, they may have difficulty feeling any kind of pleasure apart from using meth. Along with tolerance, meth users experience a variety of unpleasant effects, including anxiety, aggression, paranoia, and delusions.

Meth Addiction Signs and Withdrawal

Meth can be in liquid form, but its most common form is in clear crystal chunks, similar in appearance to ice or glass shards. Users may snort, inject, smoke or consume meth. Common signs of meth use include bags of white powder, syringes or the aforementioned crystals. Some binge meth users take the drug over and over until they either run out or become completely incapacitated. Signs of meth addiction include the following:

  • Unable to sleep for a long period of time
  • Loss of appetite
  • Very noticeable weight loss
  • Nervous or anxious appearance
  • Unusual levels of activity

Once the last dose of meth leaves the user’s system, they begin to feel exaggerated symptoms of withdrawal. They may begin slowly, but by 24 hours, they will intensify. The physical withdrawal lasts for three or four days, but various symptoms can continue for much longer. Common withdrawal symptoms for meth include fever, depression, paranoia, psychosis, body aches, severe hunger and sleep disturbances.

Long Term Damage From Meth Addiction

Meth addiction has plenty of serious effects in the short term, including users engaging in risky life choices and ending up in financial difficulty or legal trouble. However, the real damage of an addiction to meth happens in the long term. Some long-term effects include:

  • Cognitive damage
  • Psychotic Behavior
  • Deteriorating physical appearance
  • Behavioral changes
  • Increased financial difficulties
  • Sickness

Meth use causes a huge rise in dopamine, almost four times as much as cocaine. Because of this, prolonged meth users end up with destroyed dopamine receptors and drastically reduced ability to feel pleasure. In many cases, permanent cognitive damage results from prolonged meth use.

Long-term meth use often leads to psychotic behavior like hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and violence. One common delusion is feeling bugs under the skin. This causes users to pick incessantly, leading to serious skin damage. Many meth users suffer severe physical deterioration like dry skin, rotted teeth, acne and open sores. The longer meth use goes on, the more susceptible users become to other illnesses. Liver damage, heart disease and brain damage are all common long-term results of meth use.

Some meth users become strongly aggressive while using the drug, and others become reclusive. Both can lead to social and financial problems, and the drug-induced aggressiveness often leads to legal problems.

Meth Addiction Treatment at Beaches Recovery

Addiction to meth requires a meth detox and professional addiction treatment. At Beaches Recovery in Jacksonville, Florida, you will find a premier rehab that treats a wide range of clients, including students, executives, and first responders. We are partnered with top insurance companies and provide dual diagnosis treatment.

You will find the following services at Beaches to help you recover from your meth addiction:

Wide range of adjunct therapies like music therapy, mindfulness therapy, art therapy, anger management and more
Don’t let meth addiction control your life, but instead reach out to Beaches Recovery today. You can overcome your addiction to meth by attending treatment at a quality drug rehab. Call us today at 8666050532 and start your road to a lasting recovery.