What is Flakka?

News reports of Flakka zombies are terrifying parents. Club cooks have begun making up this synthetic drug for customers clamoring for stimulants. What is Flakka? More importantly, what should you do if you notice your grown child or a loved one using it?

The Perfect Storm?

Imagine a drug that looks a little like white aquarium gravel. Users can snort, inject, or smoke it. You can eat it. Some compounds even allow for use in e-cigarettes, which are quickly gaining popularity with younger adults.

What is Flakka?  This is a dangerous drug you can use in public without anybody knowing it. The substance acts as a stimulant on the central nervous system. It sends dopamine levels skyrocketing. In the process, it heightens the user’s level of aggression and strength as adrenaline levels increase.

So, What is Flakka?

In simplest terms, the substance is a cathinone. It finds its basis in alkaloids from a flowering plant, khat, growing around the Arabian Peninsula. Much like an amphetamine, it depresses appetite and elicits feelings of euphoria. Locals chew the leaves of the plant to heighten alertness.

In the West, club cooks cut it with cocaine, heroin, and other drugs to stretch the doses. By synthesizing the chemicals, the strength of the formula increases, which may now cause paranoia and hallucinations. It’s part of the disastrous bath salts family of street drugs, which results in suicides, homicides, and overdose deaths.

Young Adults are the Most Vulnerable

Since it promises super-human strength and a prolonged high, young adult and teen drug use is up. It’s cheap to buy and easy to sell. Effects last for hours–sometimes even days. In severe cases, the chemicals destroy the neurons they affect and lead to irreversible brain damage.

What is Flakka and is It A Treatable Addiction?

Overcoming an addiction to Flakka is as difficult as trying to sober up from cocaine or methamphetamines. You or your loved one needs help. This multi-pronged process includes modalities such as:

• Detoxification, which rids the body of the chemicals and allows the user to come down from the high.
• Rehab that emphasizes the importance of lifelong recovery.
• Talk therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy to help former substance abusers discover their reasons for using.

Group Therapy for Relapse Prevention

Family therapy to undo the damage the drug use caused in the most meaningful relationships you or your loved one has
Because so many teens and young adults fall victim to Flakka abuse, Beaches Recovery offers a student addiction treatment program. It combines recovery with academic reintegration, honing of study skills, and a return to school. If you’re investigating the nature of Flakka for a young adult, it’s vital to realize that overcoming the drug is possible.

Of course, there are also different rehab programs for men and women as well as executives. No matter what your background may be, now that you know what is Flakka, there’s help available. Contact expert intake counselors today to learn more about the recovery process. Dial 866.605.0532 now to start the journey to recovery.