Methamphetamine, or meth, is a drug that’s easy to become addicted to (It can happen after just one use.) and difficult to quit. It’s a stimulant, which means it speeds up functioning in areas of the brain related to energy, focus, and pleasure. It forces your brain to release dopamine, the “feel good” chemical.
When meth is used for a long period of time, it destroys dopamine receptors. This means it’s impossible to feel pleasure or enjoyment in normal activities, making you dependent on meth. Recovering meth addicts often find themselves incapable of feeling happy—known as anhedonia—and face long-term depression. It’s important to get treatment for meth addiction to learn how to live a happy, fulfilling life again.
How Do I Know I’m Addicted to Meth?
Using meth even once radically throws off your brain’s reward system. Once you take your first hit, you’ll find nothing else in your life can come close to making you as happy. Therefore, the strongest sign you are addicted to meth and need treatment is feeling you need meth in order to be happy. You may feel life is meaningless and empty without it.
A few other signs and symptoms of addiction to meth are:
- Weight loss
- Sores on the skin (after picking at skin due to feeling of bugs crawling on or under the skin)
- Tooth decay
- Paranoia and intense anxiety
- Isolating from friends and family
- Extreme mood swings
- Psychosis
- Aggressive behavior
- Pulling away from activities you previously enjoyed
How Do I Recover from a Meth Addiction?
There are two phases of meth withdrawal:
- The acute phase has the most severe of the symptoms listed above. It typically lasts one to two weeks.
- The subacute phase can last another couple weeks, with similar symptoms that decrease in severity.
These factors combined make it difficult to stay sober from meth on your own. For the best outcomes, recovering from meth abuse requires professional substance abuse treatment.
What Path of Meth Addiction Treatment Is Right for Me?
The level of care you need depends on what your specific addiction to meth is like. This means:
- How long you’ve used it
- How much you use
- Whether you have co-occurring mental health issues and/or use other drugs
The more complex and severe the substance abuse disorder, the higher the level of care you need.
Footprints to Recovery offers three meth addiction treatment paths for different levels of care. They are:
- Basic outpatient – Our lowest level of care is suited for those with milder meth addiction or who have already completed a higher level of care. It may also be a good fit for you if you must continue attending school, working, or caring for children. It involves three hours of programming on one or two days each week. Program members will have individual, family, and group therapy; case management; and the freedom to choose between an evening or day schedule.
- Intensive outpatient – Our intensive outpatient program, or IOP, is a higher level of care than basic outpatient. It includes all the same elements of basic outpatient, you’ll spend more time in treatment: three hours of treatment per day, three to five days per week.
- Partial hospitalization – Partial hospitalization, or PHP, means spending half your time in treatment and the other half at home. It requires the most time in treatment while still allowing you to go home each night. It involves six hours per day, five days a week. It’s one step down in intensity from inpatient rehab.
Do I Need to Detox from Meth?
Detoxing from meth is usually not directly dangerous, but it may be indirectly dangerous. Some people engage in self-harm or become suicidal while dealing with psychosis or depression. In a medically supervised detox setting, medications can be used to treat many of the symptoms that arise. It is also extremely hard to abstain from meth when going through withdrawals. A detox setting, like medical detox with Footprints to Recovery, removes temptations in your environment while allowing you to begin to imagine what a life without meth may look like. You’ll be under the supervision of medical professionals who can help keep you safe.
How Long Does Crystal Meth Stay in Your System?
How Long Does Crystal Meth Stay in Blood?
Crystal meth stays in the blood for one to three days.
How Long Does Crystal Meth Stay in Urine?
Crystal meth stays in urine anywhere from one day, all the way to a week.
How Long Does Crystal Meth Stay in Hair?
Crystal meth stays in hair for up to 90 days.
How Long Does Crystal Meth Stay in Saliva
Crystal meth stays in saliva for one to four days.
What Is Recovering from a Meth Addiction Like at Footprints to Recovery?
Our treatment programs encompass a variety of therapeutic approaches, all designed to help you get and stay sober. They include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
- Motivational interviewing
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
When recovering from meth addiction, it’s very important to have peers who understand what you’re going through and on whom you can lean. Our group therapies and classes provide much-needed emotional support, along with valuable tools, to guide you through the toughest days of your recovery journey.
How Long Does Recovering from a Meth Addiction Take?
The physical withdrawal phase passes after about a month. However, recovering from meth addiction can take years, or even be lifelong. Because your brain has come to depend on the intense rush of dopamine, depression can last into sobriety. Meth cravings fade in intensity, but they may arise unexpectedly. The same is true for anything that triggers you to want to use meth.
Because the threat of relapse never fully ends, recovery is a lifelong process. That’s why we at Footprints to Recovery have quality aftercare programs to support you after you leave any of our treatment programs.
Does Footprints to Recovery Accept My Insurance?
We understand paying for meth addiction treatment can be intimidating. We’ll help you navigate paying for your treatment or that of your loved one. Footprints to Recovery accepts most major insurances. We work directly with your carrier to make things simpler and less stressful for you. Verifying your insurance with us allows us to begin looking into what your specific plan covers and how to get you the most coverage.
What If I Don’t Have Insurance?
We believe addiction treatment should always be accessible and affordable. You can apply for full or partial financing through Prosper Healthcare, with whom we partner. Together we help make sure finances are never a barrier to sobriety.
Learn more about other options for paying for treatment here.
What Happens When I Leave Footprints to Recovery?
Recovery doesn’t end the day you leave treatment. Maintaining your sobriety from meth is a lifelong process. That’s why we’ll help you create an aftercare plan. That’s also why we created the Our Whole Life alumni program. Our alumni groups offer chances to reconnect with other alumni of our programs in a fun, community-building way. They also act as safe spaces to process the challenges that may come up in your recovery journey.
Recovering from meth addiction is challenging emotionally, physically, and mentally. Let Footprints to Recovery teach you the skills to build lasting sobriety and well-being. Give us a call to take the first step toward healing.
