Unfortunately, more and more Americans are being drawn into the dangerous trap of meth use. According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 12.3 million Americans ages 12 and over have tried meth. A 2005 survey conducted by the National Association of Counties (NACO) found that 58 percent of the sheriffs and child welfare officials surveyed say methamphetamine abuse is the biggest drug problem in their counties. Meth is an epidemic. If you or someone you love is battling meth addiction, it is incredibly important that you help them/yourself seek meth treatment to save a life.

Meth is a difficult addiction indeed. Meth treatment options must be taken into consideration very carefully, because it is a rough road for the person receiving the treatment. Meth has a way of taking over your mind and your body. The person the user was before meth addiction is no longer there. Left in his or her place is a jittery, paranoid and sickly person who desperately needs help from professionals. Meth is beatable. If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it. If you or a loved one needs help for meth addiction, please get meth treatment help immediately.

There are many types of meth treatment and choosing the correct meth treatment option is vital to your recovery. Types of meth treatment include; out-patient meth treatment, inpatient meth treatment, meth counseling, meth detox, short term meth treatment or long term meth treatment.

Our professional addiction counselors have tremendous knowlege and experience in assessing your specific treatment needs and we utilize an extensive Drug Treatment Database containing Washington meth treatment options and nationwide drug treatment programs.

To find out if there are any meth rehabs serving people in Washington that are suitable for your needs, please call1-877-404-9362

Meth Information

Meth (methamphetamine) is a central nervous system stimulant drug that is similar in structure to amphetamine. Due to its high potential for abuse, meth is classified as a Schedule II drug and is available only through a prescription that cannot be refilled. Although methamphetamine can be prescribed by a doctor, its medical uses are limited, and the doses that are prescribed are much lower than those typically abused. Most of the meth abused in this country comes from foreign or domestic superlabs, although it can also be made in small, illegal laboratories, where its production endangers the people in the labs, neighbors, and the environment.

How Is Meth Abused?

Meth is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol and is taken orally, intranasally (snorting the powder), by needle injection, or by smoking.

How Does Meth Affect the Brain?

Meth increases the release and blocks the reuptake of the brain chemical (or neurotransmitter) dopamine, leading to high levels of the chemical in the brain, a common mechanism of action for most drugs of abuse. Dopamine is involved in reward, motivation, the experience of pleasure, and motor function. Meth’s ability to rapidly release dopamine in reward regions of the brain produces the intense euphoria, or “rush,” that many users feel after snorting, smoking, or injecting the drug.

Chronic meth abuse significantly changes how the brain functions. Noninvasive human brain imaging studies have shown alterations in the activity of the dopamine system that are associated with reduced motor skills and impaired verbal learning. Recent studies in chronic methamphetamine abusers have also revealed severe structural and functional changes in areas of the brain associated with emotion and memory, which may account for many of the emotional and cognitive problems observed in chronic meth abusers.

Repeated meth abuse can also lead to addiction—a chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, which is accompanied by chemical and molecular changes in the brain. Some of these changes persist long after meth abuse is stopped. Reversal of some of the changes, however, may be observed after sustained periods of abstinence (e.g., more than 1 year).

What Other Adverse Effects Does Meth Have on Health?

Taking even small amounts of meth can result in many of the same physical effects of other stimulants, such as cocaine or amphetamines, including increased wakefulness, increased physical activity, decreased appetite, increased respiration, rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and hyperthermia.

Long-term meth abuse has many negative health consequences, including extreme weight loss, severe dental problems (“meth mouth”), anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood disturbances, and violent behavior. Chronic meth abusers can also display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and delusions (for example, the sensation of insects crawling under the skin).

Transmission of HIV and hepatitis B and C can be consequences of meth abuse. The intoxicating effects of meth, regardless of how it is taken, can also alter judgment and inhibition and lead people to engage in unsafe behaviors, including risky sexual behavior. Among abusers who inject the drug, HIV and other infectious diseases can be spread through contaminated needles, syringes, and other injection equipment that is used by more than one person. Meth abuse may also worsen the progression of HIV and its consequences. Studies of meth abusers who are HIV-positive indicate that HIV causes greater neuronal injury and cognitive impairment for individuals in this group compared with HIV-positive people who do not use the drug.

What Treatment Options Exist?

Currently, the most effective treatments for meth addiction are comprehensive cognitive-behavioral interventions. For example, the Matrix Model—a behavioral treatment approach that combines behavioral therapy, family education, individual counseling, 12-step support, drug testing, and encouragement for non–drug-related activities—has been shown to be effective in reducing meth abuse. Contingency management interventions, which provide tangible incentives in exchange for engaging in treatment and maintaining abstinence, have also been shown to be effective. There are no medications at this time approved to treat meth addiction; however, this is an active area of research for NIDA.

How Widespread Is Meth Abuse?

Monitoring the Future Survey*
According to the 2008 Monitoring the Future survey—a national survey of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th- graders, meth abuse among students has shown a general decline in recent years; however, it remains a concern. Survey results show that 2.3 percent of 8th-graders, 2.4 percent of 10th-graders, and 2.8 percent of 12th-graders have used meth in their lifetime. In addition, 0.7 percent of 8th-graders, 0.7 percent of 10th-graders, and 0.6 percent of 12th-graders were current (past-month) meth abusers. Past-year use of meth remained steady across all grades surveyed from 2007 to 2008.

To find out if there are any Meth treatment facilities serving people in Washington that are suitable for your needs, please call1-877-404-9362.