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When you use crystal meth, both your mind and your body suffer in several different ways. There is distorted thinking, distorted memory, dysfunctional behavior and irrational activity. Meth addiction treatment works to eliminate methamphetamine withdrawal symptoms, offers counseling and therapy to help you to understand the why behind your addiction and develop a prelapse prevention plan that supports long-term recovery.
Meth addiction treatment is available to help users find the hope, help and guidance they need to overcome meth addiction and make sobriety a reality.
What is Meth Addiction Treatment?
Meth addiction treatment involves identifying, assessing and addressing methamphetamine use disorder through a comprehensive approach that includes counseling, medical care, therapy and supportive social services.
The goal is not only to help individuals achieve sobriety, but also to equip them with the tools that are needed to maintain long-term recovery. Effective treatment focuses on reducing drug use, improving overall health and restoring a sense of stability, enabling individuals to rebuild their lives and function as healthy, productive members of society.
Treatment for Meth Addicts
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to meth addiction treatment. In fact, what works for one may be totally ineffective for the next person and in some cases, it may take multiple approaches before finding one that is effective. Successful meth addiction treatment consists of detox, cognitive-behavioral therapy, counseling and support in a highly structured environment that is free of drug use.
- Inpatient meth addiction treatment provides around-the-clock support, guidance, medical care and monitoring in a controlled environment such as a hospital setting or treatment center, in which an individual stays for the duration of treatment.
- Outpatient meth addiction treatment provides limited monitoring, guidance and support on an outpatient, as-needed basis. These programs are usually 1 to 2 times per week unless you enter into a more intensive program.
- Recovery support groups do not provide formal treatment for meth addiction, but they play a vital role by offering a supportive environment where individuals working toward abstinence can connect with others who share similar experiences. Through peer encouragement, accountability and shared understanding, these groups help reinforce recovery efforts..
When choosing between these programs, inpatient rehab programs are best for individuals who are suffering from a co-occurring disorder, such as anxiety, who lack emotional support at home and who have not succeeded with outpatient treatment before. If you have good support at home and are otherwise healthy in mind and body, outpatient treatment may be sufficient to help you overcome addiction to meth.
Recovering from meth addiction is a challenging process at best, but it is possible. For meth addiction treatment to truly be successful, the addict must be ready to get clean and sober and must commit to his or her sobriety. Research has shown that successful meth addiction treatment takes a bit longer than many other methods of addiction treatment, so it’s important for the recovering addict to understand that the process of recovery could take many weeks, months or potentially years.
With each day of sobriety, the chance of relapse lessens. Recovering addicts often hit the “recovery wall” anywhere from about a month and a half to four months into their treatment. It is during this time that the recovering addict is very likely to relapse because of physiological changes that occur, which often lead to an increased urge or desire to use methamphetamine. Once past this recovery point, most addicts will find that the process of staying sober and saying “no” to meth becomes a little bit easier.
Specific Treatment Approaches
While in treatment, some specific approaches are used to help recovering meth addicts overcome their addictions and have the motivation to stay clean.
These include:
- Relationship Counseling: This involves the inclusion of families and other loved ones in the treatment process because methamphetamine addiction affects everyone around the addict.
- Pharmacotherapy: Medications may be used during the withdrawal stage to help individuals cope with the symptoms. In addition to this, medications for co-occurring disorders such as anxiety or depression may be needed. It is common for substance abusers to be affected by mental health problems, and these must be dealt with for recovery efforts to be effective.
- Contingency Management: Using a system of rewards, whether points that can be redeemed, vouchers, coupons or others, which can be used to reward positive behaviors, is very effective in treating meth addiction. Rewards may be most effective when used often and especially in the early stages of treatment.
- Drug Screening: Screening for meth is important at all stages of treatment, and is an effective way of ensuring the efficacy of treatment, especially when used with contingency management.
- Trauma-informed Therapy: This type of therapy will focus on any trauma that may have led to meth addiction. Recognizing these traumas as triggers for relapse is effective in helping prevent relapse.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: CBT works to identify thought and behavior patterns as well as beliefs and perceptions that lead to drug use. Once identified, counselors work to help individuals change those patterns to avoid them leading to drug use.
- Exercise and Nutrition: Maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle is important in recovery and is best when incorporated into all stages of treatment.
Characteristics of Effective Meth Addiction Treatment
Behavioral therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral and contingency-management interventions, are the most effective in treating methamphetamine addiction. Research shows that certain characteristics make specific methods of meth addiction treatment more effective than others. When searching for a meth addiction treatment program for yourself or for someone you love, consider the following characteristics that are likely to increase the chances of a successful recovery process:
- Long-term programs of at least a year are most successful
- Meth addiction treatment programs that are intensive and comprehensive are most successful
- Meth addiction treatment that utilizes an intense outpatient program following inpatient treatment is typically most successful
- Effective treatment incorporates relapse prevention
- Effective treatment provides educational guidance and support for those in recovery.
Recovery Timeline for the Meth-Addicted Individual from The Matrix Institute
Recovering from an addiction to meth likely happens in stages, and those stages have a general structure. The model created by the Matrix Institute seems to be useful and accurate, and can help with meth addiction recovery greatly.
- The Withdrawal Stage: This stage of meth addiction recovery lasts from zero to 15 days and is characterized by symptoms of exhaustion, insomnia, memory problems, depression, cravings, low energy and irritability.
- The Honeymoon Phase: The next phase of treatment can be difficult for recovering addicts as it usually involves a heightened sense of confidence and improved physical condition, but still with impaired cognitive function. Because of this impaired function, relapse potential is high. This stage is usually from 16 to 45 days into recovery, and is best helped with therapeutic approaches, including one-on-one and group counseling sessions that focus on motivation and staying in treatment.
- The Wall Phase: In the following days, it is common for people to lose motivation for recovery, have low energy, engage in interpersonal conflict and experience paranoia. At this stage, motivational interventions are very important.
- The Adjustment Stage: From 120 to 180 days in recovery, this stage involves some degree of acceptance of addiction and recovery. Impulsive behavior is still prevalent and cognitive and behavioral interventions are needed.
- The Maintenance Stage: This stage focuses on providing the tools to prevent relapse, and lasts from 180 days on through the rest of an individual’s life. At this stage, ongoing involvement in aftercare group therapy and support groups is recommended, as they can help individuals maintain recovery.
What Does Meth Addiction Treatment Cost?
If you or someone you love is addicted to methamphetamine, you’re probably wondering what the cost will be for quality, effective treatment. Unfortunately, there’s no set price or fee when it comes to meth addiction treatment. The most affordable programs are often funded by the state or other government resources, but can also be the least effective. The best way to find out what meth addiction treatment will cost is to call around, ask questions and get details about the programs in your area.
Some of the factors that may increase the cost of meth addiction treatment include:
- Location (highly sought-after locations are typically more expensive)
- Type of treatment (inpatient programs are typically more expensive)
- Length of treatment program (long programs will cost more)
- Staff qualifications (the greater the skills and qualifications, the greater the cost)
What’s the Best Treatment for a Meth Addict?
Because there is no single approach that works for everyone struggling with meth addiction, determining the most effective treatment can be challenging. However, organizations like the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recommend long-term care, often lasting a year or more, as it is associated with better outcomes.
When you enter a treatment program, clinicians and counselors conduct a comprehensive assessment of your substance use, overall health and personal circumstances to develop an individualized treatment plan. This tailored approach ensures that care is responsive to your unique needs, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all model.