Methamphetamine Treatment

According to statistics, there are over 1.5 million people addicted to methamphetamine, also known as meth or crystal meth, in the United States.  Though not impossible, methamphetamine addiction is a difficult disorder to treat.  Compared to treatment of other drugs, research shows that recovering methamphetamine addicts require longer and more intense treatment programs.  Meth treatment must meet the demands of the addiction. Unlike heroin addicts, who can be weaned off the substance with methadone, there are no pharmacological treatments for methamphetamine. The most effective way to treat methamphetamine addiction is detox, which can take over 6 weeks, followed by cognitive-behavioral therapy.  This approach focuses on the how the way we think affects our feelings and actions.

Once one makes a decision to enter into crystal meth treatment there are not severe physical withdrawal symptoms with the drug, but rather an inability to experience pleasure, which can last for months and will often times lead to relapse after only a few months of abstinence.  This inability to experience pleasure is called anhedonia.  The brain is recovering from producing abnormally low levels of dopamine.  Brain scans performed on 15 detoxified, former methamphetamine users showed a 24% loss in the normal number of dopamine transporters.  This loss of transporters was linked to slowness in motor skills and poorer performance on memory and verbal tasks.  This period of depression can trigger the obsession to want to get back to that feeling of euphoria experienced while using the drug. 

Behavioral therapy may include an initial assessment of the user’s drug history, mental status, current drug use and relationships with family members.  Next, they may be asked to attend small group therapy, one on one counseling sessions and 12-step groups.  Here they will learn life skills such as assertiveness, self-esteem, how to manage cravings, and relapse prevention.  Other groups may focus on spirituality or family support. It is extremely important that the user understand their addiction and the situations, or triggers that may cause them to use.  Once the triggers are identified, they can learn new ways of coping with them.  Therapy will encourage the user to see beyond the positive effects of using to the negative consequences that follow.  Regardless of how severe their addiction has become, it is possible to recover.