Methamphetamine Addiction

Addiction is a chronic, relapsing condition, characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and drug use which is accompanied by functional and molecular changes in the brain. In addition to being addicted to methamphetamine, chronic methamphetamine abusers exhibit symptoms that can include violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. They also can display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions. The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts. With chronic use, tolerance for methamphetamine can develop. Users may take higher doses of the drug, take it more frequently, or change their method of drug intake. In some cases, abusers forego food and sleep while injecting as much as a gram of the drug every 2 to 3 hours over several days until the user runs out of the drug or is too disorganized to continue. Chronic abuse can lead to psychotic behavior, characterized by intense paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and out-of-control rages that can be coupled with extremely violent behavior.

The effects of addiction of course impact the addict himself, of which he or she is usually painfully aware. Deterioration of health, loss of energy and drive, and uncontrollable cravings for drugs or alcohol are just a few of these. The effects created on friends and family can be just as devastating but are generally less well known to the addict. The reason for this is that drugs and alcohol reduce awareness of the environment more and more as addiction continues. The cravings, guilt and depression that go hand in hand with drug addiction are the reasons for continued use and relapse. The addict or alcohol usually is not malicious in terms of the damage caused to family and loved ones, he or she is simply not fully aware of the effects being created. There world is centered on obtaining and using more and more drugs and alcohol.

Drug treatment at Narconon Arrowhead is a long term, drug free and non traditional experience. Long term because we work not from the viewpoint of time spent, but from the viewpoint of results obtained. It is self-paced and generally is 90-120 days. It is drug free as we use no substitute prescriptions drugs to handle an already existing addiction problem, such as substituting methadone for heroin. (Methadone is actually more harmful and addictive than heroin). Non-traditional because we do not believe addiction is a disease that must be borne for a life time. We empower the individual with new skills and abilities that allows for the creation of a lifetime of drug free, happy and productive living.

Rehab involves returning to a previous condition and preferably an improvement of even that. Recovery involves the gaining back of things lost. Truly effective addiction treatment will address both of these factors. Rehabilitation would involve ceasing drug and alcohol use altogether and effecting a complete detoxification of the system of store drugs and chemicals in the fatty tissues of the body. Cravings, guilt and depression would then be fully addressed as these are the causes of continued drug use or relapse. Recovery will also involve gaining the needed life skills and abilities to begin repairing the damage to self and others that has been created as well as tools to move forward towards ones actual hopes and dreams with a new drug free productive life.

Rehab programs come in all sorts of flavors and sizes. There is inpatient vs. outpatient, long term vs. short term, drug free vs. drug use, traditional 12 step vs. non-traditional approaches. Narconon Arrowhead is a long term, drug free, non-tradition, inpatient facility. We operate from the viewpoint of results obtained and not time spent. The individual stays until a drug free productive life is obtained. Average time is 90-120 days, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. We are drug free and non-traditional in our approach, never considering replacing one drug with another as anything else but foolishness. Many replacement drugs used are more harmful and potentially addictive than the ones they seek to replace. All rehab programs are not equal, ask questions and insure your loved one is getting what they need to not only get clean, but stay clean.