• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
 

Anaheim Lighthouse

Your Beacon of Hope!

Questions? Call Now(877) 959-5909
  • About Us
  • What We Treat
  • Treatment Options
  • Our Facility
  • Admissions
  • Learn About
  • Contact Us
  • Our Team
  • Awards & Recognitions
  • Yelp & Google Reviews
  • Client Testimonials
  • Accreditation & Licensing
  • Employment Opportunities
  • Press Releases
  • Alchohol Abuse
  • Drug Addiction
  • Dual Diagnosis
  • Trauma Victims
  • Veterans Program
  • Holistic Treatment
  • Specialties
  • Detox Alcohol & Drugs
  • Drug Rehab
  • Inpatient Rehab
  • Complete Residential Care
  • Partial Hospitalization
  • Intensive Outpatient
  • Intervention
  • Family Support
  • Verify Insurance
  • Financing Options
  • Coronavirus Safety Procedures
  • Alcoholism
  • Health and Wellness
  • Life in Recovery
  • Love and Relationships
  • Opioid Addiction
  • Parent Resources
  • Relapse and Recovery
  • Substance Abuse
  • Opioids
  • Sleeping Pills
  • Stimulants

The Ugly Truth about Meth Addiction- and why NOT doing it is a good decision!

Jan 6 2016
Categories:Articles

One of the most popular drugs abused today is methamphetamine.   According to the 2012 National Survey on Drug use and health, approximately 1.2 million people (that's 0.4% of the population) reported using methamphetamine in the past year.  Half of those people reported using it in the past month!  Although using statistics are decreasing from previous years, these numbers are extremely high- just like the dopamine levels once methamphetamine enters the system.    Meth releases a surge of dopamine, causing an intense rush of pleasure or prolonged sense of euphoria.   Over time, the drug destroys dopamine receptors, making it impossible to feel pleasure without it.  Although these pleasure centers can heal over time, it has been researched and suggested that the damage done to the users' cognitive abilities may actually be permanent.

"There are a whole variety of reasons to try methamphetamine," explains Dr. Richard Rawson, associate director of UCLA's Integrated Substance Abuse Programs.  "However, once they take the drug, their reasons are pretty much the same.  They all like how it FEELS."  It's been described as "a sudden rush of pleasure lasting for several minutes, followed by a euphoric high that lasts between 6 and 12 hours.  This is the result of the drug causing the brain to release excessive amounts of the chemical dopamine, a neurotransmitter that controls pleasure.  Meth is no different from any other drug in the way that when abused, it causes the release of dopamine, even alcohol and nicotine does this.  Users have claimed meth to be "the MOTHER of all dopamine releases.

But meth isn't all it's cracked up to be, no pun intended.  Repeated meth use changes the brain chemistry, destroying the wiring in the brain's pleasure centers and making it almost impossible to experience any pleasure at all without the drugs!  Although the brain is capable of naturally repairing itself, it's been reported that even after 14 months of sobriety (abstinence from the drug), the ex users showed no improvement in the cognitive abilities damaged by the drug.  Furthermore, after another year sober, these former meth users still showed severe impairment in memory, judgment and motor skills.  These symptoms all resemble the symptoms of someone suffering from Parkinson's Disease.

Violence has also been known to occur while using meth.  Like all good stimulants, Meth causes the brain to release large doses of adrenaline.  This, being the bodies "fight or flight" mechanism, induces anxiety, wakefulness, and intensely focused attention- this is also known as "tweaking."  Tweaking or tweakers are hyperactive and obsessive with their behaviors.  Heavy chronic usage can also prompt psychotic behavior such as

  • paranoia
  • agression
  • hallucinations
  • delusions

Some users have even reported the feeling of having insects crawling beneath their skin!  Even after 5 years of sobriety, a former user reports not being able to go to the bathroom without propping a space heater against the door, in case someone is after him.

Visible signs of Meth abuse include

  • acne
  • sores that don't appear to heal
  • skin that no longer has elasticity, eluding to increased age
  • tooth decay and tooth loss- "Meth mouth"
  • extreme weight loss
  • Poor Hygiene

Other effects Meth has on the body include

  • increased heart rate
  • disorganized lifestyle
  • lowered resistance to illness
  • liver damage
  • convulsions
  • brain damage
  • stroke
  • death

In conclusion, methamphetamine is toxic and dangerous to your permanent health.  Like many other drugs, it is only a temporary solution- which ends up causing a long term problem.  If you or someone you know is struggling with meth addiction, call the Anaheim Lighthouse Today, we can help start your recovery.


Resources:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth

http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/methamphetamine

Confidential Contact Form

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Privacy Policy

Learn About Lighthouse

  • Affordable Drug Rehab and Detox Center
  • CARF Certified
  • Homelike setting and world-class facilities
  • State licensed and certified
  • Most PPO insurance accepted
  • Specialized Alcohol and Drug Treatment Programs
  • Licensed and well-qualified professional staff
KNOW MORE

BLOG CATEGORIES

All Categories Alcoholism Drug Facts Health and Wellness Love and Relationships Opioid Addiction

Recent Posts

Snort Xanax

Can You Snort Xanax? Dangers You Should Know

March 20 2023
Alcoholism

5 Ways To Spot A Closet Drinker

March 13 2023
St. Patrick's Day In Addiction Recovery

Surviving St. Patrick's Day In Recovery

March 3 2023
Snort Hydrocodone

Can You Snort Hydrocodone? Here's Why You Shouldn't?

February 17 2023
Valentine's Day When You're Single And Sober

How To Spend Valentine's Day When You're Single And Sober

February 6 2023

WHY CHOOSE LIGHTHOUSE

  • Affordable Drug Rehab and Detox Center
  • CARF Certified
  • Homelike setting and world-class facilities
  • State licensed and certified
  • Most PPO insurance accepted
  • Specialized Alcohol and Drug Treatment Programs
  • Licensed and well-qualified professional staff

Google Reviews

Christopher Tamburello

Absolutely loved this place. Great counselors- my counselor was Johnny. Great Alumni aftercare program that helps keep you connected. I highly recommend Lighthouse for anyone struggling with alcohol or drug addiction.

Josh Mugol

When I first stepped in to fill out the paper work to get admitted to housing, I immediately felt welcomed. If you treat the staff, therapists, and doctors with respect and use common courtesy, you will get more in return. The staff is run by former addicts/alcoholics so they...

Teresa Egan

The Lighthouse saved my life. I was willing to do whatever it takes to learn how to live a new way of life. Before I came into the program I was a hollow shell just wanting to die.. The staff loved me until I could love myself, and taught me how to deal with myself. I have a...

Related Posts

Sep 12 2018

Does Hypnosis Work for Drug Addiction?

Hypnosis or hypnotherapy is the process of using relaxation techniques to induce suggestions on the mind, which then affect the conscious mind, which is thought to be effective in treating substance use disorders related to behavioral problems. While often a subject of contention in medical circl...
Aug 29 2018

7 Bad Habits That Will Affect Your Recovery

Whether you’ve recently left rehab or have been in recovery for some time, relapse is always a risk. Taking the time and care to build good habits revolving around keeping your mental and physical health in a good place, helping you to cope with cravings, and building a support network so that wh...
Aug 22 2018

Drug Use at Raves and Club

Clubs and raves are almost as well-known for their drugs as for music and dancing, with millions of people around the world participating in a culture of use and abuse while out. These drugs range from the well-known MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) to a range of less-identifiable drugs known...
Aug 15 2018

How I Forgave Myself for My Drug Addiction

When the time came in my recovery to apologize to and make amends with all of the people I hurt during my using, I expected I would finally be free of all of the guilt I carried. It didn't quite work out that way. The Value of an Apology First of all, not everyone accepted my apology or wanted t...
Aug 09 2018

Setting Healthy Boundaries with an Addict

Boundaries are an incredibly healthy part of any relationship, but when your loved one is addicted to a substance, good boundaries can mean the difference between a toxic relationship that harms you and them and one in which both of you can benefit. Addiction changes people, damaging the ego and ...
Aug 01 2018

8 Ways to Teach Yourself You Deserve Love in Recovery

After I hit my bottom and came into recovery I realized that I had super low self-esteem, and that those feelings would need to change somehow. I thought once I got sober that it would be a piece of cake. After all, my drinking was what caused all of my problems. I was clueless. GETTING TO KNOW ...

We Accept Insurance

Don’t see your provider? Contact us to confirm coverage.

3 Easy Options to Get Started or Learn More

You Call Us

We are here to answer your questions. Learn about detox, treatment, costs, or anything else. Give us a call now.
(877) 959-5909

We Call You

Complete this secure form to receive a fast response from our support team
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Verify Your Insurance

Quickly confirm your coverage using our fast & easy verification system. We accept most insurances (and financing).
Verify My Insurance
  • About Us
  • What We Treat
  • Treatment Options
  • Our Facility
  • Admissions
  • Learn About
  • Contact Us

Connect With Us

(877) 959-5909

1320 West Pearl Street, Anaheim, CA 92801

Licensed and Certified by the State Department of Health Care Services 300188AP Exp. 5/31/2024
Licensed by the State Department of Health Care Services 300188CP Exp. 5/31/2024
Certified by the State Department of Health Care Services 300188FP Exp 5/31/2023

Copyright © 2022 Anaheim Lighthouse. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Web Accessibility