Signs of Meth Use

Recognizing When a Loved One May Need Help with Meth

Methamphetamine abuse has become an increasingly common issue throughout the U.S. This dangerous drug can have a disastrous effect on a person’s life, as well as on the people around them.

If you suspect that a loved one is abusing methamphetamines, it is important to get them professional help before it is too late.

Keep reading to learn more about the warning signs of meth use, and find out how you can get your loved one started on their treatment journey.

What is Meth?

Methamphetamine (meth) is currently classified as a Schedule II stimulant drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This means that, while this highly addictive drug can be used in clinical settings under FDA-approved circumstances, recreational use of this drug is highly discouraged, as it can quickly become habit-forming.

Meth is chemically similar to other drugs like Adderall, which is commonly used for treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Of course, its high risk for abuse means that it is not usually prescribed by doctors today.

How is Meth Used?

There are many different ways that meth can be used, including orally, nasally, intravenously, and through smoking it. Each of these methods can have different effects, either producing a faster and more intense high, or a more subdued, but longer-lasting high.

In many cases, those who abuse this powerful drug will use it in different ways or more frequently over time in order to experience a different high or prolong their euphoric feelings. Smoking or injecting meth will create faster and more intense effects, while oral and nasal consumption will produce a longer-lasting but less strong high.

This behavior can very often lead to a meth binge due to the drug’s ability to produce a euphoric high, which the user will likely want to continue experiencing. This is extremely dangerous though and is usually what leads to addiction with repeated use.

How Does Meth Affect the Body?

Crystal meth directly affects the central nervous system by causing a sharp boost in dopamine levels in the reward and motivation centers in the brain. Most commonly, individuals who abuse meth report feeling more sociable and energetic.

However, while this brief euphoric high can certainly be enjoyable, the crash phase afterward (also known as the meth comedown) can bring with it feelings of depression and irritability, to say the least. This is often what prompts the individuals to continue using meth, despite how dangerous this can be.

With repeated use over time, the individual may become unable to feel pleasure on their own and will need to continue using meth in increasingly higher doses in order to feel good.  This is called dependency and is what will lead to intense cravings and meth withdrawal symptoms when not using. Once your loved one has reached this point, they will be considered to have an addiction.

Recognizing the Early Signs of Meth Use

Even early meth use can come with behavioral signs and physical symptoms, especially if the individual is using it frequently. The most common physical side effects of short-term meth use include:

• Rapid or irregular heart rate
• Elevated blood pressure
• A drastic increase in energy or physical activity
• High body temperature
• Inability to go to sleep
• Poor appetite

Behavioral symptoms that can be used to recognize when someone is using meth is if their drug use has become a major life priority, leaving other responsibilities and obligations unattended to. Your loved one may become secretive, or develop unusual eating and sleeping habits as a result of their meth use.

You may also find meth paraphernalia in the areas used by the addicted individual, such as needles, syringes, spoons, and other materials used for cooking the drug and consuming or smoking meth. While your loved one may be better about keeping these things hidden earlier on, over time, their drug use can make them less careful, and over time the signs of meth use usually become clear.

The Long-Term Psychological and Physical Effects of Meth Abuse

If someone has been struggling with meth abuse for a long time, they will express many physical and psychological signs of this abuse, including:

• Having chronic anxiety or depression.
• Experiencing relationship problems, or no longer wanting to engage in previously enjoyable activities and hobbies.
• Developing cardiovascular issues, such as having a heart attack or going into cardiac arrest, or developing an abnormal heartbeat or heart palpitations.
• Developing permanent damage to their brain cells and blood vessels.
• Changes to their physical appearance, such as sudden and extreme weight loss, and malnutrition.
• Contracting sexually transmitted diseases due to engaging in unsafe sexual practices.
• Developing issues with their lungs from smoking meth, such as a chronic cough, bronchitis, and even pneumonia.
• Developing serious dental problems, including rotting teeth, gum disease, and losing teeth completely, which is commonly referred to as “meth mouth.”
• Experiencing memory loss and mood swings.
• Experiencing nasal irritation, frequent nosebleeds, or developing a perforated septum as a result of snorting meth over a long period of time.
• Develop skin issues, such as skin sores from frequent itching, track marks from injecting meth, and wrinkles from premature aging.
• Having irregular sleep patterns due to difficulty falling and staying asleep.
• Experiencing organ failure from abusing meth too often.

With long-term abuse, both the mental and physical signs of meth abuse can serve as crucial warning signs that your loved one has hit an all-time low with their addiction. While it can be easy to blame yourself for not choosing to intervene sooner, this is not good for you or your loved one. If they are in a state of denial, learning what meth looks like and uncovering its use in clear-cut ways can help present a compelling case for treatment.

Once their addiction has gotten to this point, the best thing you can do is help them accept that they have a problem and find them a treatment program immediately.

What are the Signs of Meth Overdose?

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) recorded a drastic increase in meth-related overdose deaths in the United States between 2015 and 2019, one of the many consequences of the drug epidemic currently plaguing the nation.

If you suspect that a loved one is struggling with the signs of meth use, it is important to not only know how to recognize the signs of methamphetamine use but the possibility of meth overdose as well. Being able to recognize these symptoms can help you prevent a potentially fatal outcome to this dangerous situation, and finally get your loved one to seek treatment.

Some of the most common signs of an opioid overdose include:

• Trouble breathing.
• Chest pain and/or confusion (often associated with a heart attack or stroke).
• Seizures.
• Abnormal blood pressure.
• Drastically increased body temperature.
• Difficulty urinating or having dark urine, which are signs of kidney failure.
• Extreme abdominal pain.
• Sudden increased alertness or personality changes.
• Loss of consciousness.
• Increased hyperness or aggression.
• Paranoia or intense panic.

Understanding Meth Addiction: Learn About the Risk Factors for Drug Abuse

While anyone is capable of participating in substance abuse and developing an addiction, there are certain risk factors that may increase a person’s likelihood of engaging in meth use. Knowing how to recognize these traits early on can help make you or your loved one more equipped to handle potentially triggering situations should they arise.

Both a person’s biology as well as their surrounding environment can make them more prone to using meth. Of course, these do not mean that the individual is guaranteed to form substance abuse habits.

Anyone is capable of developing addictive behaviors, regardless of status or background. With this in mind, the only way to avoid developing an addiction to this substance is to simply avoid using meth altogether.

Biological Risk Factors for Meth Use

There are several biological factors that include a person’s risk of developing a meth addiction, including their:

• Genetics: Having family members who have previously struggled or are currently struggling with addiction can make individuals more prone to develop these habits themselves.
• Stage of Development: Early use of drugs like meth can cause irreversible changes to the chemical makeup of an individual’s brain, and make them more likely to continue these habits in the future.
• Tolerance Levels: For those with lower tolerance levels for drugs and alcohol, it may be easier to form a dependency on these substances, and harder to stop use later.
• Mental Health Disorders: Difficult thoughts and feelings caused by underlying mental conditions can lead to self-medication and eventual addiction to harmful substances, including meth.
• Gender: Women are more likely to form an addiction after using certain substances to self-medicate their physical or mental discomfort, while men are more likely to form these dependencies through social use and peer pressure.
• Ethnicity: With socio-cultural conditions and pressures, as well as a disproportionate lack of access to intervention and treatment services, ethnicity can be a contributing factor to an individual’s risk for addiction.

Environmental Factors that Impact Meth Use

Having a negative surrounding environment can be harmful in many ways, causing emotional discomfort and severe impairments to an individual’s mental and physical well-being. Some environmental factors that can increase an individual’s likelihood of forming an addiction include:

• Home Environment: Having a disorganized, unsafe, or otherwise unstable home environment can increase an individual’s risk of using addictive substances as a coping mechanism.
• Drug Availability: If someone lives in an environment where they are able to easily access certain drugs, their likelihood of using these substances themselves can increase.
• Excessive Stress: Drugs and alcohol are commonly used as coping mechanisms, particularly in environments where there is an excess amount of stress being placed on at-risk individuals.
• Peer Pressure: Poor social influences and peer pressure can easily have negative consequences, including pushing individuals to engage in harmful activities, such as drug abuse.
• Academic Pressure: For students dealing with large amounts of pressure on their academic performance, using drugs as a coping mechanism or performance enhancement has become an increasingly common source of the signs of meth use.

How is Meth Addiction Treated?

Now that you understand the symptoms, signs, and risk factors of those who abuse meth, it is important that you also understand how this addiction is treated. There are many different ways that meth abuse and addiction can be addressed.

Generally, most addiction treatment programs and rehab centers will adhere to an accepted continuum of care in their recovery approach. This may include providing recovery services such as:

• Addiction Intervention and Counseling
• Medically-Supervised Detox Programs
• Residential or Inpatient Rehab
• Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHPs)
• Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOPs)
• Standard Outpatient Treatment
• Aftercare Programs

When recovering from a meth use disorder, it will usually be recommended to start this process with a medical detox program. These can help manage methamphetamine withdrawal symptoms, which can be highly uncomfortable and even dangerous if not properly addressed.

Once detox has been completed, most people will move onto inpatient or outpatient drug rehab programs, depending on the severity of their addiction, and whether they have any underlying medical conditions or mental illnesses that may make their recovery process more difficult.

With inpatient treatment, your loved one will receive more intensive care and 24/7 supervision. However, these treatment centers do come with a hefty time commitment. If your loved one requires more flexible and affordable care, seeking out an outpatient treatment facility may be better suited to their needs.

With that being said, the addiction treatment process is usually one that comes with much trial and error. There is no shame in needing to experiment in order to find the right combination of recovery approaches and treatment methods for your loved one’s care needs.

Many former meth user’s found that combining multiple different treatment programs and recovery approaches was the most useful method of overcoming their drug use.

With all these methods, knowing which ones will be right for you or a loved one can be confusing. You can speak with a Rehabs Of Armerica representative today to learn more about what treatment options will be best for helping your loved one overcome their substance abuse and find programs nationwide that can meet all of their care needs.

Find a Meth Addiction Treatment Program Near You!

Meth abuse can be destructive for not just the addicted individual, but for their loved ones as well. If someone you care about is showing signs of meth use, help is available! The Rehabs Of Armerica hotline is available 24/7 to respond to all of your addiction concerns.

Our team of recovery representatives can answer all your treatment questions and find rehab programs that work for you, nationwide! The only person who can decide to get help is you; so make the right choice, and call now.

Let us help you take the first step on your path to achieving long-term recovery, today!