Methamphetamine Treatment Program
Treatment for methamphetamine addiction requires the continuing assessment of all aspects of the client’s case. Morningside’s clinical team addresses any and all problems: medical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, legal, vocational, and social. Many Morningside clients have previously attended some sort of residential treatment, but have been unable to stay away from methamphetamine. The drug weaves its way into an individual’s life, and users find themselves unable to function without it.
The addict’s brain becomes wired to ensure that he or she will repeat activities associated with pleasure or reward. In the case of methamphetamine, the user’s mind demands reward/pleasure despite any or all negative consequences. Thus, effective methamphetamine treatment helps clients feel comfortable as they adjust to sobriety. Effective treatment steers the client toward a sustainable sobriety based upon renewing and restoring family and peer relationships. This is accomplished when clients learn how to manage moods, emotions and behaviors, while developing an understanding of their own spiritual needs. Clients are encouraged to engage in meditation and exercise, which releases the natural neurotransmitters necessary to begin healing the meth-damaged brain. These neurotransmitters also help ease feelings of depression and anxiety. Until these processes are well under way, the methamphetamine addict is always at risk of relapse. Thus, at Morningside, what we call “Phase I” of treatment focuses on some key areas.
We strive to:- Educate the person about methamphetamine including the brain effects and how impaired decision making causes the associated spiritual, physical, relational, emotional, legal, vocational, and other problems they’ve been experiencing.
- Bring the family into the conversation both to educate members about the methamphetamine addict’s condition as well as to engage the family in the process of examining how each member is participating in the family system that has addiction in its midst.
- Continue with any essential medications to stabilize mood, lift deep depression, clarify thinking and reality testing, and relieve anxiety. This is done using the least addictive medications possible and with an eye toward minimizing side effects. In some cases, medications are titrated down to help the client and the team to establish an accurate baseline.
- Engage the client and the family in the multi-dimensional process of sustainable sobriety and recovery.
Clients suffering from methamphetamine addiction often present with underlying co-occurring disorders. Sometimes the other issues are known upon admission, but they often become more apparent after a period of abstinence. Morningside has found that simultaneous, effective treatment of these co-occurring issues gives a client a much greater chance of long-term recovery. Upon admission and throughout treatment clients meet with our psychiatrist and nurse practitioner for psychiatric testing and medical evaluations. Clients progress through the phases of treatment at various rates, and all decisions regarding length of treatment are made by clinical necessity, not arbitrary timelines. Perhaps more important is the fact that clients feel real relief as the obsessive urges to use begin to disappear. Clients feel liberated from the extreme reactions and behaviors that eroded their lives when they were using. They begin a journey towards the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that lead to long-term recovery.
Our knowledgeable, compassionate staff supports clients suffering from the long-term effects of meth addiction. One of the most common complaints experienced is a feeling of utter exhaustion, for which clients receive solid nutritional support and plenty of rest. One client shared her story: “I started using to lose weight. Then it was to get through my shift at work. Then it was because I didn’t care anymore. I’d become a burnt-out tweaker, the type of lying and stealing loser I’d always hated. I’d been through treatment before, but this time at Morningside everything began to make sense. I’m back in college and I don’t see myself living that way ever again.”
Testimonials
