Methamphetamine Detoxification

If maintaining a methamphetamine high is consuming all of your waking hours – and, let’s face it, there are a lot of waking hours when you’re tweaking – maybe it’s time to get some professional help.

But then your brain steps in and says, “Hey, withdrawal is tough. And I’ve still got an eight ball in my sock drawer. Besides, I haven’t got around to putting the lawn mower back together. And while I’m doing that, I really should be cleaning out the garage. Then there’s that duct tape art project I’m working on.”

Stop! You’re going to have to put aside all those “projects” and seriously consider recovery. That means a stint in a medically supervised detox center and later, a residential treatment program. What’s not going to work – and you’ve probably already tried it – is detoxing at home. You have the best intentions, but you wake up the next morning with crazy feelings, a little paranoia, depression and the urge to run. And then, wham! You’re picking up again.

Or maybe things were going pretty good at the beginning of your run. In your own mind, you were functional for a long time, and then things just went wrong. None of it was your fault, of course, but the spiral was underway. And now you’re desperately searching for that functionality again.

You’re spending all your time and resources seeking that methamphetamine rush. You can’t keep a job because of your behavior, and your health is deteriorating, and your friends and family don’t want much to do with you because of your paranoia and mood changes. Your way is not working. It’s time for a change in plans.

Morningside Recovery in Newport Beach, California, specializes in substance abuse detoxification, including methamphetamine. The professional staff knows that withdrawing from methamphetamine is not comfortable and it’s not easy. In some cases, it’s a life-threatening proposition. The counselors – many of them recovering alcoholics and addicts themselves – know exactly what you’re going through. More important, they know how to resolve your substance abuse issues and help you in your transition to becoming a productive member of society.

But like we said, withdrawal won’t be a walk in the park. The methamphetamine effects that are associated with withdrawal can include:

• Extreme cravings
• Lack of energy
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Hallucinations
• Nausea and vomiting
• Sweats
• Irregular heartbeat

Because withdrawal from meth can be severe, going it alone at home is not recommended. But you probably already know this from personal experience. You need medical supervision to help monitor withdrawal symptoms and you need professional assistance to deal with the cravings that will result from abstinence – cravings that will sometimes continue for weeks or months.

Like cocaine, there is no successful medication that specifically provides relief from the intense craving for methamphetamine. That doesn’t mean pharmacology is not an option when it comes to detoxification. Morningside Recovery places major emphasis on making the patient as comfortable and stable as possible during the three to five days it often requires to detox from meth.

When you stop ingesting methamphetamines, especially after prolonged use, you can become overwhelmed with exhaustion. And it’s no wonder. Sleep was not a big priority when you were on a meth run. Sleep is what you need and sleep is what you’ll get. And if you need meds for that, it’s available at Morningside. In addition, you might experience feelings of anxiety and depression. Morningside’s medical staff has prescription medicines that can relieve those symptoms, too, making the detox process much easier to handle.

What’s not so easy to accomplish is ridding the mind of the cravings for the drug. That compulsive urge will begin to dissipate as the brain heals from the damage done to it while you were using. After a few days’ rest in Morningside’s home-like detoxification facilities, you will begin to take part in panel discussions with other recovering addicts. They will tell you how they turned their lives around. In addition, you will have one-on-one meetings with professionals at Morningside and attend seminars and lectures on drug abuse. Cravings and thoughts about meth will begin to diminish, and you’ll notice how much better you feel.

The next step is to get you into Morningside Recovery’s residential treatment program. This three- to nine-month program focuses on relieving your mind of the cravings for methamphetamines once and for all. To do this, you will receive psychotherapy, individual and group therapy, and attend classes, lectures and social activities to help you relearn life skills and regain your life.

But first things first. Pick up the phone and call Morningside Recovery’s detoxification professionals at (866) 725-8565.