HOW TO COPE WITH METH WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS
Abstinence from methamphetamine usage is essential in recovery from meth addiction. However, the challenge of withdrawal symptoms makes it difficult for a recovering person to heal fully.
That’s why it’s essential to help a person experience the symptoms and teach them healthier ways of coping with them. Read along if you want to know how to cope with it healthily.
What is Meth Detox?
Meth detox is a treatment where it aims to completely remove methamphetamine in a recovering person’s body. This is done through total abstinence from the drug in a treatment facility.
A recovering person’s environment is crucial in abstinence, so it’s highly recommended that they are treated in-house by mental health professionals.
Why Does it Cause Withdrawal Symptoms?
When a person is undergoing detoxification, they will experience withdrawal symptoms of the drug abuse because they are depleted of dopamine and serotonin.
Mental health researchers have studied how meth withdrawal works to better accommodate and treat people who are struggling with it. However, their data is limited. According to the latest relevant data, these are the causes and physical symptoms of meth withdrawal.
Methamphetamine initially produces intense euphoria and feelings of invulnerability by flooding the brain with dopamine and serotonin. However, this artificial surge can lead to depletion of these neurotransmitters and long-term damage to the brain’s reward system.
The drug hijacks the brain’s natural reward system, making it difficult for the body to regulate dopamine and serotonin levels, leading to withdrawal symptoms.
Understanding Meth Withdrawal
In withdrawals, this is the point in time when the person craves another hit of meth. A part of it might be the want to experience euphoria, but a huge factor of it is to avoid the withdrawal symptoms itself.
However, the problem is that the body can build tolerance toward meth, and a higher dosage might be needed to get that feeling of euphoria again. Also, repetitive use of meth can worsen the next crash and withdrawal symptoms.
Aside from the person’s reward systems being dysregulated, their decision-making capabilities are also impaired. It’s no wonder why there’s almost little to no resistance to their meth usage.
Despite these, recovery is still entirely possible. It might take some time, but the body can return to normal functioning. That’s because our bodies can self-correct and heal themselves. All we have to do is give it enough time.
Meth Withdrawal Symptoms
Increased sleeping and eating
After a person stops ingesting methamphetamine, they are often seen having high levels of appetite and sleepiness. It’s common for them to sleep for up to 14 hours a day.
Cluster of depressive symptoms
Because dopamine and serotonin are low because of meth use, depressive symptoms would start to manifest in the first week. However, it tends to dissipate after that.
Depressive symptoms include having difficulties experiencing joy and pleasure and feelings of overall dissatisfaction with life.
They also tend to have poor concentration and remain inactive throughout the day. There also seem to be significant signs of slower body movement.
Despite that, they are often reported as being fatigued.
Anxiety
Anxiety is also present in meth withdrawal. Fear of being persecuted by someone or a higher power might be present. Also, the fear of someone talking about you or apprehension of your intimate partner cheating is common.
Craving-related symptoms
Cravings, compared to other withdrawal symptoms, don’t go away quickly. Whereas some symptoms take a week before we see signs of them disappearing, craving remains present for at least two weeks.
However, it will eventually go away until the person is fully recovered. Factors like meth tolerance and duration of meth use are essential in the recovery from cravings.
How to Deal with Methamphetamine Withdrawal Symptoms
Dealing with methamphetamine addiction alone tends to be unsuccessful. Given that part of the effect of meth usage is the disruption of decision-making, it’s no wonder why people have higher relapse when there are no therapists around.
So, the first course of action is to seek help from someone.
After that, the person will probably have difficulties dealing with their symptoms. The best attitude to have is patience. Recovery doesn’t happen in one sitting. It can take up to several weeks before the body returns to normal functioning.
Seek guidance from crystal meth anonymous
It’s also worth noting the importance of a non-scientific, spiritual group called crystal meth anonymous.
In it, there’s a serenity prayer that helps recovering people go through the withdrawal symptoms.
The prayer goes like this:
God, grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change
Courage to change things that I can
And wisdom to know the difference
This is particularly helpful because those having difficulties with the symptoms tend to fight it. They want to beat their withdrawals into submission. Not only is this ineffective, but it can also worsen the symptoms.
Paradoxically, letting go of the symptoms and trusting that a higher power cares for you will help the recovering person not suffer more than necessary.
Aside from that prayer, this group encourages everyone to examine past mistakes and make amends to the people they have wronged. They are also encouraged to live a new life that’s free from meth and help those who are currently struggling with it.
Meth Withdrawal Timeline
Acute phase
The acute withdrawal phase lasts around seven to ten days. At first, when a person ingests methamphetamine, they will experience intense euphoria. Following that would be the crash, where the person feels severe dysphoria.
This is usually the time when the person craves meth the most. However, if that person is in a rehabilitation center, they wouldn’t be able to do that.
The crash usually happens within 24 hours of the last use, and it starts to slowly go away in a week—in some cases, it might take two weeks.
Subacute phase
After the first week, the depressive symptoms might still be there, but it’s not as disruptive as before. The intense sleeping and eating might have also dissipated at this stage.
While all the other symptoms start to slowly go away, the cravings for another hit are still present at this phase. As with the other symptoms, this also goes away until the person fully recovers.
It’s reported that relatively new users have shorter recovery periods. While those who have used meth chronically in the past have longer ones. Also, those who have built significant tolerance to meth tend to have more extended recovery periods.
Meth Addiction Treatment Options
Detoxification
Detoxification is the first course of action. It aims to remove methamphetamine from a person’s system. After that, it’s expected for a person to undergo a series of withdrawal symptoms, which makes them crave to use the drug again.
Withdrawal symptoms don’t last a lifetime. There will be a point in the future where the person no longer suffers from withdrawal and no longer craves the drug. An important thing to do is help the person go through the withdrawal phase until their bodies recover.
The most effective treatment options are cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and contingency management (CM).
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
CBT believes that a person’s behavior is caused by their cognition—their beliefs, thought processes, and coping mechanisms.
In the specific case of meth withdrawal, a person’s thought process and coping mechanism around their withdrawal symptoms will either make them stay away from it or use it even more.
That’s where the therapist intervenes and teaches that person healthier coping mechanisms for their symptoms.
Aside from that, the therapist can also probe deep into the specific beliefs of a person that made them do meth in the first place. By addressing those issues, the therapist can help the recovering person from relapse.
Contingency management
CM aims to reward abstinence from substance abuse. The treatment center, for example, might have allocated a budget to give out food or discount vouchers in exchange for a drug-free urine test.
We Can Help You Quit Meth and Cope with Detox
Twilight Recovery has been helping people get detoxed from meth. It also helps them throughout the recovery process, ensuring that the recovering person is safe.
Call us today, and we will help you find the solution to overcome meth and live a life of sobriety.