Best Options for Meth Treatment Centers and Programs

What Are the Best Options for Meth Treatment?

Meth addiction treatment begins with medical detox. Once that is complete, there are a variety of treatments that can help with recovery, including:

Methamphetamines are in a class of drugs that act as stimulants on the central nervous system.

Though some methamphetamine-based medications are lawfully manufactured and distributed, the street drug “crystal meth” or “meth” is always illicit. The visage of a person who abuses meth has become a part of the American campaign against this drug. Meth, more than many other illicit drugs, has a very close association with rapid physical decline.

Meth can cause severe physical, psychological, and behavioral side effects in the short-term and long-term. There is no such thing as a good quality of life for anyone who abuses meth. In view of the heightened level of addiction of this drug and its severe negative impact on health, recovery treatment is always advisable for regular users. But what does meth abuse or addiction treatment entail?

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Treatment for Meth Abuse

In general, there are two main types of drug treatment services available to treat drug abuse or addiction: pharmacology (approved prescription medications) and therapy.

At present, there are no medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat meth abuse or addiction. In other words, there are no available targeted medications that counteract the particular side effects associated with meth, reduce its addiction potential, or help recovering users to maintain abstinence.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse supports research in this area, and experiments have been conducted regarding blocking self-administration of methamphetamine in rats. Another approach under review is to use vaccine or antibody injections to neutralize methamphetamine in the blood to reduce or eliminate the impact of this drug on the brain. Funding in this area is a sign that a pharmacological intervention into meth abuse may one day be a reality.

Most treatment regimes begin with medical detox, during which the substance is slowly weaned out of the user’s body. Medical detox is done under the supervision of medical professionals, ensuring clients remain safe and comfortable throughout the process.

Post detox, behavioral therapy is often used to treat those addicted to meth. As the National Institute on Drug Abuse explains, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the Matrix Model, and contingency management interventions have all been shown to assist recovery from meth abuse.¹

Overcoming Barriers to Treatment

The paths to rehab treatment are many. For instance, meth abusers may have an encounter with the law and then be court-ordered to treatment (either in lieu of jail time or as a condition of probation post-incarceration). It is important to note that those who are sent to treatment through the criminal justice fare just as well, sometimes even better, than individuals who did not have court referrals.

Those who are ready to help a loved one who abuses meth are best advised to take useful preparatory steps, such as learning about meth addiction, finding out about treatment options, developing a plan to help get the meth user into treatment, and reaching out to professionals for assistance. A formal or informal intervention, if timed when a meth user is not high, can be effective way to get treatment started. Despite the devastating effect meth has on people, it is important for concerned persons not to lose sight of their ability to help.
Recovery is always possible.

Sources

1. “What Treatments Are Effective for People Who Misuse Methamphetamine?” National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2021, https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/methamphetamine/what-treatments-are-effective-people-who-misuse-methamphetamine.