“My story is not a sad story; it's a real one. It's a story about a girl who fought through a storm she thought would never end.” ― Hannah Blum
Nearly 200,000 adults in Texas reported using methamphetamine in 2021. In the same year, over 4.6 million adults in Texas were dealing with a mental health condition. The overlap between these two groups is often bigger than we can imagine, but why is that?
Here at San Antonio Recovery Center, our 8-to-1 patient-to-staff ratio truly highlights how hands-on and dedicated we are to helping our patients find recovery, from both substance use and mental health concerns. Today we’re going to talk about the psychological effects of meth addiction and answer a lot of the common questions we hear regarding it.
Methamphetamines, commonly known as meth, are a central nervous system stimulant. They also impact the dopamine system within the body. Dopamine is a reward chemical that’s naturally produced during things like sex or eating food. While in natural situations it's recycled back into the body after a short period, when meth is in the system, it alters this natural cycle, increasing production.
No matter how frequently someone has engaged in meth consumption, it can have an impact on the brain and how it functions. Let’s take a closer look at the short and long-term effects of methamphetamine use on the brain.
Anytime short-term effects are spoken of regarding substance use, it’s usually referring to the “high” of the medication. These effects don’t last as long as the time it takes for the substance to be fully processed out of the body.
When consumed, meth causes the person to experience things like increased attentiveness, a burst of energy, euphoria, decreased appetite, rapid heartbeat and respiration, and elevated body temperature.
For meth specifically, many of the “positive” effects only last a few minutes. This leads to a repeated pattern of consumption, referred to as a “binge and crash,” to lengthen the experience.
While there is no specific timeline that will guarantee someone experiences the long-term effects of meth consumption, it often occurs with continued engagement over a period of time or frequent and heavy engagement over any length of time.
Unlike short-term effects, long-term effects don’t go away when meth is out of your system. Some of these effects can take time and dedication to properly address.
The most common long-term effects of a meth use disorder include:
Like with many stimulants, your brain becomes accustomed to the increased levels of dopamine that are more regularly in the body because of meth. When you become adjusted to a higher baseline of dopamine, going back to normal dopamine levels can easily trigger depression. This is one of the many ways meth withdrawal can impact the brain.
Another common outcome of meth withdrawal is continuing to experience long-term symptoms like psychosis, memory loss, and decreased thinking and motor skills. Studies show that the structural changes caused in our brain's functionality due to meth can take months to heal.
Healing is possible, but it can only be achieved through recovery.
If this blog is ringing home for you, or it makes you concerned for a loved one, we’re here to reassure you that there are many quality meth addiction treatment programs available to help. No matter the history of substance use, mental health concerns, or a combination of the two – recovery is always an option.
There’s no wrong time to get started. See why we have the largest alumni network in San Antonio here at San Antonio Recovery Center. We’re dedicated to helping you find healing in a way that works for you. Give us a call anytime at 866-957-7885 and we can answer any questions you may have, or even help you get started today.
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