Meth use often impacts your quality of life. Your finances take a hit and relationships may be destroyed because of the erratic behaviour that addiction creates. Also, you always run the risk of being arrested when you use illegal drugs. These are all things that could change when you stop using meth. Prolonged use of meth can cause negative health consequences such as extreme weight loss, severe dental problems including tooth loss, and skin sores that result from excessive scratching. Meth use can also increase the risk of contracting infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis. [1] X Trustworthy Source National Institute on Drug Abuse Agency in the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services devoted to researching drug and drug abuse and educating the public Go to source Being healthy for you and your family is often a pretty good reason to quit.
If negative influences are still contacting you, then you may want to consider changing your phone number and deleting your social media accounts for a while. It is just as important to avoid going into old environments that may trigger your desire to use meth. Many people even take alternate routes to work to avoid driving past old acquaintances.
Keep your sobriety partner’s phone number in your wallet, in your cell phone, or in any place where you will have easy access to it at all times. Identifying one person to be your sobriety partner is fantastic but having several people that you can call at a moment’s notice is ideal. Keep in mind that the larger your support network is, the more successful you’ll be with quitting.
You may want to look at your plan’s brochure or schedule of benefits before actually contacting the insurance company. These written insurance materials should also have details about what is covered in your plan. If you don’t have insurance then treatment may be a little more difficult to obtain. However, it is important to figure out how you are going to pay for your treatment. There are many social service programs that may be helpful. In addition, family and friends may be willing to assist financially so that you can get help.
Consider how severe your addiction is when deciding what type of treatment to undergo. If the addiction is severe and you are concerned that remaining at home while in treatment will result in you dropping out of the program, then an inpatient program is probably your best option. If the addiction is not extremely severe and you have other responsibilities like a job or children, you may want to consider an outpatient program. When making this decision you may want to ask for feedback from family members and other people who care about you. They may be able to see the situation a little more objectively. If you choose inpatient treatment, try to visit the facility in advance so that you are comfortable with where you will be living for the next few weeks or months.
It may take up to 90 days to complete treatment. [3] X Trustworthy Source Recovery. org Resource run by the American Addiction Centers organization providing people with educational resources about substance abuse Go to source Sometimes it may even be longer, depending upon the severity of the addiction and your specific needs. However, you must be committed to the process and that includes preparing in advance for success. Remember, when you complete the program, you should have all of the tools that you need to stay substance-free. You may not want to take too much time off from work if you are in outpatient treatment. Work is a way to stay busy and distracted.
Rely on close family members and friends. If you’re reluctant to ask for support again because you’ve let them down in the past, consider going to family counseling. It’s very important that you have the support of those closest to you during this time. Make new friends. You can find healthy people engaged in constructive activities in places like church, civics groups, volunteer activities, school, classes, or events being held in your community. If you live alone or in a place where you readily have access to Meth or other drugs, consider moving into a drug-free living environment during outpatient treatment. This is also a good option to consider after you leave inpatient treatment. You’ll have more support in a healthier living environment.
Inpatient treatment is very structured and at times it may even seem like it is beneath you to attend the sessions. In addition, the other people in treatment may be extremely vocal or have personalities that don’t match well with yours. When these frustrations arise, continue to remind yourself that this is only temporary and the end results are worth it. Rely on your support system during these times to keep you motivated. The moment that the thought “Don’t go today” creeps up into your mind, immediately call your accountability partner or another supportive person.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps you identify the factors that are contributing to your drug use and give you strategies to overcome them. Multidimensional Family Therapy (MFT) is often used with adolescents to help youth and their families address the abuse patterns and improve overall functioning within the family unit. Motivational incentives use behavioural reinforcement to encourage drug abstinence.
Long gone are the days when you have to go cold turkey and sit in treatment writhing in agony. Typically, medicine is used to help ease the withdrawal symptoms. So, although you will likely experience some of the physical symptoms of detoxing and withdrawal, they probably won’t be extreme. Medication such as methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone are often used to relieve meth cravings so that you can disengage from drug seeking and focus on treatment. Some withdrawal symptoms that you may experience include difficulties breathing, diarrhea, shaking, paranoia, mood shifts, sweating, heart palpitations, vomiting, and nausea. Again, keep in mind that medications will help ease these symptoms. Meth is a amphetamine that results in the increase in dopamine production. Dopamine signals the brain to “feel good” and when a person stops taking meth the dopamine levels drop drastically. As a result, you may experience anhedonia or an inability to experience pleasure. [8] X Research source This temporary condition usually lasts for a few weeks while the body readjusts its dopamine levels. Unfortunately, people often relapse during this time because they want to feel good again. Therefore, it’s important to recognize when this condition is occurring so that you don’t drop out of treatment. In the beginning, the physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms may feel overwhelming and cause you to want to stop treatment. Discontinuing treatment is not a wise idea and could be detrimental to your success.
These programs are often privately owned and can be expensive. Again, you may want to check to see if your insurance covers such programs. Other options are asking for financial assistance from social services, your church or local ministry, or arrange to pay out of pocket.
Spending time around other people who are in recovery in a supportive environment will help you when you reintegrate into your normal routine. Attending a support group even if you are in a recovery home is very important. This way you’ll already be used to it when you return home. Now that you feel better, other things will begin to compete for your attention again. During this transition, you may think that it’s okay to begin skipping meetings. Skipping support group meetings is not a wise idea and could be detrimental to your success.
Avoid bars and clubs. Even if you don’t struggle with alcohol, alcohol can lower inhibitions and impair judgment. Also, you may be more likely to run into old buddies there or be in the presence of meth. The use of opiates and other prescription medication can trigger relapse but so can inadequate pain relief. [10] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source Therefore it’s important for you to be candid with doctors when seeking medical treatment. Do not be ashamed of your history and instead focus on avoiding relapse. If you need a medical or dental procedure, find a medical professional who will provide alternative medicines or prescribe the minimal amount of medication to provide you comfort but not trigger a relapse.
Exercise: Walking, running, biking, gardening, swimming, even cleaning your house helps. Write: Spend 10-15 minutes a day writing about stressful events that happened that day. It might help if after you write about the event that you rewrite the ending the way you would have liked for things to have gone. Write in the present tense, pretending as if it really happened that way. This way you end the writing exercise on a positive note. Talk it out: Whether you want to laugh, cry, or just vent a little, find a friend, Counselor or Clergyman who is available to be present and talk it out with you. Do something you enjoy: Find an activity that you really enjoy and spend some time doing that. It could be anything healthy that you enjoy, such as gardening, playing with your kids, going for a stroll, eating out, baking, or even just sitting outside in the fresh air for a while. If you enjoy it and it’s a healthy activity, then go for it. Meditate: Sit in a quiet place and breather in deeply through your nose and allow the air to go to your abdomen. Then breathe out through your mouth allowing the air to come up from your abdomen and out of your mouth. As you do this, focus on the breaths that you take. This is a great meditation process for stress relief. Yoga: Enroll into a yoga class or grab a few yoga DVDs to help with stress relief.
Have productive thoughts while dealing with cravings. Tell yourself that it’s a craving. Cravings are bound to happen, and dealing with the cravings will get easier all the time. Think, “I need to ride out my cravings, one at a time so I can remain sober”. Keep a list of activities that you enjoy that can help distract you when the urge to use emerges. Some examples of distracting activities might include reading, writing in your journal, going to the movies, watching a movie at home, or going out to eat. Visualize that you’re a surfer who is determined to ride the wave until the craving passes. See yourself staying on top of the wave until it crests, peaks, and then returns to the less powerful, white and foamy surf. This technique is called “urge surfing. ” List all of the benefits and consequences of using meth on an index card that you keep on you at all times. When a craving hits, pull out the card to remind yourself that you really won’t feel better if you use it. Call your accountability partner or other supportive friend or family member so that you can talk through the urge.
Relapse is a common part of the recovery process. Don’t let it keep you down. Rather than look at it as a failure, use it as a learning opportunity. When you are sober again, take a look at what triggered your relapse and figure out what you can do the next time a similar situation presents itself.
As you’re making your list, consider the types of people whom you would like to work with. Whatever your preferences are, make sure that you are clear about them in your mind before you agree to volunteer. Some things to consider when choosing the place where you will volunteer include age and gender of participants. Some people might prefer to educate youth while others may prefer to provide support for a specific gender.
Be sure that the volunteer opportunity is a good fit for you. For example, if you just want to volunteer once per month then make sure that the guidelines don’t expect weekly contact.
You can usually find contact information on the website. You can call the contact person or send them a quick email.
Get adequate rest the night before you volunteer. Sleep deprivation can increase your level of anxiety so be sure to go to bed at a reasonable hour. Try not to ruminate or think excessively about the upcoming volunteer assignment. Focus your thoughts on preparing for the event and then spend the rest of the time engaged in other healthy activities. Confront your fears. Try starting with activities that cause you lower levels of anxiety. Continue to engage in the activities until the anxiety no longer occurs. Try activities that are slightly uncomfortable but simple, like spooning soup into bowls at a soup kitchen. When you’re comfortable with that then you can move up to other volunteer activities.
