Stages of Meth Addiction

Listed below are the stages of drug addiction, which is not specially for meth but is universal for all drugs, but will very slightly with each drug.  This article is for the purpose of explaining the stages of addiction applied to Methamphetamine, better known as meth.  First some brief information and introduction to Methamphetamine.  Meth is a central nervous stimulant or more commonly referred to as CMS.  Meth is a purely synthetic or man made drug, manufactured from common household chemicals and over the counter medications.  Meth has many street names but some of the more common ones are glass, ice, dope, and crystal.  Studies have shown that Meth is one of the most addictive drugs known, Nicotine being the only known drug that is more addictive.  Meth addiction develops very rapidly, but still follows the stages of addiction.  Below are the stages of addiction and possible warning signs that can help detect and deter meth addiction before it goes to far.

Experimentation

Crystal meth addiction develops very rapidly but still follows the classic stages of addiction.  The 1st Stage being Experimentation, where the person is trying meth the 1st couple of times.  The most common way to take meth in the experimentation phase is by smoking it.  Meth can also be insufflated and injected.  The Experimentation phase with Meth usually does not last very long compared to most other drugs.

Habitual Use

The next stage in meth addiction is habitual use.  This stage of addiction is where the person begins to use meth on a regular basis, whether that be daily or every weekend, it is considered to be daily use, which is considered habitual use.  During this stage a tolerance for meth begins to develop.  Tolerance to drug requires the user to take more of the drug to get the desired effect from the drug.

Dependence

The third stage of addiction is dependence.  Dependence is defined as the user needing use meth to feel normal.  Also with dependence a strong mental addiction to meth is created, where the user believes they can not make it through daily life and routines with out using meth.  In this stage, if the user goes anytime without using meth withdrawal symptoms can begin to appear and the user can slip into depression.  Therefore the meth addict will start to bypass there normal habits in routines in favor of obtaining and or using more meth.

Addiction

The fourth stage is known as addiction.  Once the user has become an addict, it can be very difficult for the person to stop using meth.  They will often take part in destructive behaviors and activities to obtain and use meth.  At this stage the meth user is considered an addict and they will constantly look for more of the drug in fear of not having it.  Meth will become the main priority for the addict and they will neglect most if not all of their other responsibilities.  The addicts behavior will also become sporadic and unpredictable, which includes severe mood swings and altered sleeping and eating habits.

Recovery

Even in the last stages of addiction there is hope of recovery.  Most meth addicts will not need a medical detox to come off of meth but should be supervised in case any thing life threatening does occur.  What the meth addict needs most while detoxing is vitamins, water and sleep.  It is also suggested that a meth addict trying to recover should enter into a long term drug rehab to help the addict cope with life without meth use.  Plus it gives the addict time to heal and recover away from the place they used meth.

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