Meth Addiction Treatment in Massachusetts

How to Recognize the Signs and Symptoms of Meth Addiction

The symptoms of methamphetamine use and abuse vary wildly depending on the person and the amount/type of meth used. However, common signs and symptoms include changes in mood, which can vary from euphoria to irritability. In addition, meth abuse and meth addiction also commonly come with changes in behavior, such as taking more risks, social isolation, violent behavior, or increased talking. Due to a lack of appetite, physical changes also commonly occur, creating weight loss, malnutrition, and emaciation. 

In addition to physical symptoms, meth addiction also comes with psychological symptoms, including:

• Hallucinations
• Obsessive behaviors
• Paranoia
• Psychosis
• Extreme feelings of power 
• Compulsive skin-picking or hair-pulling 

The Importance of Detox in Methamphetamine Recovery

Methamphetamine is a powerful drug. It quickly impacts the brain and body in a very significant way, causing changes that make it highly difficult to stop using meth and resulting in substance abuse. As a result, recovering from meth addiction requires professional help, including detox. 

The process of detox is when an individual ceases the use of meth. This means getting the drug out of a person’s system completely. In detox at a Massachusetts meth addiction treatment center, this often incorporates the use of medications to help decrease symptoms of detox. This is necessary, as when meth wears off, an individual begins to experience detox, and they have extreme symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and psychosis. 

Finding Treatment at NorthStar Recovery Center

When clients or their loved ones are struggling with methamphetamine addiction, it can feel hopeless. However, at NorthStar Recovery Center, we believe that there is always hope. We strive to be a beacon of light in the midst of struggle. Clients or their loved ones can change and find treatment at NorthStar Recovery Center. Therefore, we help individuals heal from substance abuse with methamphetamines and find sobriety in the darkest house. As a Massachusetts meth addiction treatment center, we are here to help. 

Benefits of Inpatient Rehab in Massachusetts

Inpatient rehab is a type of treatment where clients stay on the premises of the treatment facility. As a result, they have round-the-clock care that ensures that their mental and physical health is addressed at any moment of need.  

For methamphetamine addiction, this is highly beneficial. It provides a significant amount of structure, support, and care. This structure helps clients to heal physically and mentally from the harrowing cost of methamphetamine abuse. However, it also teaches clients skills that help them to live their lives free from substance abuse. 

The Benefits of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) In Supporting Recovery of Meth Addiction

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of talk therapy. It is based on the concept that thoughts, feelings, and actions influence each other. This means that certain thoughts can lead to actions, and actions or experiences can cause individuals to have specific thoughts. The model of CBT can help clients learn about patterns that influence their behavior. For example, in CBT, clients might investigate a situation where they have felt cravings, discovering how to break the cycles of addiction. 

In methamphetamine addiction, there is a physical component that keeps individuals hooked on the drug. This is due to the changes that occur in the brain, making them seek methamphetamine. However, some behaviors are associated with substance abuse that inhibit sobriety, especially long-term. 

CBT aims to pinpoint the thoughts, feelings, and actions that play a role in methamphetamine addiction. The specifics are unique to each individual. However, research has shown that CBT can help individuals to stop using meth and learn tools that improve their sobriety long-term. 

Additional Therapeutic Modalities Used in Meth Addiction Treatment

At NorthStar Recovery Center, we utilize CBT and other behavioral therapies that help influence substance abuse and mental health. However, we offer a variety of other treatments that are effective and important in recovery from methamphetamine addiction. These therapies include medication-assisted treatment (MAT), family involvement, and holistic therapy options. 

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

Methamphetamine addiction is a cycle of meth use, withdrawal, craving, seeking the drug, and ending with more drug use. This cycle occurs due to learned behaviors and changes in the brain and body that cause individuals to continually seek the high that meth provides. MAT is a method that aims to break this cycle with the use of medication. 

Through MAT, clients at NorthStar Recovery Center are prescribed medications that help them manage cravings, improve mental health, and improve physical health. The use of these medications is closely monitored and occurs in conjunction with therapies that help to address the root causes of their addiction. However, medication provides an opening for them to look at their challenges with methamphetamine addiction and their mental health. 

Family Involvement

At NorthStar Recovery Center, we know that humans are social creatures. Each person influences others and has many people who influence them. This can include those they live with and those they spend time with. As a result, we encourage and offer family involvement in a manner that is focused on and helpful for the client. 

Family involvement looks different for each client. However, at NorthStar Recovery Center, we always focus on what is helpful for the client’s process of healing. Often, this includes family therapy. In family therapy, clients and their families work through challenges together and, with the help of a counselor, moderate the interactions. 

Family therapy helps clients to find sobriety after meth addiction due to its influence on family dynamics and the benefits of improved communication. In family therapy, clients and their loved ones discuss issues. This helps loved ones understand the needs of the client. However, it also influences overall family dynamics, and when these improve, the overall home environment also does. Additionally, due to the sessions being moderated, clients and their loved ones learn to communicate effectively. This helps resolve both current and future issues. 

Aftercare and Relapse Prevention Planning

Recovery from methamphetamine addiction is a lifelong pursuit. There is not a quick fix that makes it easier. Instead, it requires continual effort and work. It is a disease that we at NorthStar Recovery Center address as such. Therefore, we provide care in treatment that helps prevent relapse through planning. Additionally, we have aftercare programs that ensure that our clients are not left alone after treatment. We are always here for support. 

Group Therapy

At NorthStar Recovery, we offer group therapy as part of our treatment options. In group therapy, multiple clients work with one or more counselors. The content and the goals of the group therapy sessions are unique to the individuals involved. However, they tend to focus on working through common issues surrounding addiction and mental health. 

In group therapy, clients both share and listen. As a result, they learn from others’ experiences, and others gain knowledge from hearing their stories, challenges, and possible solutions. However, unlike peer groups, group therapy also has the benefit of being moderated by counselors. As such, they learn improved communication skills that help them far beyond group therapy. Overall, group therapy is an ideal place for clients to work through challenges associated with their addiction, with the support of not only counselors but also peers in treatment. 

Individual Therapy

Unlike group therapy, where clients are seen as a group, individual therapy offers time for clients to work one-on-one with a counselor. Individual therapy is focused time on the client. It is structured to help clients become aware of the root issues of their challenges. In addition, clients learn new skills such as improved awareness, how to break the cycle of behaviors related to addiction, and more. The unique methods used in individual therapy will vary, as at NorthStar Recovery Center, we know that every client has unique needs. 

12-Step Programs

As a peer support program, 12-Step programs give clients another avenue of support. They are structured to provide clients with a place to connect with others who have similar issues. While there are rules for the programs, they are not moderated by a therapist and are more focused on providing clients with a place to share and listen, connecting with others who have similar challenges. 12-Step programs also have a spiritual focus, although they do not require any religious beliefs, and thus offer another avenue of connecting and healing.  

EMDR Therapy for Trauma

At NorthStar Recovery Center, we know that for individuals to stay sober long-term, they must address root problems that are associated with their addiction. Trauma is a common root cause that needs to be resolved for clients to move forward in sobriety. 

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapeutic modality that incorporates eye movement and therapy. It aids clients in reprocessing traumatic memories in order to soften their impact on their lives. EMDR helps clients to heal from their past and find a new way forward.