Drug addiction is a dangerous condition with a long, difficult road to recovery. If you or a loved one are struggling with a speed addiction, you will want to stay informed about the effects of speed and its treatment so you can know what to expect.
The drug commonly referred to as speed is one of many that can harm you and require intense treatment programs to return you to health. If you are struggling with an addiction, it is important to seek recovery before your symptoms worsen. Just call 800-816-1059(Who Answers?) to speak with a specialist about your specific situation and seek help for recovery.
What Is Speed?
Speed, or methamphetamine, is a stimulant often misused to help people stay awake or feel energized. However, when using speed for such reasons, people often don’t consider the negative effects and the fact that, according to the National Center on Biotechnology Information, this stimulant is extremely addictive.
As the user continues to return to the drug for the desired benefits, they are allowing this drug to alter their brain to a point where they develop a dependency on the drug and then suffer from the effects of addiction.
As tolerance develops, it will be more difficult to achieve the desired results, forcing the user to increase the intake amount in order to achieve the stimulation of the drug. Increased intake and repeated use can be extremely harmful to the user’s body and can cause a fatal overdose.
What Is the Harm?
Over time, speed can damage your cognitive abilities.
Since speed is a stimulant that affects the brain, continued use over time can lead to extreme cognitive defects, affecting memory and overall brain function. As the brain controls the body, speed can prevent messages from being sent from the brain to organs, like the heart and lungs.
As a result, there is usually a disruption of normal organ function. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, long term effects can include:
- Repetitive and unexplained motor activity (movements)
- Skin sores
- Weight loss
- Dental decay
- Aggression or violence
As speed can cause hallucinations from psychosis, a person may accidentally physically injure themselves or others. People who take stimulants for the short-term effects don’t take into account the long-term effects that can harm them for the rest of their lifetime.
Why Is Residential Treatment So Important?
Due to the severity of a stimulant addiction, it can be extremely difficult for an individual to make a successful and sustained recovery on their own efforts. Residential programs are usually recommended, as they can provide round-the-clock care to ensure recovery. They are equipped to safely handle the withdrawal process and the long-term side effects of speed.
Residential programs will not only provide patients with the means to recover from their addiction, but will also treat the damage caused by the drug. These programs will provide the patient with the necessary elements of their recovery, such as community and accountability.
Community, provided through means of support groups and group therapy, makes all the difference in the effectiveness of recovery. Support groups will allow you to connect with individuals who understand what you are going through and can share their own successful recovery stories with you as encouragement.
Accountability is also a key component to keep you away from temptations, and staying in a residential treatment program keeps you out of situations where you may be presented with a temptation to abuse speed again.
If you or a loved one are dealing with an addiction to speed or any other stimulant drug, just call 800-816-1059(Who Answers?) to speak with a caring specialist who can answer any of your questions or concerns and help you in your recovery process.
