Meth Addiction Resource Center

• Apr
  02

  Meth Addiction Therapy

  

  Meth is a very debilitating stimulant that takes countless lives every year. Unfortunately, there are no pharmaceutical options for meth addiction and abuse.

  This leaves meth addiction therapy. Therapists and counselors use a variety of methods to help you recovery from meth addiction.

  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

  Cognitive behavioral therapy is a "talk therapy", where you meet with a psychiatrist or licensed therapist to discuss your life and your meth abuse. The therapist to lead you to understand the causes of your addiction, the triggers that make it difficult for you stop, and the other stresses in your life that may hurt your recovery.

  You then work together to find ways of changing these negative thoughts or actions to ones that benefit you and help you stop using drugs. According to the Mayo Clinic, cognitive behavioral therapy can have numerous benefits for sufferers of a methamphetamine use disorder when properly applied. These include:

  1. The ability to cope with cravings and triggers.
  2. Relapse prevention.
  3. Quickly identifying problematic thoughts and behaviors.
  4. Changing your perception of your meth abuse.
  5. Teaching you to deal with stressful situations constructively.
  6. Helping you achieve a healthier sober lifestyle.

  All of these benefits can help you beat your meth abuse and get your life back, but it does not work for every person or in every situation. This is why it is not the only therapeutic approach to tackling meth abuse.

  Contingency Management

  Contingency management is an entirely different approach to combating the abuse of stimulants like methamphetamine. This method primarily involves group counseling and provides real incentives for staying sober, participating in counseling sessions, and meeting certain recovery goals. Some of these incentives may include:

  1. Cash
  2. Movie tickets
  3. Gift certificates
  4. Dinners
  5. Special privileges during counseling sessions
  6. Vacations that support sober living

  The actual incentives of each program and facility vary, but they all are intended to help recovering addicts remain engaged in their treatment and motivated to continue treatment.

  In fact, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, successful contingency management programs are proven to have very high treatment retention rates and lower relapse rates than many other forms of treatment. This means that you are more likely to stay in treatment until you are truly healed and ready to live free of meth.

  Contingency management is often offered at the beginning of treatment to help motivate change through tangible rewards. As treatment progresses, the rewards become less tangible and more intangible. The intangible rewards may consist of:

  1. Getting your family and friends back.
  2. Not being a slave to the meth.
  3. Being able to find and keep a job.
  4. Having the support structure you need.
  5. Resolving the issues that started your addiction.

  All of these intangible rewards are eventually realized with addiction treatment but at the beginning you might need a more physical immediate reward. This is where contingency management comes in.

  12-Step Facilitation Therapy

  12 step groups have been used in the treatment of substance abuse and addiction for over 100 years. Things operate somewhat differently now than when these groups first started, though. One of these changes is the introduction of 12-step facilitation therapy. A therapist administers this therapy, but the majority of your recovery is associated with your participation in the 12-step group. This is achieved by several means, including:

  1. Explaining what you should expect at meetings.
  2. Teaching you the 12 step process in detail.
  3. Helping you get to meetings.
  4. Showing you how you are able to benefit from the peer support of the group at any time.
  5. Acting as a sounding board for your to express concerns or problems.

  These actions help you get more out of participation in this type of peer support group and help you build the support network necessary to prevent relapse.

  The Matrix Model of Treatment

  The matrix model is a relatively new treatment method that has shown a tremendous amount of promise, particularly in treating stimulant abuse and addiction. This makes very appropriate for people that suffer from a meth addiction. According to Boston University, the key elements of the matrix model include:

  1. Reliance on group therapy.
  2. The role of the therapist as a teacher or coach.
  3. More effective scheduling and time management.
  4. Complete and accurate information provided to patients.
  5. Relapse prevention.
  6. Family involvement.
  7. A focus on self-help.
  8. Regular testing for sobriety.

  These elements combine to create a treatment method that is more complete and more effective than any of the elements alone would be. The only drawback to this particular treatment method is its availability.

  Not every treatment facility or every therapist is capable of providing the diverse and varying elements associated with the matrix model. However, there are still many places to receive this treatment if it is determined that it is the best option for you and your goals of ending you meth abuse.

  Why you Need Treatment

  All of these therapeutic approaches can take a long time to create lasting recovery and can be difficult to complete. This may leave you wondering why you really need to seek professional meth addiction therapy. If this is the case, there are several things you should keep in mind.

  The most important of these being the long term effects of meth abuse and addiction. According to the Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland, these effects include:

  1. Brain damage
  2. Cognitive impairment that resembles Alzheimer's disease
  3. Permanent psychosis
  4. High risk of suicide
  5. Heart attack or stroke
  6. Meth mouth
  7. Increased risk of HIV and other diseases
  8. Death.

  These consequences of long term meth abuse are nearly guaranteed without ending your addiction. Not only this, but your meth use damages everyone you care about as well. Since methamphetamine is so highly addictive, it can be nearly impossible to quit without help.

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  Posted on April 2nd, 2017

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