What is an Amphetamine?
What Are The Signs of Amphetamine Addiction?
Some drugs may make it easier to hide their use. Amphetamine isn’t one of them. The signs of amphetamine addiction are often relatively visible to outsiders, and the effects of these drugs tend to last for a long time.
One of the most common signs someone is on amphetamines and possibly abusing them is talkativeness. When someone uses these drugs, their brain is stimulated, which can lead them to talk a lot, and quickly. In most cases, if someone is on amphetamines, it becomes clear when you interact with them.
The individual may stay up for a day or more because the drug keeps them awake. Since these drugs are stimulants, they may appear very fidgety. They may have trouble staying still.
They will also tend to lose their appetite. If you notice someone once had a normal appetite and suddenly seems uninterested in food, particularly on a prolonged basis, it might be an indication of drug abuse.
Other signs of amphetamine use can include a fast heart rate, increased body temperature, and a sense of euphoria. Blood pressure can quickly rise, breathing can speed up and pupils will often become dilated.
While these are the most common signs to look for, some more adverse effects may occur, including digestive problems, hallucinations, or aggressive, paranoid, or anxious behaviour.
When the euphoric effects of amphetamines begin to wear off, the user may start to seem fatigued, depressed, or generally disinterested in things. This is referred to as the “amphetamine come-down,” and withdrawal symptoms may include headaches, irritability, blurry vision, confusion, dizziness, periods of anxiety and cravings for more drugs.
How is Amphetamine Addiction Treated?
Acknowledging that you need medical help for a stimulant addiction can be difficult, as can persuading someone that they need professional support in order to recover sufficiently. At The Recovery Lodge addiction retreat here in Kent, we aim to ease those concerns by offering a free initial assessment with a specialist addictions therapist who can discuss the issues you are facing with addiction in confidence.
After you have discussed your addiction and decided what goals you want to achieve during your treatment, a tailored treatment plan built around your specific circumstances will be arranged. This comprehensive approach to treatment enables you to learn healthy coping mechanisms to replace learned thoughts and behaviours that contribute to ongoing addiction, helping to ensure that once the drug is out of your system, you are less likely to relapse and turn to the drug in future.
How to Quit Amphetamine Addiction.
Some drugs are easy to recover from while others are not so easy. Amphetamine is a drug in the latter category. However, any amphetamine addict willing to commit him or herself to recovery can get clean from this destructive chemical. The process begins with a withdrawal period that can last between five and ten days.
Detox and withdrawal for amphetamine is slightly different than it is for other drugs. It includes treating the patient with large doses of vitamins and minerals to make up for the severe malnutrition the average addict is suffering from by the time he/she enters detox. Those vitamins and minerals, combined with mild medications, help to lessen the severity of withdrawal symptoms.
While in withdrawal, an amphetamine addict is likely to experience severe cravings that can persist for days. However, this (as well as other withdrawal symptoms) can be managed by our in-house team. Other withdrawal symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, aggressive tendencies, and a host of physical symptoms that range from headaches to nausea.
The withdrawal symptoms are serious enough that amphetamine addicts should not try to stop using on their own. This is one drug in which medical supervision is absolutely necessary for safe and effective withdrawal. Following withdrawal, recovering addicts enter a psychotherapeutic treatment programme that usually takes up to 12 weeks to complete.
Amphetamine Addiction and Withdrawal
Prescription drug misuse can result in a wide range of long-term problems that can have a devastating impact on all areas of your life. These may include:
Strained or ruined relationships
Family breakdowns
Job loss and unemployment
Financial difficulties
Legal problems, including arrest and imprisonment
Prescription drug addicts tend to be a lot better at hiding their behaviours. Some may even be able to cover up what they are doing based on a previous medical need that was legitimate. Having said that, there are some signs that are often seen with prescription drug addiction. These are:
- A tendency to visit doctors frequently
- A tendency to shop online for prescription drugs
Regular complaints about medical conditions that would justify drug use - A gradual drop-off in school or work performance
- An increasing disinterest in personal appearance
- A tendency toward defensiveness when talking about prescription medications.
Getting Help For Substance Abuse and Addiction
Our addiction recovery services are available 24/7, you can contact us for help whenever you need to. Once you have contacted us we can help you take the next steps in your recovery, help you in rehabilitating from addiction and offer support however you may need.
Remember addiction, no matter what kind, is beatable. YOU can overcome it, in reading this information, whether purposefully or not you have unknowingly taken the first step in your recovery. Don’t look back now.