Rehab, Treatment, and Recovery

Several treatment providers describe Methamphetamine abusers as "the hardest to treat" of all drug users.

The first step for a person to end an addiction to Crystal Meth is to acknowledge that he has a problem. This may be difficult because it might mean confronting family members and friends and telling them the truth. After confiding in someone who cares, the user must submit to rehabilitation. It is important for the user to seek help from those with professional experience because of meth's highly addictive nature. It is near impossible for a user to quit on their own.

Stop Meth Addiction provides a lot of information about rehab, treatment, and recovery. The site said that users going through rehab are provided with the knowledge on how to change their lives and how to live comfortably without meth. Research studies show that residential meth rehab programs of at least three months in duration have the best success rates.

Detox from meth is the first step which takes approximately four to six weeks. Those in recovery often report physical cravings for up to a year. Users also deal with a strong psychological addiction, triggered by common sights, conversations, and thoughts, which if not kept under control can lead to quick relapse when accompanied by recurring physical cravings.

At this point in time, the most effective type of intervention and treatment for meth addiction is Cognitive Behavioral. This approach is designed to help modify the patients' thinking, expectancies, and behaviors and to increase skills in coping with various life stressors.


There are many websites and programs that are dedicated to helping those who suffer from meth addictions. Some of these include:

Meth Rehab

Methamphetamine Treatment

Support Systems Homes

What is Crystal Meth?

The National Geographic produced a documentary on Crystal Meth. Lisa Ling takes an inside look into the meth epidemic...


To purchase the full copy of the documentary visit The National Geographic's online store


According to The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Crystal Meth is defined as "a very pure, smokeable form of methamphetamine. It is a powerful and extremely addictive man-made stimulant. Its use can lead to severe physiological and psychological dependence." It can be taken orally, intranasally (snorting the powder), by needle injection, or by smoking. Crystal Meth is a highly addictive stimulant with euphoric effects.

Methamphetamine is available with a prescription for obesity, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and narcolepsy, but crystal meth is a street drug, made in illegal labs by chemically altering over-the-counter drugs (about.com). Meth use has both short and long-term effects on the body some of which take affect immediatly.

The Center for Substance Abuse Research says methamphetamine was derived from amphetamine in Japan in 1919. Both of these chemicals were originally used in nasal decongestants and in bronchial inhalers. Methamphetamine has also been used in the treatment of obesity. It first came to the United States in the 1930's. Use of the drug surged in the 1950's and 1960's, when users began injecting more frequently. The drug was outlawed as a part of the U.S. Drug Abuse and Regulation Control Act of 1970. Production and trafficking soared again in the 1990's in relation to organized crime in the Southwestern United States and Mexico.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, currently, the most effective treatments are behavioral. Contingency management interventions, which provide tangible incentives in exchange for engaging in treatment and maintaining abstinence, have also been shown to be effective. There are no medications at this time approved to treat methamphetamine addiction; however, this is an active area of research for NIDA.

Crystal Meth Statistics

Over 1.4 million Americans tried Meth in 2006
Over 12.3 million Americans age 12 and older have tried Meth since 2003
Meth use is greatest amond 35-45 year olds
The biggest increase in treatment is among 18-25 year olds
Meth treatment admission has outpaced cocaine and herion in 14 US states
Meth currently sells for $12,000 to $16,000 per pound at he wholesale level