Methamphetamine Addiction Intervention: A Guide to Moving Forward
When a loved one has an addiction, it can be difficult to watch them make decisions which damage their health or imperil their life. It is a natural response to want to help them recover, to get back on track and seek the help they need to move forward. While this can often be the difference between someone starting the process of recovery or simply continuing on with their current behaviors, any action from others has to be presented in a way which will actually appeal to someone who is suffering from addiction and make clear the benefits of seeking help. The last thing you want to do is upset them by making it seem like they are being judged, forced, or alienated. This is especially true if your loved one is addicted to methamphetamine, which is known to be especially detrimental to a person’s mental health and overall mindset.
Methamphetamine Users Are Highly Volatile
No one likes to have their faults pointed out, especially in the case of addictions for which the user may already feel guilty or shameful.
It is important to consider how they might react to any actions you might take. This is especially important when dealing with someone who uses methamphetamine.
Methamphetamine (MA) is particularly nefarious for the way it tends to change users; The Office of National Drug Control Policy lists methamphetamine as a Schedule II synthetic stimulant which can alter judgment and result in unsafe behaviors including mood disturbances, with chronic usage causing visual and auditory hallucinations.
The US National Institutes of Health categorizes methamphetamine as a highly addictive psychostimulant. Exposure to MA is neurotoxic in humans, and neuroimaging confirms that extended exposure can lead to extensive neural damage.
According to drugabuse.gov, short-term effects include increased wakefulness, decreased appetite, and increased blood pressure and body temperature; long-term effects of methamphetamine use include anxiety, confusion, paranoia and violent behavior.
Studies also found that long-term use can cause severe changes to areas of the brain associated with emotion and memory. So, it may not be as easy to predict how a methamphetamine user is going to react to your efforts to help.
If they feel trapped or pressured, or become confused about your motivations or intentions, they may react negatively to your efforts. In such a case, the last thing you want is to create a situation which is going to put them or others in danger or further drive away your loved-one.
Methamphetamine Interventions Need to be Handled with Care
If you are thinking of holding an intervention for someone addicted to methamphetamine, you are going to want to be very careful how you go about it.
Because of the unique difficulties presented by long-term MA usage, it is recommended that an intervention specialist be consulted before any action is taken.
Intervention specials are trained professionals who have a great wealth of experience reaching out to and helping those with addictions. Their job is to convince your loved-one that action needs to be taken and persuade them to seek help.
Professional help is easy to find. The Interventionists with Addiction Care Recovery Services begin working with you from the moment you contact them.
They will plan the intervention for you, using their experience and professional approach, to ensure you have the best possible chance of convincing your loved one to seek help. Interventionists also work to mediate the communication during the intervention itself, being present in order to facilitate beneficial dialogue controlled in a healthy manner which consistently works towards the ultimate goal of providing help.
The Interventionists specialize in communicating in a way which helps your loved-one understand how much they are loved by their family and friends, and their desire to support and help, while also making the reality that their life is in serious danger apparent.
Because the Interventionists have seen all manner of reactions to attempts at assistance, they have refined methods and tactics which help them stage an intervention which will be the most effective for the individual situation.
They also work with family members and friends to teach them to identify manipulative behaviors and how to best respond to them in a manner which is neither enabling nor upsetting.
After the intervention, the Interventionist will continue to work with you as your loved-one begins the recovery process. As part of their role in this change, the Interventionist helps find a treatment center to effectively meet the needs of your loved one.
They will continue to be involved through the whole recovery process, guaranteeing lifelong support for everyone involved.
Methamphetamine Addiction Intervention With Addiction Care Recovery Services
Addiction Care Recovery Services recognizes that seeking help for someone addicted to methamphetamine presents unique difficulties and keeps this in mind while working with your situation. Interventionists working with someone addicted to MA take particular precautions when preparing their assistance.
The process begins when you first contact them; your Interventionist will begin learning all they can about your family and their individual situation.
They will also work with you to make travel arrangements in order to meet with your family during the planning process. The intervention itself takes place over two days; the first day, called Preparation Day, is designed to prepare your family for the process and make sure you know everything you need to stage a successful intervention on the second day.
More information about their process for helping MA users can be found on the Methamphetamine Abuse Intervention page.
Meth Users Feel Ashamed
While it is recommended to seek professional help before confronting a methamphetamine user in order to avoid violent situations, it is also important to consider that someone addicted to MA may feel ashamed about their behavior. Initially, methamphetamine use causes feelings of euphoria and well-being.
However, as mentioned, MA can severely alter a user’s mental state over time. It can also have a drastic effect on their physicality; frequent users of MA experience exaggerated weight loss, advanced tooth decay, and highly pronounced skin sores.
As these physical and mental deteriorations become more apparent, a user may become self-conscious and develop a negative self-image. This can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and behaviors such as avoiding family and friends who are most likely to notice the changes.
Therefore, it can often be difficult to get a methamphetamine user to respond to requests to meet in person, such as for interventions. They are likely to be hesitant or make excuses to avoid personal interaction, and when they do meet with family and friends, they are likely to already be on edge and feel either defensive or guilty about the consequences of their actions.
This is another reason why you will want to seek the help of a trained intervention specialist before you attempt to make contact with your loved one.
It is important that any such meeting is conducted in a manner which is most likely to set an atmosphere of support, acceptance and caring.
If you or someone you know is seeking information in order to provide help for someone addicted to methamphetamine, take a look at the many resources included in this article.
They could make all the difference in successfully getting your loved one the help that they so desperately need.
