How to Tell if Someone is on Meth

thoughful man struggling from meth addiction

How to Tell if Someone is on Meth

thoughful man struggling from meth addictionIf you expect that a loved one is abusing methamphetamine, it can be difficult to verify. For example, most people won’t be truthful if you attempt to sit down and have a conversation. Instead, drug abusers lie, throw back accusations, and use deception, even to the point of deceiving themselves. Yet, some 2.5 million Americans use methamphetamine, and an estimated 1.6 million of those are addicted to the drug. With almost 1 in 100 Americans using meth, it’s not unlikely that your suspicions of drug abuse are founded on something – so you can look for symptoms and take steps to get your loved one help.

Importantly, if your loved one is abusing drugs, it’s important to be gentle, non-judgmental, and caring. That starts with your investigation into whether they’re using or not. Your loved one should always be treated as a person with an illness, not someone making bad decisions or someone deliberately doing the wrong thing. The more you use judgment and anger, the more likely it is that you’ll have trouble getting them into treatment.

In most cases, you can start with three basic things. Looking for symptoms of your loved one being high, looking at long-term side-effects of meth, and looking for paraphernalia and other signs of drug abuse.

Symptoms of Being High

Methamphetamine is a stimulant which rapidly acts on the body, resulting in increases in energy, alertness, motivation, and mania. Normally, these symptoms last for about 12 hours or more, with a defined “manic” period followed by a crash. Initially, people act like they are suddenly excited and full of energy, are agitated, breathe more heavily, and may have dilated pupils. These symptoms can kick in within 15 minutes of taking a dose and can result in a period of being agitated and energetic that lasts up to 36 hours. Afterwards, people tend to crash, sleeping for tens of hours at a time and sometimes for a full 24-hour period.

That after-effect or “Crash” also often comes with cold and flu symptoms like redness around the eyes, runny nose, fatigue, and depression. They might be unable to sleep, but while being tired. And, that will happen cyclically, every time they use and crash.

Of course, people with manic disorders tend to have similar symptoms, minus the cold and flu symptoms. That’s also problematic considering people with bipolar disorders tend to struggle with substance abuse. So, it can be much harder to notice methamphetamine use in someone who already has manic episodes.

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Understand the Symptoms of Long-Term Meth Abuse

sad woman struggling from meth addictionThe longer your loved one uses methamphetamine, the more noticeable the side-effects will be. Methamphetamine has a significant effect on users, with an estimated 18% of all users and up to 70% of regular users suffering from psychotic episodes and psychosis. Unfortunately, longer-term symptoms can be difficult to notice, because they often happen gradually. People don’t go from one state to the next but instead gradually slide into being worse and worse. You might look up one day to realize that your loved one is doing really badly, even if you’ve been seeing them every day.

That’s a natural result of being around someone everyday and gradual change. You just get used to it. But, if you notice the following symptoms affecting your loved one, they are symptoms of meth use.

  • They have difficulty feeling happy or showing happiness at things they used to like. They might just not be excited for anything or they might be “meh” at everything. This is known as emotional blunting and happens when serotonin and dopamine channels are overloaded and the brain stops or reduces producing both.
  • They have out of character periods of depression, which might last for weeks at a time. That’s especially true if the first few days of this always come with cold and flu symptoms. However, this could also be a symptom of bipolar disorder or depression.
  • They struggle to sleep or maintain a healthy sleeping schedule. For example, they might sleep for several days at a time and then not sleep for several days.
  • They start to show physical symptoms of meth use such as tooth decay, muscle tics, or jumps.
  • They start to be paranoid or irrational behavior and may think people are out to get them, may take hunches to extremes, and may jump at every shadow.
  • They might start to be more manipulative, even showing completely different personality traits. For example, they might deliberately lash out and try to hurt you. They might also deliberately try to manipulate you to feel bad so you stop asking questions. They might guilt trip you, lash out, or use righteous anger to make you feel bad. And while those reactions and behaviors can be justifiable in some circumstances, in others, they are not. People who are abusing methamphetamine will likely to start to use them indiscriminately to get what they want.
  • They lose a significant and worrying amount of weight, to the point where they look unhealthy. They might also lose hair and teeth if they lose enough weight. This can be difficult to tell, especially if they were overweight, but sudden and rapid weight loss without dramatically changing diet and exercise is unlikely without an illness or drug abuse.
  • They show symptoms of psychosis like hallucinations, talking about things that aren’t there, having trouble telling what’s real or not, itching or scratching at things crawling on their skin, having irrational beliefs, etc.
  • They show increases in aggression and irritability and may lash out at even small provocations.
  • They have memory problems and might not be able to clearly put an event together, even if it was a day or two ago.
  • They “tweak” or stay awake for extremely long periods, sometimes as long as 2 weeks, with agitated and jerky movement, extreme irrationality, and difficulty functioning.

Methamphetamine can be subtle in small doses. However, heavy abusers often change so drastically, physically and psychologically, that the people who love them barely recognize them. They can become aggressive, mean, paranoid, manipulative, and irritable. They might have memory problems, they might not show love or excitement for anything, and they might even look completely different. But, when that happens, your loved one is very obviously and very heavily addicted to meth.

Physical Signs

There are always going to be non-health and behavior related signs of drug use. Here, you can actively look for some of the following:

  • Paraphernalia such as glass pipes
  • Needles
  • Ropes or hoses
  • Unexplained blood
  • They constantly run out of money or things happen that require money
  • They manipulate you to get money
  • Things go missing or are stollen

sad man struggling from meth addiction

If you find drug use paraphernalia, it’s a pretty strong sign your loved one is using. That’s true even if they deny it or say that their friend was using and they did not.

Getting Help

Millions of Americans use stimulants like methamphetamine. Unfortunately, these drugs are never safe and run high risks of physical and psychological harm, with up to 70% of methamphetamine users experiencing significant psychosis. The sooner you quit, the less likely you are to have lifelong side effects and problems.

Unfortunately, it can be extremely difficult to talk someone into going to treatment and therapy. That can take time, building trust that you really want to help. And, it can mean convincing that person that life is better without meth.  Good luck getting your loved one into treatment.

 

If you or your loved-one struggles from alcoholism or other substance abuse please contact us today and speak with one of our experienced and professional intake advisors about our detox, partial hospitalization, and residential treatment programs. 10 Acre Ranch also has specialty tracks like our pet friendly drug rehab and couples substance abuse treatment programs. We’re here to help you recover.

 

 

Signs of Substance Use in Your Loved One

two couple walking hand in hand

Signs of Substance Use in Your Loved One

two couple walking hand in handIf you suspect your loved one is abusing drugs or alcohol, it’s unfortunately common. In 2021, some 46.3 million Americans qualified for a diagnosis for a substance use disorder, or 16.5% of the population. Of those, some 29.5 million had an alcohol use disorder and 24 million had a drug use disorder or a drug use and alcohol use disorder. But, it means that 4 out of every 25 people have a substance use disorder, and that means that one in two Americans knows someone with a  drug or alcohol use disorder.

Recognizing the signs and symptoms of substance abuse is one of the first steps to getting your loved one treatment and help. However, those signs can vary from person to person. In addition, people often try to hide drug abuse and use. In some cases, your loved one may be high functioning or show very few outward signs of substance abuse – but may have no money, unexplainable absences, and deteriorating health.

People use substances to cope with life, stress, and pain. Getting help is about getting treatment and improving quality of life. Hopefully, recognizing these signs in your loved one makes it easier for you to throw out a lifeline and help them get their life back.

Constant Stress and Mood Swings

People who abuse drugs and alcohol are not generally chipper and happy when they are not using. Instead, they’ll be stressed, paranoid, irritable, and may have significant mood swings. That’s in part because of the change in hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain because substance abuse changes how the brain regulates chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and opioids. Substance abuse makes you feel good in the moment, but tired, hungover, and cranky.

If your loved one is having mood swings they didn’t used to have, it could be a sign of increased stress or a mental health disorder. But, if that’s paired with substance use, it might just be a hangover.

Changes in Behavior

woman having mood swing and stressed outPeople who regularly abuse substances get very adept at hiding their effects. That’s especially true as they increase tolerance and the drugs or alcohol have less effect. However, if they’re binging on any substance, you should be able to tell. For example, someone with an alcohol use disorder may loosen up, they may have more trouble articulating thought or words, they may act dizzy or woozy, they may act in an exaggerated fashion, etc. And, if they’re using other drugs, there will be other signs. For example, pain pill and opioid abuse typically results in longer periods of lethargy or increased sleeping – sometimes even passing out on a couch or acting extremely fatigued.

That is the same story if they constantly have withdrawal symptoms. For example, someone without a hay fever diagnosis should not have constant puffy eyes and runny nose or a cough. And hay fever does not come with fever and excessive sweating.

Manipulative Behavior

If your loved one is lying, stealing, or manipulating others into giving them money or breaks from their responsibilities, it’s a good sign that something is wrong. Someone who frequently needs larger sums of money for no reason or for similar reasons like frequent car accidents, not being able to make the rent for unexplained reasons, etc., are being suspicious. People who frequently ask for money, who steal valuables, or who manipulate others into paying for things may be using their own money for substance abuse.

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Unexplained Disappearances

man alone smoking weedPeople who abuse substances need time to use those substances and that often means taking hours or even days out of their week. Some will use on their own in a room, others will go out to meet people to use with. This symptom is less visible with alcohol use disorder, because many people have no problems drinking around friends and family. However, they may get blackout drunk or may be unable to remember conversations where you thought they were sober.

Waste and Trash

It’s often relatively easy to find waste and trash from drug or alcohol abuse. For example, most alcohol requires buying bottles, which means receipts, bottles or cans, etc. If your loved one is drinking a lot, they are hiding bottles somewhere and sneaking them out of the house. That’s especially important if you find things like very strong alcohol that you wouldn’t normally buy. People hide bottles behind couches, in the bottom of the trash can, in garages, and under their beds – although some may simply make sure they do their drinking outside of the home.

Drug paraphernalia is also relatively easy to spot and typically includes pill containers, small pipes, burnt tinfoil, spoons, pipes, etc.,

These will vary significantly depending on what kinds of substances your loved one is using. But, if you suspect they are, taking time to look for signs is a good idea.

Lying

If you know your loved one has been using or drinking and ask them about it, and they lie or show guilt, it’s usually a bad sign. For example, if your loved one has a prescription for pain medication and they start hiding usage or lying about it, it’s a good sign that something has gone wrong. Similarly, if someone always underexaggerates how much they’ve had to drink, even though you know they’ve had more, it’s a sign that they might have a problem.

People who have a good relationship with substances do not try to hide drinking or using. They also won’t show or react with guilt when asked about those substances.

Getting Help

two brothers sitting on a grass, talking during sunsetIf your loved one is struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, it’s important to reach out and get help. Substance abuse is bad at any level, simply because it causes stress to mental and physical health, resulting in permanent damage to the liver and the gut, and what can be permanent damage to the way the brain functions. The more substances someone uses, the worse the effects are. A substance use disorder or addiction means that person has lost control over their substance abuse and will seek out substances regardless of their impact on social, career, or personal life. People become addicted for different reasons, but there is always a way to treat that addiction.

A rehab center can help your loved one to recover by treating the addiction and its symptoms and then treating the underlying causes of that addiction. People use to mask pain, to destress, to fit in, to hide mental health problems, and to feel good. Modern treatment includes behavioral therapy like CBT to help uncover behaviors that contribute to needing medication and to help people build new and better coping mechanisms, social behavior, and to improve their life – so they don’t need drugs or alcohol.

 

If you or your loved-one struggles from alcoholism or other substance abuse please contact us today and speak with one of our experienced and professional intake advisors about our detox, partial hospitalization, and residential treatment programs. 10 Acre Ranch also has specialty tracks like our pet friendly drug rehab and couples substance abuse treatment programs. We’re here to help you recover.

 

 

Will I Fall Behind in College if I Go to Drug Rehab?

young college man

Will I Fall Behind in College if I Go to Drug Rehab?

young college manIf you’re struggling with drug and alcohol abuse in college, you’re far from alone. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse Monitoring the Future Report (which assess drug and alcohol use in adolescents and young adults, primarily in secondary education) shows that 51% of students use alcohol, 42% use drugs like cannabis, and 7.2% use stimulant drugs like Adderall without a prescription. Millions of Americans use drugs and alcohol to cope with the stress and anxiety of college, heavy workloads, and changing social lives around the pandemic – meaning that a significant amount of college students end up with symptoms of substance use disorder, known as addiction.

The answer to addiction is to go to rehab. But, if you’re facing a busy college schedule, it can be difficult to set aside the time to go to rehab now. Many of us are tempted to go “I’ll finish college and go to rehab later”. But, continued drug abuse actually reduces your chances of graduating, harms your grade, and puts you at risk of physical and mental health disorders. Getting help and as soon as possible is the best option for your health and your future – but will it mean you fall behind in college?

The short answer is, “not necessarily”, but it may. And, that might be okay if it means you graduate as a happier and healthier version of yourself.

Options to Go to Treatment While You Study

Outpatient treatment is a type of rehab where you go to addiction treatment during the week and spend your days at home or in your dorm. Here, you typically have an evening schedule, where you’ll show up to the rehabilitation clinic at 4 or 5 PM and stay until 9 or even 10 PM. You’ll have a daily course of treatment including therapy, group therapy, and counseling. However, you’ll also have the opportunity to continue going to college at the same time.

Outpatient rehab can be a great option because:

  • It’s as effective as inpatient care if you have a light or mild drug abuse problem
  • You can study during the day and attend your classes and then go to therapy at night
  • Outpatient care takes up your social time, so you don’t hang out with people who use or drink

It also has a significant number of disadvantages:

  • Outpatient care is much less effective because patients are three times less likely to finish treatment, because it’s too easy to drop out.
  • It reduces time you have to study
  • You’ll have to split focus between study and your therapy
  • If you already have a demanding schedule, you could quickly become overwhelmed

In short, outpatient care can give you opportunities to get help with your substance abuse while going to college. As long as you can keep up, you won’t fall behind. But, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a demanding schedule and it may be overwhelming. And, if one of your problems is that the people in your dorm use or drink, you might want to look for a sober living solution as well.

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Our expert & caring staff on site are available 24/7. Call us today.

Timing Your Rehab Visit

a young college lady creating a schedule for rehab visitAnother option is to time your visit to rehab with a college break. For example, winter break, spring break, and summer break each give you several weeks to go to rehab without impeding college.

  • Winter Break – typically two weeks – so you’ll only need two weeks off from college to go to rehab
  • Spring Break – Typically you’ll need two weeks off
  • Summer Break – You can attend a full course of rehab, including a longer-term program lasting up to 90 days, without impeding your college schedule

Here, the question is always, “is it safe to wait that long”. Here, you may want to opt for something like outpatient rehab until the break comes around, and then move into inpatient care.

Aligning rehab with a break may also mean that you’ll have more options to go to rehab with an entirely college-based group. That means finding a group that is roughly your age and with your own experiences, which may benefit your recovery experience. However, this won’t always be available. In addition, you’ll have to call rehab centers to determine if they have treatment programs starting in alignment with your study schedule.

In addition, it’s important to keep in mind that if you need help you need help. Waiting 3 weeks for a break to start may mean you don’t end up going. And, that could have disastrous impacts on your study and your future quality of life. So, trying to protect your study deadlines now won’t always be the best thing for the future.

Taking the College Delay

It’s important to keep in mind that substance use disorders are considered a temporary disability. You’ll be able to get support for a delay – typically in the form of counseling or a student advisor who can help you decide to limit or catch up on your studies. If you take a 30-day break for a standard rehab program, you’ll likely still be able to catch up. That’s especially true if you were still doing well on studies despite your substance use disorder. However, it’s also very likely that the drug addiction is already interfering with your studies anyway, your performance isn’t as good as it could be, and you might have to study to catch up anyway.

Here, most colleges offer support programs to help you manage substance use disorders and other mental health disorders. You’ll be able to discuss your circumstances, your performance, and your goals with a counselor and then make a study plan with them. That may mean delaying graduation by a year so you have time to get treatment, recover, and fully dedicate yourself to study. It may also mean taking on counseling or tutoring to catch up and avoid having a delay. However, that advice will entirely depend on you, your mental health, and your current performance at your college.

In every case, the most important step is that you get into treatment. Substance use disorders damage your mental health, impede your ability to graduate at all, create risks of physical health problems and conditions, and greatly impact your quality of life. Getting treatment and getting back in control should be your first goal – so you can get back on track with your studies and your life.

f you or your loved-one struggles from alcoholism or other substance abuse please contact us today and speak with one of our experienced and professional intake advisors about our detox, partial hospitalization, and residential treatment programs. 10 Acre Ranch also has specialty tracks like our pet friendly drug rehab and couples substance abuse treatment programs. We’re here to help you recover.

How to Go to Rehab and Keep Your Job

an employee with issues at work

How to Go to Rehab and Keep Your Job

an employee with issues at workStruggling with drugs or alcohol can ruin your life. For most of us, the only way to stop the cycle of relying on substances is to take a break and go to rehab. And, while some 42.3 million Americans qualify as having a substance use disorder, only about 11% of those ever seek out rehab. Here, barriers like careers, family care, stigma, and funding clinical care can call get in the way. That’s especially true if you’re a professional with a reputation to uphold, where you might feel that calling in sick for a month to deal with a substance use disorder will get you fired.

Fortunately, the United States has a lot of law in place to protect you when you do seek out rehab. In addition, you’ll have the option to attend rehab without quitting work – which means you’ll never have to take time off. The following article reviews your options, and which might be a best-fit for your circumstances.

Consider Your Options

Most people think of rehab and immediately consider an inpatient clinic, where you stay for 30+ days to receive round-the-clock care. That’s one way to get treatment. However, you can also opt for outpatient care.

Inpatient Care – 30+ days at a rehab clinic, typically out of state where you’ll have privacy. Costs are high and only about 15-20% is covered by most insurance programs. However, you get one-on-one care, a break from stress and triggers, and the ability to fully focus on recovery. This option is often recommended for people with severe addictions.

Intensive Outpatient Care – Intensive Outpatient Care or IOP allows you to attend rehab for a few hours a day, after work, so you can continue going to work for the duration. This option allows you to avoid asking for time off, so you don’t have to tell your boss anything. In addition, outpatient care can be as effective as inpatient care – providing you stick to it and attend throughout the whole program. IOP also means you’ll stay in the same environment as before – which means that if you frequently drink or use at work, it may not be the best option for you. However, you can pair outpatient treatment with staying in a sober home for maximum support and a change of lifestyle, without having a gap in work.

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Our expert & caring staff on site are available 24/7. Call us today.

You’re Legally Protected

human resource discusses Sick leave the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Affordable Care Act to an employeeWhile you might not want to take a 30-day break from work, you are legally protected. Sick leave, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) all mean you are protected in case you seek out medical care for rehab. The ACA classifies substance use disorders as a temporary disability – firing you because of one is against the law. Of course, if you’ve explicitly signed away those rights or your employer catches you using on the job, that’s another story. The FMLA also allows you to take up to 12 weeks of free time for an undisclosed medical reason – with nothing more than a doctor’s note that doesn’t have to say what you’re taking the time off for.

Coincidentally, if your employer has over 50 employees, they’re also legally obligated to offer assistance and insurance covering rehab. This means you can go to HR, discuss your problems with substance abuse, and have them help you move into a program. You might not want to do so, as it may impact your reputation or your long-term standing in the company because stigma does still exist, but you do have the right.

In addition, Obamacare and FMLA both allow you to apply for short-term disability through your employer. You’ll have to request medical leave, sit through decisions, and possibly fight them. However, you don’t have to reveal why you’re requesting leave or temporary disability. It’s up to your medical professionals to determine if you need it, not your employer.

Keep in Mind that Disclosure Isn’t Required

If you’re afraid you’ll lose your job or reputation at your job for going to rehab, you don’t have to disclose. You never have to tell your employer why you’re taking sick or medical leave of any kind. In addition, if you’re going to rehab in the weekends or at night, you can keep this to yourself. You never have to tell your employer what goes on in your personal life. In fact, if they ask, you can report them to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Of course, your employer may be able to help. Many offer assistance with rehab, can offer ongoing rehabilitation programs, can offer financial assistance, etc.

However, whether or not you disclose is up to you and the amount of privacy you need.

employee getting help for her addiction treatmentIn Summary

If you’re struggling with drugs and alcohol, getting help is the best thing you can do for your future – with or without your job. But there’s no reason why you can’t go to rehab and keep your job.

What if I Can’t Take Time Off Work?

You definitely can take time off work. You’re legally protected by FMLA, which allows you up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off. If you stack that with sick days, you can likely limit that to about 3 weeks of unpaid time off. Your employer isn’t legally allowed to fire you for doing so.

What if I Can’t Afford Unpaid Time Off Work?

You can always take the route of going to an intensive outpatient rehab center. This allows you to go to work during the day and attend rehab at night or during the weekends. These programs are typically 3-6 hours per day – so your life will be busy. However, you will get the care you need without taking unpaid time off work. And, if you mix IOP with a sober living home, you can get most of the benefits of inpatient care without taking off work. Alternatively, you could apply for FMLA and temporary disability to ensure you receive some money to make up for the missed paychecks. However, this process can be quite lengthy.

If you or a loved one is struggling, there are always options. Whether that’s taking the hit and taking unpaid time off work or committing to a busy month and going to therapy while you work, you can mix rehab and your job. Most importantly, your employer isn’t allowed to fire you for getting treatment for a substance use disorder, even if you disclose that disorder to them.

If you or your loved-one struggles from alcoholism or other substance abuse please contact us today and speak with one of our experienced and professional intake advisors about our detox, partial hospitalization, and residential treatment programs. 10 Acre Ranch also has specialty tracks like our pet friendly drug rehab and couples substance abuse treatment programs. We’re here to help you recover.

My Loved One Refuses Addiction Treatment. Now What?

loved ones holding each other's hands discussing about going to addiction treatment center

My Loved One Refuses Addiction Treatment. Now What?

loved ones holding each other's hands discussing about going to addiction treatment centerIf your loved one is addicted to drugs or alcohol, you’re not alone. Today, an estimated 46.3 million Americans have a substance use disorder, meaning that almost 1 in 4 of us has a close friend or family member with a substance abuse problem. When your loved one is addicted to drugs or alcohol, getting them into addiction treatment is a logical first step. But, what happens when they don’t want to go? Or if they won’t go?

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that just 4.1 million people, or less than 10% of the total number of people with a substance abuse problem, received addiction treatment in 2021. Most people aren’t getting help – although reasons for not getting help are diverse. Understanding some next steps, you can take will allow you to continue supporting your loved one and hopefully eventually get them into treatment as well.

Be There for Them

It’s important to try to avoid enabling behavior, such as paying for your loved one’s rent, lying to their boss, or otherwise making decisions that are likely to enable them to continue using. It is true that any kind of support and care will do this to some extent, however, you can be there for someone to help them stay safe without helping them to use.

Being there for someone might look like:

  • Picking them up at any time of night, no questions asked, providing they sleep on your couch after
  • Giving them access to sleep on your couch or in a guest room if they have to
  • Taking time to listen and offering emotional support
  • Offering to help with things like cleaning up (rather than doing it for them)
  • Offering to go to the doctor, to AA or NA meetings, and to other treatment

If you live with someone, it’s important that you don’t take on all of their responsibilities. However, you can offer to help, you can listen to them, and you can try to make it known that you’re trying to support them without overloading yourself.

Keep Learning

Addiction is a complicated behavioral disorder that can stem from a vast number of causes and vulnerabilities. Taking time to learn about addiction, doing so with your loved one where possible, and discussing what you learn with them can be helpful. For example, you can learn the basics of how addiction works, you can read books about recovery, and you can read about different types of therapy and treatment. You might not be able to get through to your loved one in this way. However, you will show them that you care, that you’re continuing to invest time and energy into them, and that you want what is best for them.

Get Your Questions Answered

Our expert & caring staff on site are available 24/7. Call us today.

Be Nonjudgmental

 a couple holding hands on top of the mountainBeing nonjudgmental can be extremely difficult. Most of us are raised with old-fashioned ideals about addiction as a personal failing, as poor choices, and as a disease, which is incurable. None of these ideas are correct. Instead, addiction is a behavioral disorder that’s often complicated and very often resulting from a complicated range of addiction risk factors including mental health, social situation, physical health, social standing and social behavior, stress levels, epigenetics, genetics, and other factors. People become addicted for a variety of reasons but it’s never a choice.

Understanding that your loved one isn’t flawed and that they can get better is an important part of approaching addiction nonjudgmentally. However, it’s also important to let go of what other people might think, to show concern for your loved one and not for other people’s opinions, and to invest in your loved one’s health not in whether or not they drink or use drugs. That can take a significant mindset change from you as well because you may have to let go of bias you might not even realize you have.

Why should you work on being non-judgmental? It will help your loved one to realize they can still have a relationship with you, that they have people who believe in them and continue to believe in them, and that they are more than an addiction.

Detaching with Love

Detaching with love is the process of stepping away from over-investing in someone who doesn’t have the capacity to give back or to not hurt you because of your investment. It does not mean dropping your loved one or cutting them out of your life. Instead, it means to expect nothing and to accept failure. That might mean refusing to stay up or hold dinner for someone who is habitually late. It might also mean expecting that your loved one will be drunk, even if you don’t think they have alcohol. It might mean expecting that they won’t come up with their portion of the rent, or that they will slack at their chores.

If you understand that someone is going to fail at their obligations and responsibilities, you can better prepare yourself for that. And, it’s also important that you don’t take up the slack for them, that could increase stress and push you to burnout. However, it is important that you don’t invest in your loved one changing, in them doing the things they say, or in things suddenly improving. If you can’t accept your loved one as they are now, you should probably be stepping further away until you can.

Continue Working Towards Addiction Treatment

Just because your loved one won’t go to addiction treatment now doesn’t mean that they will never go to addiction treatment. Instead, it means they have to have the motivation, the understanding of why they are going, and they have to be ready for change. Building those may require understanding that people in their life are there for them and they have a reason to get better. It may require understanding that addiction isn’t permanent, and they can change. It may mean learning about how addiction works. It might also be about them understanding that addiction treatment is about them, their health, and their future and not about their family and what their family thinks.

Over 10% of the U.S. adult population needs addiction treatment. Most of us never get that help. Still, it’s important to work with your loved one and continue to ask them to move into recovery, to get better, and to work on getting their life back. It might not succeed immediately or at all, but you can help your loved one to find motivation to get their life back.

If you or your loved-one struggles from alcoholism or other substance abuse please contact us today and speak with one of our experienced and professional intake advisors about our detox, partial hospitalization, and residential treatment programs. We’re here to help you recover.

How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your System?

man sitting on a couch thinking about the Effects of Ketamine

How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your System?

Drug addict young woman with syringe action in dark roomKetamine is a club drug, popular as a “safe” alternative to other “uppers”. For many people, it’s considered a non-addictive alternative to drugs like LSD and even cocaine. That leads to significant use in clubs, where people assume that its low addictive profile means the drug is safe to use. Still, for heavy users, ketamine can cause significant damage to the body and can even result in behavioral addiction. And, if you’re facing a drug test at work or at school, ketamine will show up and you can get in trouble for it.

In fact, ketamine is a Schedule III controlled drug, meaning that it’s illegal to use it without a prescription and medical supervision. It’s been illegal since the 1970s, because of its high potential for psychological addiction.

How Long Does Ketamine Show Up on Tests?

Ketamine can show up in a drug test for up to 30 days in a urine test. However, it will show up for different amounts of time depending on your age, metabolic rate, health, and even sex.

In addition, the type of drug test you’re taking will impact whether or not ketamine shows up in your system.

  • Saliva/ Mouth Swab – 18-24 hours on average
  • Blood test – 24-72 hours
  • Urine test – 14-30 days
  • Hair test – 4 months

Most workplace drug tests are either mouth swab and saliva tests or urine tests. This means that if you haven’t used ketamine within 24 hours and you have a saliva test, it won’t show up. On the other hand, a blood test will show ketamine usage from up to 3 days ago. Most people will show traces of ketamine usage in the urine for up to 14 days after usage. However, if your liver or kidneys are damaged or you have a high amount of body fat, which stores metabolites from ketamine, it could show up as much as a month later.

What Affects How Long Ketamine Shows Up on Drug Tests?

Drugs stay in your body based on diverse factors like metabolism, liver health, body fat, age, health, and sex. Here, the most important factors are metabolism and body fat.

Why? Your age, health, sex, and body fat percentage all impact your metabolism. The higher or “faster” your metabolism, the faster you metabolize ketamine. That won’t have a huge impact on how long drugs show up but it can make the difference of a few days. For example, people under 27 normally have a faster metabolism, people who are physically active tend to have faster metabolisms, people with more muscle have higher metabolisms, and people with higher testosterone production tend to have higher metabolisms. 

Body fat is also a major consideration. That’s because when your body breaks ketamine down or metabolizes it, it creates “metabolites”. These metabolites are stored in the fat until they move to the liver and quite often stay there for a long time. People with very low body fat are more likely to immediately process metabolites (which stresses the liver more) but it means that they’re less likely to show a positive result on a drug test. That’s also true in the liver itself. If you have more fat in your liver, such as from a high body fat percentage or if you drink a great deal or even if you take a lot of acetaminophen, your liver might retain metabolites for longer. This could mean ketamine is detectable in your urine for up to two weeks longer than if you had a healthy liver.

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How Long Do the Effects of Ketamine Last?

man sitting on a couch thinking about the Effects of KetamineKetamine has a half-life of 2.5-3 hours, meaning that you will normally metabolize about half of the ketamine in your system by that time. Afterwards, the high will start to go down, usually peaking at around 2.5 hours and then declining. However, when you “come down” depends on several factors, such as whether you took more doses after the first and how much you took. Half-life means that you metabolize the drug at a set rate of half per 2.5-3 hours. So, at 2.5 hours, you have half of the original dose. At 5-6 hours, you have a quarter of the original dose. Chances are, you won’t have taken enough for the half-life amount to still make you high.

However, the hallucinatory effects normally only last 30-60 minutes depending on the dose and your metabolism. That doesn’t mean it will be safe to drive a car after or that people won’t notice you’re high, just that your body is no longer responding to the hallucinogenic.

It also depends on how you take the dose:

  • Injection – Onset of 2-3 minutes, and then 20-30 minutes of anesthesia
  • Orally – Onset within 20-30 minutes with highs lasting 60-90 minutes
  • Intramuscular Injection – Onset within 10-15 minutes with highs lasting 30-120 minutes.

Most people who abuse ketamine take it orally. Here, it’s often sold as a powder which can be drank, swallowed, or even snorted. Here, it’s metabolized more quickly than other routes, because ketamine is very easily digested in the intestine.

Can You Be Addicted to Ketamine?

Most people view ketamine as a safe alternative to other party drugs. To an extent it is, it has a low physical dependence risk. However, it has a high psychological addiction risk. As a result, it can have a significant risk factor for psychological dependence and addiction – to the point where several thousand people using ketamine have to go to rehab each year.

Here, signs and symptoms of ketamine usage are almost entirely behavioral. For example:

  • You can’t stop using despite having tried to quit or cut back
  • You recognize ketamine is harming your personal, social, or work life and yet continue using
  • You cannot afford ketamine but keep buying it
  • You hide usage from close friends and family members
  • You disassociate
  • You spend a significant amount of time looking for, thinking about, or planning to use ketamine

Most people with significant habits will also see increases in physical symptoms. For example, ketamine causes side-effects like drowsiness or lethargy. You might also start experiencing insomnia with regular and heavy use. Many people who use daily will start to experience incontinence. And, it’s not uncommon to develop skin rashes.

Getting Help

Ketamine is a controlled substance for a reason, it can be dangerous and it can result in addiction. If you or a loved one is struggling, you can ask for help. That’s even more important if you’re combining ketamine with other drugs or alcohol, which increases risks. Substance use disorders are legally listed as temporary disabilities. If you go to rehab, you’re protected, you’re entitled to help, and depending on whether your premium supports the rehab facility you go to, your insurance has to cover at least part of the care.

Ketamine is less dangerous than many other drugs, but like any other drug, it can be addictive. If you need help, that help is there.