Crystal Meth and Methamphetamine Drug Rehab in Colorado (2024)

• CMA (crystal meth anonymous in Colorado) Schedules at the Bottom of the Page

• The Effects of Crystal Meth: Click HERE

• Meth Resources.gov at the Bottom of the Page

Colorado Drug Rehab has a majority of its calls from residents of Colorado related to crystal meth, methamphetamine or just meth use and addiction. The counselors at Colorado Drug Rehab have placed many people addicted to crystal meth (meth) in crystal meth drug rehab centers in Colorado and throughout the United States. These specifically chosen programs have had great success in curing the addiction and returning their clients to a sane existence WITHOUT replacing the crystal meth with other drugs or pharmaceuticals.

Many unenlightened experts will tell you that crystal meth use will cause incruable brain damage. This is only partially true. Without the proper meth drug treatment, the changes in the brain's structure and function can be impaired permanently, but there are rehab centers in Colorado and elsewhere that can reverse these changes.

Take the time to read the facts on this site about crystal meth use in Colorado and make up your mind to chose not to take this drug, or to find crystal meth drug rehab that will allow you to make that choice easily. Call us at 1-888.781.7060 and our professionals will gladly discuss your situation and answer any of your questions.

Crystal meth is a stimulant which dramatically affects the central nervous system. Crystal Meth referrals to the crystalline, smokeable form of methamphetamine and this form of the drug isn't used in any of the legitimate uses of methamphetamine. Meth is easily manufactured anywhere with basic, over-the-counter ingredients in Colorado and surrounding states are notorious for being very active in the manufacture of Crystal meth. Most of the western states have instituted laws that limit the purchase of Sudafed and other cold medications that are used for the manufacturing of methamphetamine. However, as drug labs have becomes less prevalent, the smuggling of meth across the Mexican border has kept meth dealers in ample supply and the incidence and prevalence of meth addiction continues to be a number one problem in Colorado and other western states. Oklahoma led the nation in illegal meth labs until they passed the law that requires ID to purchase ephedrine. (The required chemical in the manufacture of methamphetamine.)

Crystal meth, a form of methamphetamine, is also known as speed, chalk, ice, crank or glass. It is a white, odorless, crystalline powder. Crystal meth’s structure is similar to amphetamine with more of an impact on the central nervous system. The drug releases high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine into the part of the brain regulating feelings of pleasure. It usually causes increased activity, decreased appetite, and a heightened sense of well-being. The unique description of how meth effects the body should lead anyone to looking for a drug treatment center that has a track record of treating and succeeding in rehabilitating chronic users of crystal meth. The 12-step approach to meth addiction treatment has proven to be less successful that the biophysical method. Biophysical treatment ends meth addiction for approximately 75% of those that choose this modality of drug treatment.

Please fill out this short information form so that we can assist you to find a good rehabilitation facility with a high success rate. We are knowledeable in drug rehab methods and we will help you with your situation. Please put in your phone number if possible since there isn't enough room on this form to get all the data needed. If you don't want a professional counselor to call you, please not that on the form and we will respect your request.

Latest Research on Prenatal Meth Abuse

In April, 2010, researchers at UCLA released evidence that prenatal meth exposure accelerates brain development in an abnormal pattern causing the region of the brain that is responsible for memory, motor control and motivation to be hindered in its natural develop, which can lead to remarkable retardation.

Using brain scans, researchers have shown that these condition are similar to those infants born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, but meth is making this condition more severe and, unfortunately, about half of the pregnant women that are abuse meth are also abusing alcohol, which is shown to lead to even more dire outcomes.

Of the 16 million Americans over the age of 12 that have abused meth, about 19,000 or pregnant women. It is obvious that we have NO time to rest regarding this problem.

Anyone interested in more information on this type of research and meth prevention articles, should contact Colorado Drug Rehab by phone or by fillling out one of the response forms. We will be happy to help you learn more and provide you with the resources so that you can either get meth rehab help or connect you to drug education and prevention activities in Colorado and other states where you can do something to help this dire situation. Our society has enough challenges without introducing it to more persons that must receive custodial care because of neurological damage.

There are therapies, like hyperbaric medicine that can reverse some of the brain damage in these children, but these types of treatments haven't gotten the attention they diserve and they are expensive. Biophysical programs that eleminate the meth toxins from the body are essential for women of childbearing years that are addicted to crystal meth, but this isn't a therapy for children that have already been born with this damage.

Meth Addiction and Crystal Meth Addiction

We get calls from meth users questioning whether regular use of methamphetamines is a true addiction. The answer is a definite YES!

Meth users will repeat a pattern of taking the drug until they have totally exhausted their physical strength and can no longer stay awake or conscious. They will then crash and be asleep for 24 to 48 hours or more. The dangers in this are obvious when you hear of crystal meth users who have children and after going on a two to three day meth run, will be oblivious of their parenting responsibilities and will sleep for one to two days straight while their children are left to fend for themselves. There has also been tragedies where crystal meth "parents" have fallen asleep with a lit cigarette and set fire to their homes.

Crystal meth use causes the hyper release of a neurotransmitter, dopamine, which stimulates brain cells and causes the person to feel elated, full of energy, excited, as well as riding the person of their worries and depression. Like opiate addiction, one quickly builds tolerance to the drug and needs to take more to get the same effects. When injecting meth, the "rush" is pronounced and causes a psychotic need to continue taking the drug until it no longer causes the wanted effects. At that point, most users feel paranoia and fear and are regretful of what they have done to get to this point.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A new report says the number of people seeking treatment for methamphetamine abuse more than quadrupled from 1993 to 2003 nationwide. Utah is among 18 states with meth treatment rates higher than the national rate, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

States in the Midwest and South that had few meth patients a decade ago are now seeing a sharp rise in admissions to treatment centers. The findings mirror the trend of meth abuse moving gradually from the West - where the drug first became popular - across the Midwest and South to the East Coast.

Nationwide, the admission rate for treatment of methamphetamine or amphetamine addiction rose from 28 thousand in 1993 to nearly 136 thousand patients in 2003.

Meth Withdrawals

As an Alcohol and drug counselor I used to think that withdrawals from opiates, alcohol and benzos were the worst withdrawals that there is. Opiate withdrawals are usually not deadly but alcohol and benzo withdrawals can be.
I have recently learned more about methamphetamine withdrawals and though the physical withdrawals may not seem bad the mental and emotional state that someone withdrawing from meth can get into is scary.
A testimony to this was a very young girl who was already the mother of 4 children. This was a girl who was usually shy and certainly not in any way belligerent or loud. Her father connected with her after he had not seen her for a while. The girl would yell and scream at his sisters when she did not have the drug. She was even physically attacking drug dealers and so called “friends” in the street putting herself at immense danger.
Her father finally picked her up from the street and took her to a treatment program. After 24 hours, the girl was in a psychotic break, screaming at treatment personnel and demanding to call her parents to get out of the program. She stated that she would rather be in jail. This went on daily for about 4 days. The program was not a lock-down but her family was adamant that she stay and treatment personnel worked with her around the clock. This was an excellent program as despite her extreme bad behavior and psychosis the staff in the program had certainty that if they kept following their treatment protocol she would eventually come through it and calm down. As the days went by the psychotic episodes would be less and less and the girl started settling down. After 7 days in detox, the girl was a “new” person or rather she was the person she used to be – a pretty girl with a great smile who very much appreciated having been been taken through withdrawals from this drug, being off the street and seeing that there was a chance she could still be a mother of her children.
I am writing this article to let families know that if their loved ones suddenly behave completely out of character and turn on paranoia and psychosis it could be meth withdrawals. The right thing to do is to get them to a treatment program that knows how to deal with this and get the addict through it rather than kick them out for “bad behavior” or put them on some psychiatric drugs to suppress the symptoms. With the correct detox method, using nutritional supplements, an addict can successfully be taken off this drug. As for our girl, she still has a lot of treatment to do, but she is now free of the drug and will be able to work with counselors as well as learn new ways of living.

A note of interest about Crystal Meth:

Throughtout the 1960s heroin remained the most feared drug in the US, and by the close of decade estimates as to the size of the addict population exceeded half a million. Yet despite the hysteria about the rising tide of heroin addiction LSD and the youth rebellion, Timothy Leary and the psychedelic age, and the growing awareness of drug abuse along the Main Streets of white America, o one really knew how many people were actually using drugs. In fact, the estimates of incidence and prevalence of marijuana, heroin, psychedelic, and other drug use were, at the very best, only vague and impressionistic. Although the reliability of political polling had long since demonstrated that the social sciences indeed had the tools to measure the dimensions of the drug problem, no one at any time throughout the 1960s had gone so far as to count drug users in a systematic way. Yet several indicators existed. Studies were suggesting that the annual production or barbiturate drugs exceeded 1 million pounds, the equivalent of twenty-four one- and one-half-grain doese for every man, woman and child in the nation... enough to killl each person twice. And for ampetamines and amphetaminelike comounds, the manufacturing figures came to some fifty doses per US resident each year, with half the production reaching the illicit marketplace.

The Amphetamines were not new drugs but their appearance on the street had been relatively recent in the 1960s. Having been synthesized in Germany during the 1880s, their first use among Americans had not come until World War II. Thousands of servicemen in all of themilitary branches had ben issued Benzedrine, Dexedrine, and a variety of other amphetamines, including methamphetamine or crystal meth, that amphetamines were a matter of course to relieve their fatigue and anxiety. After the war, amphetamine drugs became more readily available, and they were put to a wider assortment of uses.. for students cramming for exams, for truck drivers and othe who needed to be alert for extended periods of time, in weight-control programs and as nasal decongestants. Yet as strong stimulants with pharmacological effects similar to those of cocaine, in time they became popular drugs of abuse.

As the 1970s began, the amphetamines were the first item on the government's agenda for drug reform, with Indiana Senator Birch Bayh conducting hearings related to amphetamines. Bayh and his committee heard the horror stroies of the "speed freaks" who injected amphetamine and crystal meth, who stalked the city streets suffering from paranoid delusions and exhibited episodes of violent behaviors at the onset of their psychotic states. They heard, too, of the hundreds, thousands and perhaps millions of children and teenages stoned on ups, bennies, pinks, purple hearts, black beauties and King Kong Pills. By the time systematic surveys of the general population had finally begun, it was documented that amphetamine use and abuse were indeed widespread. Almost immediatel, new legislation was proposed by the Bayh committee and pushed through by the Senate. Tighter controls were placed on the prescription and distribution of amphetamines and legitimate production of ultimately cut by 90%. In so doing, it was thought that the drug problem, at least in terms of dangerous amphetamines, would be solved. Certainly the local meth labs have changed that outlook.

Reference: Handbook of Drug Control In the United States by James A. Inciardi. Published by Greenwood Publishing Group, 1990.

Latest Research from UCLA on Prenatal Meth Abuse

In April, 2010, researchers at UCLA released evidence that prenatal meth exposure accelerates brain development in an abnormal pattern causing the region of the brain that is responsible for memory, motor control and motivation to be hindered in its natural develop, which can lead to remarkable retardation.

Using brain scans, researchers have shown that these condition are similar to those infants born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, but meth is making this condition more severe and, unfortunately, about half of the pregnant women that are abuse meth are also abusing alcohol, which is shown to lead to even more dire outcomes.

Of the 16 million Americans over the age of 12 that have abuse meth, about 19,000 or pregnant women. It is obvious that we have NO time to rest regarding this problem.

Anyone interested in more information on this type of research and meth prevention articles, should contact Colorado Drug Rehab by phone or by fillling out one of the response forms. We will be happy to help you learn more and provide you with the resources so that you can either get meth rehab help or connect you to drug education and prevention activities in Colorado and other states where you can do something to help this dire situation. Our society has enough challenges without introducing it to more persons that must receive custodial care because of neurological damage.

Methamphetamines as a Colorado Problem:

Methamphetamine use in Colorado is a primary drug threat, and it is readily available in most population centers in the state. Most methamphetamine available in Colorado is produced by Mexican DTOs (drug trafficing organizations) and criminal groups in Mexico, California, and Arizona. Mexican DTOs and, to a lesser extent, Mexican criminal groups transport wholesale quantities of methamphetamine into Colorado from Mexico via southwestern states or from production sites in California and Arizona. Caucasian criminal groups and local independent dealers also produce significant quantities of methamphetamine throughout the state. The rising number of methamphetamine laboratories in the state poses a significant threat to public safety. Mexican DTOs and criminal groups dominate the wholesale distribution of methamphetamine produced in Mexico, California, and Arizona. Caucasian criminal groups also distribute methamphetamine at the wholesale level; typically they are supplied by laboratory operators in Colorado and neighboring states. Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) also produce and distribute methamphetamine in the state. At the retail level Caucasian and Mexican local independent dealers are the most common distributors of the drug, but Hispanic and African American street gangs also distribute methamphetamine.

Methamphetamine abuse is increasingly prevalent in Colorado. The number of methamphetamine-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in the state increased from 1,748 in 1997 to 2,037 in 2001, according to data from ADAD (Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Colorado State Health Dept). Since 1999 treatment admissions for methamphetamine abuse have increased each year, while admissions for cocaine, heroin, and marijuana have declined. According to ADAD, more than 83 percent of patients treated for methamphetamine abuse in 2001 were Caucasian, 54 percent were male, and nearly 33 percent were 35 or older. Nearly 43 percent of methamphetamine abusers treated during 2001 smoked the drug, 32 percent injected it, 19 percent snorted it, and 6 percent used some other method or multiple methods of administration.

Methamphetamine-related poison control calls also have increased in Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center (RMPDC) reports an increase in the number of calls related to the category "street-drug amphetamine," from 38 in 1997 to 581 in 2001. The significance of this increase in the volume of calls is unknown but may be related to increased public awareness of the dangers and warning signs of methamphetamine abuse and production.

In the Denver metropolitan area, trends in methamphetamine-related hospital emergency department (ED) mentions and deaths are mixed. According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), in the Denver metropolitan area the number of methamphetamine ED mentions decreased, from 292 in 1997 to 98 in 2001. However, mortality data from DAWN indicate that methamphetamine-related deaths increased, from 3 in 1996 to 19 in 2001.

Law enforcement agencies in Colorado also report that methamphetamine abuse is common. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) 2002 National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS), 53 of the 71 law enforcement officials surveyed in Colorado who reported on methamphetamine abuse in their jurisdictions indicated that abuse was at a high level, 8 indicated that abuse was moderate, and 10 reported low or no abuse of the drug. (NIDC Stats)

Is Meth a Teenage Drug Problem?

When I was doing the research on teenage meth attitudes, I was hoping that the good news that I had read about from the National Drug Survey that showed that meth use was down by almost one half would be the omen that teenagers were staying away from meth... read on and you will see why I continue to push for Colorado to be Drug FREE! (Editor, Colorado Drug Rehab)

The Meth Project is a National Campaign that has a Colorado component as well, but this news item coming from Georgia speaks volums:

This survey was done to help stop teenage meth use. The 2010 Georgia Meth Use & Attitudes Survey examined the attitudes and behaviors of teens, young adults, who are just out of high school, and parents. It was conducted over a period of several months among samples of 2,432 teens, 314 young adults and 400 parents of teens.

• A third of Georgia teens see little to no risk in trying methamphetamine, and a fifth of them say it's easy to get.

• One in five ( 20 percent ) of 12- to 24-year-olds says someone has offered them meth.

• 39 percent of teens say their friends would not give them a hard time for using meth.

• 58 percent of teens say they have never discussed the subject of meth with their parents.

Many young adults see benefits in using meth. Thirty-two percent of young adults and 21 percent of teens believe it helps you lose weight; 26 percent of young adults and 17 percent of teens believe it gives you energy; 23 percent of young adults and 19 percent of teens believe it will make you feel very happy; and 19 percent of young adults and 16 percent of teens believe it will help you deal with boredom.

These figures are probably not too dissimilar to those same stats in Colorado. We need to be sure that our emphasis and attention on medical marijuana isn't covering up a bigger problem. The good news is that the national survey shows that meth use has decreased by neary half, but the bad news is that there are still attitudes like the ones noted above.

Please contact us if you have a problem or if you would like to discuss some drug education or prevention in your community.

Methamphetamine was first synthesized from ephedrine in Japan in 1893 by Nagai Nagayoshi a chemist. The orignis of Crystal Meth come from the crystalization of methamphetamine, which was synthesized by reducing ephedrine using phosphorus and iodine in 1919. Abbott Labs requested approval from the U.S. FDA for their versiion of crystal meth in 1943 to treat narcolepsy...a condition where an individual cannot stay alert or awake. Abbott Labs also wanted approval to use this deadly drug for the treatment of depression, alcoholism, arteriosclerosis, and even hay fever. in present time, the only two marketing indications for crystal meth is Attention-deficit-disorder and some cases of obesit. It isn't totally clear why the narcolepsy diagnosis is no longer sufficient for the prescribing of crystal meth or, in the case of pharmaceuticals, would be called Methamphetamine.

In 1983, the United States passed laws that prohibited possession of precursors and equipment for methamphetamine production. This was followed a month later by a bill pased in Canada enacting similar laws. In 1986, the U.S. government passed the Federal Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act in an attempt to curb the growing use of designer drugs. Despite this, use of methamphetamine expanded throughout rural United States, especially through the Midwest and South.

Since 1989 there have been numerous federal and state laws that have attempted to curb the mom-and-pop meth labs in rural America, but the end product is mostly a win for the prison industry and not for the substance abuse prevention or treatment organizations.

Today, meth is a number one drug of concern for citizens of Colorado and Drug Rehab Colorado receives calls for meth has the third highrest behind opiates and marijuana, with alcohol abuse and addiction being fourth.

World War II Uses Methamphetamine to Help Axis and Allied Troops?

One of the earliest uses of methamphetamine was during the Second World War when it was used by Axis and Allied force. ]InGermany, crystal meth was retailed and dispensed as Pervitin. Meth became the drug of choice for the Nazi troops from the officers to the enlisted troops, with literally millions of crystal meth tablets being distrubted during the War. There is evidence that for three years, leading up to 1945, Adolf Hitler had his personal physician injecting him with methamphetamine for his personal pleasure and for what some historians now say were Parkinson-like symptoms, but these symptoms could have easily been a byproduct of his extensive crystal meth use. The accounts of Hitler's sexual preversions would be in line with chronic meth use at high doses.

By the end of the War, the American began to look at ways that this crystal meth drug could be helpful in treating American patients. This was a very nieve approach to allowing such a dangerous drug to become part of the American pharmopedia, but profits for this drug that is highly addictive were a strong driving force. The usual suspects of obecity and alcoholism were indicators enough to allow for Elvis and others of the 50s to develop psychotic behaviors and life-threatening physiological problems because of these liberal prescribing practices. By the 60s there was a start of significant use of illegally manufactured methamphetamine as well as methamphetamine created in users' own homes for personal use. Obviously, this is still going on and causing middle America to suffer problems similar to those seen druging the prohibition of alcohol.

What Is the Cost Meth in Colorado?

Wholesale and retail methamphetamine prices vary by location throughout Colorado. According to DEA, the price of methamphetamine in Denver remained relatively stable from FY1999 to FY2002. In the third quarter of FY2002, methamphetamine in Denver sold for $5,500 to $9,000 per pound and $80 to $100 per gram. In Grand Junction methamphetamine sold for $500 to $750 per ounce and $140 to $160 per gram. In Colorado Springs higher purity methamphetamine is readily available from Mexican distributors or local producers with prices ranging from $9,000 to $15,000 per pound, $700 to $1,200 per ounce, and $90 to $125 per gram. Crystal methamphetamine available in the Denver area sells approximately 20 percent higher than powdered methamphetamine. (NIDC Data)

Physical and Addictive Cost:

Crystal meth addiction in Colorado is an extremely serious and growing problem. Long-term crystal meth abuse results in addiction, however, many have become addicted after only casual use. Crystal Meth addiction is a chronic problem characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and drug use which is accompanied by functional and molecular changes in the brain. In addition to being addicted to crystal meth, chronic crystal meth abusers exhibit symptoms that can include violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. They also can display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions, the sensation of insects creeping on the skin, for example. The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts.

Colorado Drug Rehab finds that chronic crystal meth users in Colorado express their paranoia in a similar pattern of thinking that they are being spied on by someone in the attic. Some have even put cameras in their addicts to keep surveillance over these paranoid illusions.

Crystal meth can be smoked, snorted, orally ingested or injected directly into the blood stream. Crystal meth has a very toxic effect on the human body. It is very dangerous and can cause convulsions, permanent severe body damage or death. Because of its stimulating effects, it is a very addictive drug. Chronic use often causes depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia and aggressive behavior. When you examine the effects of crystal meth on the body, especially facial changes, you can have an appreciation for the devastation that crystal meth does to the liver and brain, just to name two of the most important organs that are effected by addictive use of crystal meth. Crystal meth, in a prescription form, is a Schedule II stimulant, which means it has a high potential for abuse and is available only through a prescription that cannot be refilled.

Common Immediate Effects of Crystal Meth Use:

• Euphoria

•Incrased Energy and alertness

•Diarrhea and nausea

• Loss of appetite, insomnia, remors, juw-clenching, agitation, irritability, talkativeness, panic, compulsive fascination with repetitive tasks, violence, confusion

• Increased libido

• Increased Blood Pressure, body temperature, heart rate, bronchodialation

Effects Associated Wtih Chronic Use:

• Tolerance, the need for larger amounts to get the same effects

• Serious Drug Craving

• Meth Mouth.. where teeth rapidly decay and fall out

• Drug-related psychosis

Many people feel that taking crystal meth on a controlled basis will not cause serious problems. Of course, physical problems increase in direct relationship to the amount of crystal meth taken and the frequency of use, but many "recreational" users have adverse side effects, especially if they already suffer from high blood pressure or other cardiovascular problems. The amphetamine effects of this drug can be dangerous for anyone that may have a pre-existing cardiovascular problems.

In looking at the physical effects of meth, crystal meth and methamphetamine use and abuse, you have to look at the short-term effects, meaning what happens after one takes these drugs and the long-term, or chronic effects on one's physiology.

Immediate effects include a decreased appetite, increase energy and stamina, increased sexual arousal and interest with little support for sexual performance, sweating, hyperactivity, patchy and itchy skin, headaches, cardiovascular aberration as stated above, gastrointestinal cramping and destruction of one's immune system. Long-term effects are the fatigue of the heart muscle and other vital organs, erectile dysfunction, kidney, liver and lung damage, strokes and varied other morbid consequences of continued, long-term use of crystal meth.

Cardiovascular Effects of Crystal Meth use/abuse:

Methamphetamine and crystal meth use causes one's blood pressure to go up as well as one's heart rate. This rapid heart rate leads to irregular heart beats and damage to heart muscle that is difficult to reverse. the small blood vessels of the head and brain are also stressed leading to a dangerous environment that can easily cause strokes. Continued use of meth and crystal meth leads to an inflammation of the heart linning and, when injected, there is high risk of heart valve infections, leading to scared and disfunctional heart valves.

The speeding up of your cardiovascular system has only negative consequences and other than the "high" that is felt from the meth, there is very little incentive that would keep one addicted if it were only a matter of choice.

What Should I do If I am Taking Meth?

You are headed in the right direction if you are reading this information. There are actions you can do TODAY that will start reversing the effects of your meth addiction and curb your desire or cravings to use again. The TRUTH will set you free! You have heard that all of your lives but that doesn't mean that it isn't as true now as it ever has been. If you understand the truth about methamphetamines, how this drug is made, what it does to you physically, emotionally and spiritually and are wanting to change, this information can turn your life around!

However, we have found that in many cases, the drug has taken away the enthusiasm and drive to better oneself and replaced that natural human drive with a desire to feel fulfilled without any effort to create a positive life. If you feel that you can continue to use meth as long as it doesn't "get out of hand", that meth has been good for you, physically, mentally and socially, then you need to listen to that "logic" and understand that thoughts of these type are part of the delusion caused the euphoria from the drug itself. These types of justifications are common for someone on crystal meth and are basically insane since they seem like "rational" ways to better your survival, when they are really killing you. It may be hard to believe, but the rational thinking that you were proud to have before you started using meth, and that you think was enhance by meth, may be on a temporary hold until you can get some distance between you and the drug.... Stop Using and get your body cleansed of this poison!

If this information rings true for you or a loved one, there are immediate actions you can take to start handling this problem. Call us and we will help you or help you help another to end this poisoning of our society. Meth addiction is ruining our futures and is hurting all of us daily. In many parts of Colorado it is nearly impossible to find employees that can pass a drug test. Many young people feel that selling methamphetamines is a "get rich quick" plan that can't lose. Call us at 888.781.7060 now and we will help you see a way out.

If you have been using crystal meth and are pondering whether or not you have a problem that requires drug rehab, call the counselors at Colorado Drug Rehab and tell them that you have been reading the information on this site and would like to discuss your relationship with crystal meth use so that you can take better responsibility for yourself and your future. 1-888.781.7060.

Don't keep using crystal meth until you get to the point where you know that you can't quit and you know how badly you feel if you don't take it and how badly you feel when you do. It is very easy to get to this point and feel totally apathetic about your life and your future. Call now... 1-888.781.7060!

Crystal meth alters moods in different ways, depending on how it is taken. Immediately after smoking the drug or injecting it intravenously, the user experiences an intense rush that lasts only a few minutes and is described as extremely pleasurable. Snorting or oral ingestion produces euphoria - a high but not an intense rush. Snorting produces effects within 3 to 5 minutes, and oral ingestion produces effects within 15 to 20 minutes. As with similar stimulants, crystal meth most often is used in a "binge and crash" pattern. Because tolerance for crystal meth occurs within minutes users try to maintain the high by binging on the drug. In the 1980's, "ice," a smokable form of crystal meth, came into use. Ice is a large, usually clear crystal of high purity that is smoked in a glass pipe like crack cocaine. Pure meth's smoke is odorless, leaves a residue that can be re-smoked, and produces effects that may continue for 12 hours or more. However, most crystal meth is not pure and contains other poisonous substances that can also cause damage to the lungs and can bring about psychotic reactions.

Crystal meth is a strong stimulant that increases the amount of these neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. As a result, meth can elevate your mood, induce euphoria, increase alertness, reduce fatigue, increase energy, decrease appetite, increase movement and speech, and provide a sense of increased personal power and confidence. This is the "high" that makes the drug attractive. Another reason for its popularity is the fact that the "high" will last for eight hours or more. However, whenever you "tweek" the body to do more than it would normally do, you suffer the consequences of increased blood pressure and heart rate, anxiety, insomnia, paranoia and with continued use, you can age the body and the emotions to levels far beyond the age of the user, hence the older appearance of chronic crystal meth users.

This news article dramatically demonstrates the toxic nature of crystal meth to the body in this description of "meth mouth":

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A Casper dentist choked up on Wednesday as he described his experience treating patients with "meth mouth."

Speaking at the 3rd Annual Methamphetamine Awareness Conference in Casper, Dr. Lowell Dawson yesterday (Wednesday) said he was ignorant of real life after a career in pediatric dentistry before he started providing dental care for the poor and uninsured at the Community Health Center of Central Wyoming two years ago.

Chemicals in meth eat away at the teeth. Dawson showed examples of "meth mouth," showing pictures of rotted, rubbery teeth and gums.
He said that in many cases, patients who visit the clinic have teeth that are too damaged to save, leaving dentists no choice but to pull them out.
More than 700 people attended the start of the two-day conference, at which experts are scheduled to discuss strategies for treating addiction and other aspects of the drug epidemic.

What is Crystal Meth?

Crystal methamphetamine is a colorless, odorless form of d-methamphetamine, a powerful and highly addictive synthetic (man-made) stimulant. Crystal methamphetamine typically resembles small fragments of glass or shiny blue-white "rocks" of various sizes. Like powdered methamphetamine (another form of d-methamphetamine), crystal methamphetamine is abused because of the long-lasting euphoric effects it produces. Crystal methamphetamine, however, typically has a higher purity level and may produce even longer-lasting and more intense physiological effects than the powdered form of the drug.

Crystal methamphetamine typically is smoked using glass pipes similar to pipes used to smoke crack cocaine. Crystal methamphetamine also may be injected. A user who smokes or injects the drug immediately experiences an intense sensation followed by a high that may last 12 hours or more.

As a powerful stimulant, crystal meth, even in small doses, can increase wakefulness and physical activity and decrease appetite. Crystal meth addiction has a very toxic effect on the body. In animals, a single high dose of the drug has been shown to damage nerve terminals in the dopamine-containing regions of the brain. The large release of dopamine produced by crystal meth is thought to contribute to the drug's toxic effects on nerve terminals in the brain. High doses can elevate body temperature to dangerous, sometimes lethal, levels, as well as cause convulsions. In scientific studies examining the consequences of long-term methamphetamine exposure in animals, concern has arisen over its toxic effects on the brain. Researchers have reported that as much as 50 percent of the dopamine-producing cells in the brain can be damaged after prolonged exposure to relatively low levels of methamphetamine.

Crystal Meth Kills and, it will soon make you feel that you don't care if you live or not and until you get past those feelings, you won't better your conditions in life. Confront your situation related to meth use. There are effective treatment and you can have the energy and inspiration that this drug gives you without the burden of drug-induced excitement of your thoughts and your bodily functions.

Colorado Drug Rehab Counselors have listened to many crystal meth users who are honest enough to admit that sex is better on meth than it ever is otherwise. Drug-induced pleasure have their attraction, but they always have a down side that worse than anyone imagines when they are romantically involved with meth. The sexual arousal and physical pleasure is heightened temporally, but this soon levels off and in short order, sex becomes less fulfilling that it was before meth use. You are also blocking all of the heartfelt love that is the more beautiful part of sexual relations when you are under the influence of this drug and soon that translates to a demoralizing feeling about your life and future. The spiritual devastation from chronic crystal meth use is the most painful outcome of this addiction. Let a real, effective program bring back the feelings in your life so that you are motivated by care and love and not by enhanced neurotransmitters. You are not a machine, you are a human with all of the beauty that can bring you.

With chronic use, addiction to crystal meth quickly develops. In an effort to intensify the desired effects, users may take higher doses of the drug, take it more frequently, or change their method of drug intake. In some cases, abusers forego food and sleep while indulging in a form of binging known as a "run," injecting as much as a gram of the drug every 2 to 3 hours over several days until the user runs out of the drug or is too disorganized to continue. Chronic abuse can lead to psychotic behavior, characterized by intense paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and out-of-control rages that can be coupled with extremely violent behavior.

Although there are no physical manifestations of a withdrawal syndrome when crystal meth use is stopped, there are several symptoms that occur when a chronic user stops taking the drug. These include depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression, and an intense craving for the drug. Although use of crystal meth initially was limited to a few urban areas crystal meth use has shown a dramatic throughout the country and especially in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. In addition, crystal meth use among significantly diverse populations has been documented.

Crystal Meth May be the World's Most Addictive Drug

One would wonder why crystal meth causes so many people addiction problems. There are those that will say that addiction is a disease, a chronic and progressive disease, but there are strong arguments that support this fact of whether addiction is a disease or not that are undeniable facts that support why crystal meth is so addictive. When one looks at the science of how crystal meth affects the dopamine levels in the brain, you can easily see that even one large dose of crystal meth can make it very difficult for someone to not take another dose.

Crystal meth causes a radical increase of dopamine, a neurotransmitter, to be released by the brain which produces a surge in energy, happy feelings and a euphoria that is usually reserved for the most pleasurable events in life. It also causes the person to not need sleep or food and to feel as though they are on top of the world. All of this is great until it wears off.

These elevated dopamine levels cause the brain to reabsorb this neuro-hormone more rapidly than is normal and when these levels fall below normal range, one feels the opposite of euphoria or well being. Instead one feels angry, depressed, fatigued and tired. It is difficult for man to be depressed when he knows that he can take something that will end the depression and cause him to feel great.

From this you can see how this cycle can be set in motion with the first use. There are very few drugs that are so powerful on both ends of the emotional spectrum and this is a major reason why crystal meth is one of the most addictive and dangerous drugs to date.

Interesting Fact About How Crystal Meth Production Could End

This information is taken from the Prescription page on this website, but is germain to Crystal Meth as well.

In the 1970s, Methaqualone became an urban legend for its ability to enhance sexual desire and became one of the “recreational” drugs-of-choice in America. Methaqualone was originally synthesized in India as a possible antimalarial agent, but the sleep-producing qualities of the drug were profound and it was hoped that it could become an alternative to barbiturates.

Barbiturate drugs had been available for nearly a century and had become the family of drugs chosen for sleep problems, but they were abused because of the “high” they produced and it was problematic because the withdrawals were life threatening. Methaqualone was marketed as the safe, non-addicting alternative to barbiturates. Rorer Pharmaceuticals coined the commercial name of Quaalude and pushed physicians to freely prescribe this “safe” sleep aid. Producing a significant “high”, users sought out Quaaludes for any an all symptoms. However, like all of these stories, the drug became a problem with widespread abuse, acute reactions and fatal overdoses, and stiff restrictions were placed on the drug and, ultimately, it was taken off the market. Getting the cooperation of the pharmaceutical company to end the production of Quaaludes was a huge win for the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was difficult for the drug company to justify why this drug, in particular, was needed for medical reason, so they agreed to stop making the product. The raw materials that are used to make methaqualone were produced in India and that company also agreed to end its manufacturing of the chemical starter.

This same approach has been tried with the pharmaceutical companies that make ephedrine, which is used for the suppression of cold symptoms, but the market has been too profitable for them to agree to stop its production. The significance of this decision is important since ephedrine is the raw product that is used to make meth and crystal meth and if it were curtailed, we wouldn't have the "home labs" throughout the world making this dangerous and illicit drug.

Crystal Meth in the News in Colorado:

Colorado has modeled a computer tracking system to catch crystal meth manufacturers buying inordinate amounts of pseudoephedrine, which is sold in all Colorado pharmacies as a cold remedy, but meth labs buy cases of the drug to extract the needed core compound from the tablets. However, Colorado now requires that a person purchasing these drugs to have his ID logged into the state-wide computer system to check if smaller amounts are being purchased in many pharmacies.

GLENWOOD SPRINGS (AP)

The abuse of methamphetamine in western Colorado is an extremely serious and growing problem. Data shows that western Colorado has a significant problem in the production and trafficking of methamphetamine, as well as other illegal drugs, comparable to other regions in western states. Overall, methamphetamine use in the whole state of Colorado increased from 14.9 percent of drug admissions in 1997 to 22.4 percent in the first half of 2003.

A 26-year-old Glenwood Springs woman already convicted of possession of methamphetamines now is charged with child abuse because her newborn had the drug in its system. Police detective Amy Roggie said Tishe Quintana apparently used the drug in the week before her baby girl was born. Her conviction was for use in September. The baby, named Justice, is doing well and is in the care of Social Services. However, Roggie said the child may experience problems later.
Courtesy: 9News-KUSA-TV Denver

The follow shocking news is courtesy of "One hit of crystal meth causes birth defects: University of Toronto study", July 27, 2005:

"Affects fetuses at all stages of development:
A single prenatal dose of methamphetamine - commonly known as speed - may be enough to cause long-term neurodevelopmental problems in babies, say University of Toronto researchers.

In research published in the August issue of Free Radical Biology and Medicine, U of T pharmacy and pharmacology professor Peter Wells and his colleagues determined that exposing pregnant mice only once to methamphetamine led to delivery of offspring with long-term neurodevelopmental problems, including reduced motor co-ordination. Methamphetamine is a potent and addictive stimulant.
"We've known for a while that meth abuse during pregnancy is associated with low birth weight, cleft palates and other malformations but this is the first research demonstrating that even a single exposure can cause long-term damage," says Wells. "It's pretty remarkable that a single low dose can have such an effect.

"It's an important finding, given the increasing use of club drugs among women of childbearing age. It has clinical implications, because it shows that the fetus is exquisitely sensitive."

The developing fetus appears to be vulnerable to DNA damage from methamphetamine exposure because it hasn't yet developed the enzymes that protect it against free radicals - highly activated, destructive oxygen molecules that have been implicated in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, says Wells. This vulnerability lasts from the embryonic stage through the later fetal period, times when organ structures and mental functions develop.

"People usually think the last trimester of pregnancy is when developing brain function is most susceptible to damage, but in this case the brain is also affected by methamphetamine even in the earlier embryonic period," says Wells.

Wells' next step will be to study women and their babies who have been exposed to drugs like methamphetamine that enhance free radical formation to see if the human damage is consistent with his mouse findings. He will also try to determine whether the methamphetamine causes other lasting damage in mice, such as impacts on learning and memory.

"Methamphetamine has very different toxic effects in the fetal brain than in adult mice, which surprised me," says Wells. "In adults, you can see actual structural degeneration of the brain."

Crystal Meth Drug Rehab In Colorado:

Crystal Meth addiction is as serious as any drug addiction and anyone wanting to stop or that has a loved one that needs to stop should call Colorado Drug Rehab at 888.781.7060.

1. Biophysical Meth Rehab in Colorado

Biophysical treatment methods get the residue of the drugs out of the body. Through research, it has been found that the human body will store a residue, called a metabolite of the drug, in the dromat fat tissue for 5 – 7 years after drug use/abuse. When a person stops using drugs, this residue of the fat-soluable drugs begins to be released back into the blood stream which causes cravings, anxiety, and depression in the addict who may be trying desparately to curtail his use.

This can go on for literally years and is the major reason why many programs claim that addiction is a life-long disease. As these toxins are released back into the blood stream, it causes the struggling drug affected person to experience some of the original drug effect and causes depression and mental health problems that lead many to see advice from psychiatrist who will then perscribe a psychiatric medication, which leads to more toxins in the body to add to the emotional rollercoaster that most recovering people experience daily.

Drugs like heroin, oxycontin, cocaine, and meth are more powerful than the natural chemicals the brain produces to be happy, so these "flash-back" type experiences overpower ones natural chemistry. It takes at least a year for this natural chemical balance to be restored and most "recoverying" addicts cannot take the anxiety and depression they are causing for any length of time without relapsing back to otheir drug of choice or drug of availability.

The Biophysical method uses a purification technology in conjunction with vitamins and minerals to release these toxic residues stored in fat tissue, back into the blood stream where they are then forced out of the body, leaving the person free of this contamination and free of the cravings, anxiety or depression caused by the side effects of these drugs. This enables a return to a natural chemical balance, which is wjy these types of programs don't subscribe to the addige, "Once and Addict, Always and Addict". This type of drug rehabilitation center uses a social educational model to restore ethics and build life-skills to ensure their graduates are drug free and productive members of society. Drug Rehab Programs with this method are having a success rate of over 78%. This is why Biophysical drug treatment centers are the most highly recommended and fastest growning form of treatment.

One of the highly promoted outcomes of chronic crystal meth use is the damage to brain tissue. You can search for a study by UCLA that has graphic pictures, from brain scans, that show this physical damage.

However, there is ample evidence from clinical trails that the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment (HBOT)can return the brain to normal function and appearance with in a few months. The most important thing to keep in mind about crystal meth use or any chronic drug use, is the fact that there is a road out. Once you stop using the drug, there are clinical technologies that can restore health and give you functioning at levels above what you have ever experienced! You won't find this in most drug rehab settings, but there are specialist in the US that use HBOT to treat the brain damage caused by crystal meth use.

In March, 2007 a Biophysical Colorado Drug Rehab residental program opened in Fort Collins, Colorado. Call 1-888.781.7060 to find out more!

2. Drug Rehab using behavioral modification

Behavioral Modification gained popularity in the 1970's and is based on the Pavlovian idea that man is an animal and changes actions based on stimulus and response. It was popular during these early years for teachers to have bags of M&M's to reward children for proper responses. In drug treatment, the Therapeutic Community model was developed, which uses reiducule and shamming tatics rather than M&M's in an attempt to change thinking and behavior. These program are popular with criminal justice populations and have demonstrated less than a 10% long-term success rate. As long as the person is in the original group and has gained some privledges for being a "perfect client", the compliance is high, but for those that need support to make changes, it can be devistating and leads to many clients exiting the programs early to maintain some personal power and dignity.

The originators of Alcoholics Anonymousof (A.A.) looked long and hard for something, anything, that would work to save alcoholics from self-destruction, anything to break the cycle of addiction. In the 1930's alcoholics were thought of as the retrobates of society and were usually institutionalized in psychiatric centers as being insane and given horendous treatment, which, of course, didn't solve the addiction. So, the original work of the two founders of the 12-step approach are to be commended for reclassifing the problem, but, unfortunately, in the process, they removed all of the personal responsibility by making addiction a disease.

There are many positive aspects of the 12-step approach in that it gets addicts into communication about their lives and their addiction and that is far better than the isolation that they were experiencing. However, it falls short of the truth about addiction and actually relables the problem to fit their philosophy and doesn't actually treat the addiction, but supports addicts with the idea that there is no cure, but by belonging to a like-minded group, one can stay off of alcohol and other drugs and survive at a higher level.

This recovery method was never intended to be institutionalized into a treatment modality, but when insurance programs in the 1970's began to pay for up to 30 days of addiction treatment, many progams oped througout the US and huge profits were actualized for their owners. Soon the insurance companies looked at the lack of ongoing success and have since drastically reduce their support of any form of addiction treatment. These 30-day, 12-step programs do not pretend to graduate their patients free of relapse, but contend that addiction is a disease of relapse and that will continue throughout ones life. They believe that addiction is a chronic and progressive disease, meaning that is last forever and gets worse even when one isn't drinking or using. Less than 10% of their graduates stay clean long enough to rebuild their lives.

4. Christian or Religious based treatment

Many families soon become frustrated with behavior modification and 12-step treatment approaches, and for good reason, and turn to religious programs for an answer. These program usually don't profess to doing treatment, but are structured to bring fundimental religious beliefs into the void of spiritual feelings seen in all addicts. To develop the moral/ethics and spiriual support in anyone suffering from addiction is an important component of any program, but in itself, it has proven to be insufficient in graduating a higher than 5-10% success.

As you my have noticed, other than the Biophysical approach, all other modalities of treatment are only successful at a miminal level of 10% or less. This correlates with the fact that about 10% of the addict population will recover from their problems without any clinical interventions whatsoever, so in looking at these forms of treatment, you might find that it satisfies some part of your common sense that addicts may need some of these measures, like religion, but effective treatment of this problem is either comprehensive and successful or it depends totally on the strengths of the individual to be a success.

All program, other than biophysical programs, depend on their graduates to live within the newly acquired philosophy and to limit their contacts and associations to others that follow those ideals and ideas. This is not very realistic and, therefore you can see that very few remove themselves from addiction at a level that one should expect of a center that is treating a problem of any magnitude.

It is the building of self-determinism in the rehabilitation of the addict that will lead to someone that has the wherewithal to stay away from any type of actions or drugs that will destroy his abilities. Getting rid of the old "tapes" that discredit the person or lower his esteem is one of the major tasks of meth drug treatment. This isn't a hypnosis process, but getting the person to be proud of himself because of the dignity and care that he has for others and the compassion he has for himself and others that has been rehabilitated in his life. This isn't a fast process and it has been well documented that it can't happen in a 30-day program. An effective meth rehab program must get the addict to confront all of his past actions for which he is ashamed and to no longer have emotional charge connected to these incidences....crimes, sins, etc. The rehabilitated person must know that he isn't what he has done. He is a good, ethical and capable being that determines his fate. He must know that he can face his past and be forgiven from within or he will soon find new situations that are similar to his past that will cause him to crash and he will turn to drugs to find relief.

Colorado Drug Rehab is a free service that will help you find a drug rehab for any alcohol or drug addiction problem you or a loved one may be having. It is easy to confuse the different terms used in this field, describing the different types of drug rehab centers, drug rehabilitation centers, and substance abuse treatment programs. For the problem that you are addressing, should you be looking for an Outpatient, In-patient, Residential Treatment Center, Long term or Short term treatment and what modality of addiction treatment is the most effective and what are the cost related to these forms of treatment or rehab?To find the best rehab for Crystal Meth, go to Colorado Drug Rehab's page on the treatment of meth addiction...click HERE

CRYSTAL METH ANNONYMOUS (CMA) Meetings Throughout Colorado

How Crystal Meth Annonymous Started

CMA was founded in September 16, 1994 in West Hollywood, California by Bill C. The first meeting was held in the evening at 8939 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood. Like many other offshoots of AA, CMA was developed to use the 12-step recovery program, but with a population of those that could identify with crystal meth so that they wouldn't feel as though they were changing the focus of the Alcoholics Annoymous meetings, they decided to create meetings that were totally focused on their drug of choice.