Meth is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant drug. Since it’s a stimulant, it has a variety of negative effects on the body. These include increasing an individual’s metabolism, keeping them awake for days, and, most notably, changing their appearance.
The latter is perhaps the most well-known side effect of meth use. These changes in appearance include rapid aging, meth mouth where a person’s teeth rot and decay as well as drastic weight loss in some people. So extreme can these changes be that those addicted to meth often end up looking like completely different people.
There are several reasons why meth addicts end up losing weight including:
- Meth causes an upheaval in bodily processes and suppresses the appetite.
- Meth leads to elevated body temperature, increased blood pressure, heart rate, and alertness, all of which increase an individual’s energy needs, making him burn more calories. This in turn leads to the body burning fat stores, and eventually muscle, for energy.
- Those addicted to meth are often preoccupied with getting the next high and managing withdrawal symptoms so nutrition takes a back seat.
Weight Gain After Quitting Meth
Now that we have an idea of why people lose weight when on meth, we can see how quitting the drug can lead to weight gain.
First off, undergoing detox and getting clean can restore normal bodily processes, including the return of a healthy appetite. As you eat, your body will naturally go back to your normal weight, making you look a lot better and healthier than when you were on meth.
On the other hand, you may gain weight because of swapping your meth addiction with a more innocuous one, such as food addiction. If this is the case, then you may end up overeating which would lead to you packing on the pounds.
For this reason, taking care of your health –mental, physical, and emotional –is vital during recovery. You have to learn healthy ways of handling your triggers, stressors, and cravings so you don’t end up replacing one addiction with another. You should also make exercise part of your recovery regimen. This will not only help you maintain a healthy weight but also help you get a dopamine boost that can keep depression and anxiety at bay.
Why Choose Impact Outpatient Program
Dealing with addiction isn’t easy. That’s why we at Impact Outpatient Program in Lousiville, Kentucky are dedicated to helping anyone who needs affordable drug and alcohol treatment.
We use an integrated and multifaceted approach to treatment, providing several addiction treatment programs including intensive outpatient and traditional outpatient programs. Additionally, we offer a telemedicine program for those who can’t make it to the rehab center for treatment. This allows them to still receive addiction treatment wherever they are. We also have a simplified admissions process and work with most major insurance carriers to ensure that our clients can meet the cost of treatment. So, contact us today, and let’s help you get your life back on track.