Hallucinogenic Drug Abuse, Addiction and Available Treatment Options
Hallucinogenic drug addiction and abuse continues to be a big problem in Idaho and elsewhere in the Midwest and Northwest.
Do You Have Questions About Hallucinogenic Rehab? Call Our Addiction Experts Now.
But what people do not often realize is that they can get treatment that can help them get off these drugs.
Hallucinogens are some of the most common party drugs in Idaho. Both adults and young people often use these substances with little knowledge about their effects.
These drugs have a reputation of being virtually risk-free, but that is not the case at all. Many of them are dangerous; especially in the long-term. It is so important to understand what can happen by continuing to use them and how to get help to stop.
What are Hallucinogenic Drugs?
Hallucinogenic drugs are substances that cause the user to lose touch with reality. When people take them, they often have hallucinations, just as the name suggests. They may hear voices or see things that are not there.
There are several types of hallucinogenic drugs, and they include:
Losing touch with reality can be a real draw for someone who is suffering from a co-occurring disorder. That alone can cause people to try one of the drugs on the above list. But again, the consequences of using any of these are quite serious. So many people use them as a way to cope, but they are extremely dangerous.
The Effects of Hallucinogens – Why People Take Them
People have been taking Hallucinogens for centuries, and they take them for the fun of hallucinating, as a way to cope with stress, or because they just want to disconnect from the world around them. Historically, Hallucinogens have even been used for religious rituals. This particular classification of drugs can be found in nature, or they can be man made. They’re taken in a lot of different ways too; including:
Swallowing them as tablets or pills
Ingesting them as liquids
Drying them for consumption
Brewing them into a tea
Snorting them
Injecting them
Inhaling vapor or smoke
Absorbing them through the lining of the mouth
Hallucinogens work by temporarily disrupting the communication between the brain and the spinal cord. Some Hallucinogens can alter serotonin levels in the brain, while others alter your brain’s glutamate levels. The result is a lot of different responses that range from sensory perception changes to lessening your ability to feel pain.
Hallucinogen Abuse
Most people start using Hallucinogens because they’re curious about the effects they can produce. They may give in to social pressures just to try them out so they can experience what the high is like. Users refer to Hallucinogenic highs as “trips,” and sometimes these trips are good, but sometimes they’re not. While some Hallucinogens are more addictive than others, they all produce negative consequences prior to the addiction setting in. Some of the short term effects of Hallucinogens are:
Increased heart rate
Changes in your perception of time
Intense sensory experiences
Increased emotional responses
Increased body temperature
Dry mouth
Sleep disturbances
Some users describe their trips as allowing them “see sounds” or “hear colors,” and the idea of that type of high is intriguing to those who are curious about what their own Hallucinogenic experiences might be like. Hallucinogen abuse can easily lead to addiction if the drugs are used regularly for a period of time.
We Accept Most Major Insurance
Most insurance companies will cover 100% of the cost. We also help with financing. Call Now.
Using Hallucinogens for a longer period of time can eventually lead to an addiction. This occurs because your body builds up a tolerance to the drugs you’re using, and so in order to achieve the same high, you use more, and you use more frequently. As this happens, your brain begins to expect the drugs and the resulting chemical changes in order to feel normal. In some cases, people become addicted to Hallucinogens without really meaning to. You can tell that your Hallucinogen abuse has become an addiction if you experience:
Problems with your speech
Memory loss
Weight loss coupled with appetite reduction
Symptoms of depression
Symptoms of anxiety
You can even eventually start to have suicidal thoughts and ideations.
Our Facility and Location
Northpoint Recovery is a state of the art, comfortable and modern inpatient detox and drug rehab facility designed to help our clients get the help they need to overcome addiction.
Stopping Hallucinogens and Expected Withdrawal Symptoms
At some point, if you’re addicted to Hallucinogens, you come to terms with the fact that you’re harming your body. Hallucinogens are dangerous; both for you and for those around you when you’re using them. Even so, it’s not a good idea to stop taking them on your own. Doing so can result in a range of dangerous Hallucinogen withdrawal symptoms and side effects. You can experience a severely elevated heart rate, stiffness in your muscles, seizures, body temperature fluctuations and an increase in your blood pressure.
For some people, the psychological withdrawal symptoms that can occur when you stop Hallucinogens abruptly are even worse than the physical symptoms. Psychologically, you may experience:
Frequent panic attacks
Psychotic breaks from reality
Intense mood swings
Feelings of anger or even rage
A low impulse control
Problems with your speech
If you try to stop taking Hallucinogens on your own, these withdrawal symptoms can become so intense that you feel you have no choice but to go back to using again. This is what causes people to stay in a cycle of addiction, but going to drug detox can help you through Hallucinogen withdrawals, giving you a better chance of recovering successfully.
What to do if You’re Noticing Hallucinogen Addiction Behaviors in a Loved One
It’s possible that you have a loved one that you’re concerned about regarding their drug use. Maybe he or she has been telling that they only use Hallucinogens for fun, and they’re in complete control of their use. You can identify whether or not that’s true by watching for certain Hallucinogen addiction behaviors. You may notice that a lot of money is being spent on the drugs, or you could notice that your loved one is becoming withdrawn or having legal problems. These behaviors are all indicative of an addiction that requires professional Hallucinogen addiction treatment.
Hallucinogenic Drugs in the Idaho News
Hallucinogenic drugs like LSD, mushrooms, and Ecstasy are readily available on the streets in Idaho. The same is true for Washington and other states in the Northwest and Midwest. It is not surprising that so many people who use them make the local news.
According to the Boise State Public Radio website, the number of people who are overdosing on synthetic drugs in Boise is increasing drastically. This was determined after a detective went undercover to buy drugs from local dealers. He states that the newest drugs are much more potent synthetics, and they are replacing Ecstasy and LSD.
Among these drugs are spice, bath salts, and synthetic cannabinoids. There are also newer drugs, such as 25i and 25c. All of the above can result in unpredictable behavior, hyperthermia, and violent outbursts. The detective states that using any of these drugs long-term can have serious consequences. They can lead to bleeds in the brain, heart failure, seizures, and kidney damage.
In many cases, people are trying to buy Ecstasy, but they are getting a drug that is very different. The result is that a lot of people are inadvertently overdosing and many have lost their lives.
The majority of the drugs being sold are brought into the United States from illegal laboratories in China. The substances are much cheaper than typical hallucinogenic drugs. To make matters worse, they can even be ordered online.
Do People Need to go to Rehab for Hallucinogenic Drug Addiction?
Most people believe that the majority of hallucinogenic drugs are non-addictive. A lot of users will only partake of them sporadically; perhaps on a monthly or even yearly basis. But that is not the case across the board. The longer hallucinogenic drugs are used, and the more frequently they are used, the bigger the risk for addiction becomes.
Once an addiction has taken place, rehab is needed in order to recover from it. This allows the root cause of the substance abuse problem to be addressed and resolved. It also allows people to get help for their withdrawal symptoms, which is a critical part of recovering.
Drug Detox and Rehab in Idaho at Northpoint Recovery
At Northpoint Recovery, we have one of the most celebrated drug rehab and detox programs in the region. We are located in Boise, Idaho, and our inpatient treatment center offers a tremendous amount of support for our patients.
Not everyone who comes to our facility with this type of addiction will need to go through detox. Drug treatment is very personalized according to the individual’s needs. Those who do may be recommended for medical detox, which means being prescribed medications to help with withdrawal symptoms. Most patients are also recommended for holistic withdrawal treatments, such as nutritional therapy.
After detox, the patient will transition into inpatient rehab, which is a move that should be relatively seamless. During this phase of treatment, patients begin therapy in group and individual settings.
This entire process takes 28 days. After rehab is over, our staff always provides instructions for adequate follow-up. Some of our patients may transition into an intensive outpatient program or go to outpatient rehab.
Cross addictions and co-occurring disorders are common among people who are addicted to hallucinogenic drugs. Both require specific approaches in order for treatment to be successful.
A lot of our patients with cross addictions are also alcoholics. It is important to address this problem as well, which we do through our alcohol detox and rehab program. Likewise, many of our patients suffer from co-occurring disorders like anxiety and depression. These are also addressed, which reduces the chances of a relapse.
Learn More About Hallucinogenic Drug Addiction, Abuse and Treatment
At Northpoint Recovery, we care about your addiction to hallucinogenic drugs. We know how hard it can be to stop using, and we are here to help you. We want to make addiction treatment as affordable as possible. That is why we are in-network with many health insurance companies. Also, we only use proven methods to treat our patients and we have a very high success rate.
Do you need to know more about hallucinogenic drug abuse and addiction? Are you curious about what treatment options might be best for you? Please contact us.
Talk to a Rehab Specialist
Our admissions coordinators are here to help you get started with treatment the right way. They'll verify your health insurance, help set up travel arrangements, and make sure your transition into treatment is smooth and hassle-free.