Ecstasy Addiction Treatment Options
Ecstasy exists as one the more rare drug formulations capable of producing both stimulant and hallucinogenic effects. Most popular within the younger party scene, ecstasy nonetheless carries highly addictive properties as its damaging effects all but destroys a person’s physical and psychological well-being.
By the time a person enters ecstasy addiction treatment, he or she has developed considerable brain damage and failing health. Ecstasy addiction treatment entails a process of rehabilitation of the mind and body.
While different people enter treatment with any number of problems and challenges, ecstasy addiction treatment options are designed to walk a person through the various stages of the recovery process. For most addicts, ecstasy addiction treatment offers the only means for overcoming this addiction and regaining control of their lives.
Ecstasy’s Effects
Group therapy is sometimes used in ecstasy rehab.
Ecstasy, also known as MDMA belongs to the amphetamine class of drugs. Its hallucinogenic effects cause users to experience a distorted sense of time and perception rather than actual, full-blown hallucinations. On average, one dose of ecstasy lasts from four to six hours.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, ecstasy triggers the release of three essential neurotransmitter chemicals in the brain: dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. These chemicals play central roles in regulating most every physical and psychological process in the body.
Chronic ecstasy use leaves the brain in an impoverished state, unable to carry out essential bodily functions without the effects of the drug. Ecstasy addiction treatment options address both the physical and psychological damage that results from long-term drug use.
Detoxification Treatment
As with most every addictive drug, ecstasy’s withdrawal effects make it especially difficult for addicts to stop using the drug. These effects usually take the form of:
- Extreme agitation
- Insomnia
- Inability to concentrate
- Paranoid delusions
- Bouts of depression
- Panic attacks
Ecstasy addiction treatment starts at the detoxification stage, helping addicts make it through this most difficult of periods. Treatment programs administer medications to help alleviate specific symptoms. Drug education training is also provided to help addicts gain a better understanding of drug addiction and its effects on the body.
Behavioral Treatment Options
While the physical effects of addiction may seem like the most pressing, it’s the psychological effects that stay with a person long after he or she stops using. Ecstasy addiction treatment programs provide much needed behavioral treatment interventions as of a person’s first day in recovery.
Behavioral treatments offered include:
- Intensive psychotherapy
- Group therapy
- Motivation therapies
- Support group work
These treatment options are available through both inpatient and outpatient programs.
Aftercare Treatment Needs
Anyone struggling with an ecstasy addiction requires detox, inpatient and outpatient treatment in order to have any chance at living a drug-free existence. As this drug often leaves long-term brain damage in its wake, most people in recovery require ongoing ecstasy addiction treatment, even after completing an outpatient program.
Aftercare treatment options typically take the form of:
- Ongoing psychotherapy
- Weekly attendance at 12 Step support group meetings
- Group therapy work
Without needed aftercare treatment, recovering addicts run the risk of relapse at which point the treatment process must start all over again.
