Bath Salts or also known as synthetic cathinone are human-made stimulants that are derived from the Khat plant. Khat is a bush plant found in South Africa and Southern Arabi. When the Khat plant leaves are chewed, it produces a mild stimulant effect and is similar to a Hallucinogen. However, Bath Salts is a man-made version of the drug and is much stronger and more concentrated when compared to the natural form.
In 2011, an estimated 22,000 hospital ER visits were related to Bath Salts.
John’s Drug Abuse Couldn’t be Stopped
After growing up in a home that was poor and having a father who was an active member of a biker gang, John fell hard and fast. He fell into the same lifestyle that surrounded him, a drug-filled environment. John started with just selling ecstasy and smoking Marijuana and eventually tried Crystal Meth.
Bath Salts and Crystal Meth are closely related and produce very similar effects. Once John was introduced to these drugs, use became a part of his everyday life and he quickly spiraled out of control. After using Meth and Bath Salts, he lost all his brother and everyone that he loved closest to him.
John eventually ended up getting into a gang-related situation where he was captured by the police and sentenced to 10 years in prison. During his stay there, he did excellently and stayed off mind-altering substances. He got out of prison and started working for an amazing company. One day after work he decided to go to the bar with a couple of co-workers and one thing led to another – He was back to using drugs.
John found himself in a psychosis, which is brought on by drugs such as Bath Salts and Methamphetamines. He walked barefoot on scorching hot pavement to an apartment leasing office where he decided to head-butt the handicap sign because he thought he could bend it in half. John ended up splitting his head open and the cops were called. Still, in this psychosis, he started running from the cops because he thought that they were demons chasing after him.
Drug-induced psychosis is terrifying yet an unfortunate reality of stimulant abuse. Going back to prison and the cycle of addiction continued. John kept violating parole because of substance abuse until one of the times that he was released from prison and decided to try something different. He was paroled to Phoenix, Arizona where he decided to give the 12-step programs a shot. John was sick and tired of being sick and tired.
He realized that his way of staying sober had failed countless times. After losing everything to his addiction, he has gotten back his family and friends that were once ashamed to be seen with him. Now, John has over two years clean and sober and is about to marry the woman of his dreams! If he can do it, you can too.
Tanner Overcame Amphetamine Addiction
Tanner was born into life with two parents that were ready to have him. Looking back, he now realizes he had a problem with addiction even as a young child. Whether that was girls, candy, toys, or soda he loved the way it made him feel. Tanner went to a private school and started getting into trouble and hanging out with the wrong friend, the bad news type. He tried drinking for the first time and got drunk to the point of vomiting. After getting into trouble at nine years old in school, he was prescribed a drug called Vyvanse.
Vyvanse is a prescription medication used in treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD. Vyvanse is usually abused by college students and closely resembles other drugs such as Adderall, Ritalin and even Bath Salts. He would stay up all night watching infomercials. From 14-15, he tried many drugs including Bath Salts and had no moral compass for breaking into churches and houses. His mom tried to stop him however he left and started to do more of what he wanted to do. Tanner then began selling Marijuana for his friend’s family and gets busted. As a result, he ended up in a juvenile detention facility.
As soon as he got out, he went back to the insanity of his addiction, being homeless until his dad gave him a chance to live at his house. Again, the insanity of Tanner’s addiction began to take hold and he got back to the same old addictive behaviors and activities. It reached the point where his dad told him that he needed to go to a drug treatment center. After 13 days of treatment, Tanner was kicked out and went back to his addiction. The last time he went to treatment, he went in with a completely different mindset.
Tanner now owns a business with one of his best friends that he met in California doing freelance marketing. After getting treatment for addiction, he has continued to work 12-step programs. He believes that it is important for him to keep doing 12-step work or else, he will go back to the misery and depression that his addiction caused. Tanner has turned his life around and now lives a life in recovery from use of drugs like Bath Salts and Heroin.
About 167,000 bags of synthetic cathinones were seized in 2012.
Andres Recovers from Drugs like Bath Salts
Andres was brought up in a loving and nurturing home. Both his parents have been together for over 40 years. There were no inside issues in his home life until his brother started experimenting with drugs, Alcohol, and attending parties. His older brother was 11 years older than Andres so when his brother would go to parties, they’d have Andres go with his brother.
As a result of his brother taking him along to the parties when there was an 11-year age gap, Andres tried Alcohol for the first time at 5 years old. His brother never wanted to drag him on the same path that he was on. But young Andres looked up to his brother and other older family members such as his cousins.
Being that he looked up to them, he wanted to fit in so he would do whatever he saw them doing. When Andres was introduced to Marijuana is when things slowly began to turn bad. He ended up joining gangs and was living in dangerous areas. Drug use drove Andres to see things that no kid should see at that young of an age. So, his parents packed up their family and moved to Phoenix, AZ. He started using Cocaine and that eventually lead him to try other drugs because it was no longer strong enough to provide him with the same euphoric feeling that Cocaine once did.
Addiction caused Andres to go through a lot of pain and misery. He dropped out of high school and soon found himself homeless sleeping near canals in rural parts of Queen Creek. Landing himself in jail, he’d say that he’d change then would end up going straight back to drugs and Alcohol. One day Andres probation officer found him after a 3-month drug run and he conceded to his innermost self that something had to change.
From that point, he was willing to do whatever it took for that to happen. Andres decided to go to drug detox the next morning after the encounter with his probation officer. After detox, he continued into treatment. Today, Andres has over three years of sobriety and is living a life beyond his wildest dreams. He has his family back and they trust him. There is hope for anyone who is struggling drug and Alcohol addiction. Recovery from drugs including stimulants like Cocaine or Bath Salts to sedatives such as prescription Opioids or Heroin is possible.
Mike’s Restored from Bath Salts Addiction
Mike’s addiction began at the age of 12 not even to drugs and Alcohol. He decided to go to the garage and check out some things and found some magazines that he soon became addicted to. Mike tried Cocaine for the first time at the age of 22. It was not until 26 where he was arrested and at the age of 27 he went to California and graduated with two degrees. After all the successes he walks into the intensive care unit to fellow co-workers using Cocaine.
Mike, of course, used it with them and his life began to spin out of control. He met a woman and was going to have a baby and she tried to tell him to think about the choices that he is making with a baby on the way. Mike loses everything and becomes homeless for the first time in his life. He found himself living in a cardboard box behind a small church in California.
His addiction came down to him walking the streets with a plastic bag looking for plastic and aluminum to get some money. He was as empty and as lonely as he had ever been. Mike dropped to his knees and knew that something had to change, and his higher power has helped him to get life back on track. Mike now has 10 years clean and sober and is no longer the selfish man that he once was. Through an honest cry for help and admitting defeat he has been able to recover and now provides hope to those still sick and suffering from drug and Alcohol addiction.
In the 10 years of Mike’s sobriety, he hasn’t given in to his addiction to drugs or women. Things will matter to you again, your friends will change, and you will see the world through a new perspective. Life will have a new meaning for you. Things may seem hopeless right now but with conceding to yourself that this is a road you can no longer bear it is possible to be restored to hopefulness.
Bath Salts are a designer drug that’s identified by various different names.
Bath Salts Drug Addiction Recovery
After hearing all of these powerful stories about addiction to drugs like Bath Salts – you should now have hope that Bath Salts recovery is possible for you too. Bath Salts recovery is a reality for many people and you are no different – you can find freedom in the reality of recovery.
It’s important for you to understand that there is no absolute way out or cure for your Bath Salts addiction. Recovery takes commitment and work for long-term success, but as you can see it is more than worth it. If you want to join the countless people in recovery from Bath Salts addiction you can. There is hope for you and your recovery.
Bath Salts are similar to drugs such as Methamphetamines and Cocaine that stimulate the central nervous system. This synthetic drug also is known to cause paranoid delusions or hallucinations. Some of the main ingredients found in the drug are engineered compounds such as MDPV (3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone) mephedrone, pyrovalerone, and methylone.
Bath Salts that have been seized have also contained extremely high levels of caffeine. Khat, the active ingredient in Bath Salts, is a DEA Schedule 1 Controlled Substance. When a substance is a Schedule 1 drug, it means that it is illegal. The FDA banned the compounds MDVP and mephedrone, however, underground chemists keep skirting the law by faintly altering the compounds of the chemical to come up with newer versions.
Synthetic cathinone come in plastic baggies or in foil packages. They take on the form in a white or brown crystal-like powder. Even on the packages, it is clearly written for consumers “not for human consumption”. Bath Salts are sold from local smoke shops or illegally sold.
Usually, people will use Bath Salts because they do not show up on drug tests, they are easily accessible and produce similar effects that drugs like amphetamines or Cocaine give a person. Also, kids that are underage can access this drug quicker than others because it’s sold in the local smoke shops.
Now – the Bath Salts sold in the local smoke shops, aren’t to be confused with products such as Epsom salts that people use when they are bathing. Real bathing salts have absolutely no mind-altering substances or effects within them. Bath Salts are a serious problem because little is still known on the long-term effects that this drug may have on the brain. Moreover, there is limited data on how it interacts with chemical brain components such as inhibitors and neurotransmitters.
The potential long-term of effects that Bath Salts use may have on a person is still widely unknown. However – there is something we are certain about. Research shows that the drug affects the brain closest to the effect of Cocaine. Moreover, the National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests that Bath Salts are 10-time more powerful than Cocaine.
When teens or adults do Bath Salts it is usually smoked, snorted, swallowed or injected. By using Bath Salts the person is raising their heart rate, and chest pains, which can lead to complications such as high blood pressure. Synthetic cathinone’s can cause delirium which usually results from dehydration or kidney failure.
In extreme cases, with intravenous or intranasal usage, a person can experience over intoxication, which can result in death. Unfortunately, Bath Salts are more of an elusive drug and sometimes hard to track, because it is constantly being modified to skirt around the FDA regulations. Still, you should keep an eye on your loved ones if you suspect they are using drugs like Bath Salts.
If you or a loved one has an addiction to Bath Salts, it’s important to be weaned off and detoxed under medical supervision. This man-made drug provides more of an effect than the other popular street drugs and needs to be closely monitored when withdrawing. Since little is known it makes coming off of this drug it is even more of a risk.
Freedom from Bath Salts Drug Addiction
If you or someone that you know has a Bath Salt addiction, you know how isolating the situation can be. You may not know where to begin or how to pick up the mess that drug addiction has created. Getting sober may be something that you loathe or yearn for, and you just don’t know where to begin picking up the pieces again.
Addiction is a long road that has brought you to this point. Many heartaches, losses in life and overdoses may have occurred. Maybe you’ve lost everyone that you love and care about, whether that be your friends and family or significant other. Recovery from addiction to Bath Salts is possible, and this path is not entirely hopeless.
There are many stories of people that are in recovery from drug abuse and they’ve found hope and strength through many different forms. Through drug and Alcohol treatment centers that use cognitive behavioral therapy, 12-step programs, or even intensive outpatient treatment, IOP there is hope and recovery.
A lot of people in recovery have gained their families back and have created new healthy relationships with loved ones. Also, many have received material things in life that they could’ve never dreamed of owning again. You are brave, and you can make it through addiction to Bath Salts and drugs similar. Open your eyes, you have an army of people who may not know you but believe in you more than you may believe in yourself.
If you have enough willingness you can make the life you want come true – miracles do happen. Get help now and stop allowing drug addiction to consume and control your life. Make progress and start moving in a positive direction toward the life you want and deserve. For questions, answers, resources or even treatment options – pick up the phone and give us a call at (866) 578-7471.
