SEE ALSO: Is it time to stop completely?
If you plan to reduce your meth use, as a first step it can be easier to stop completely until your cravings are under control. How long that takes depends on factors unique to you, but two months without use might be a good place to start. After that, think about the positive and negative effects meth had on your life before you decide to use again.
If meth isn’t obviously causing any problems at the moment, maintaining your current use can still be a risky strategy. Meth affects everyone differently so exactly how risky, depends on the level you intend to maintain. If you’re using meth more than once a month, you may not be giving your brain enough time to recover. Over the longer term, this could lead to problems and sooner or later you may find yourself using more, more often.
Whether you want to cut down or maintain, stay in control by making rules that give you a way to override an urge in your mind. Knowing what it feels like to push back against and overcome an urge can make you better at moderating your use of meth in the future. Examples:
Since last use | Symptoms |
1 to 3 days | Comedown:
|
2 to 10 days (Common to very uncommon) |
Withdrawal:
|
7 to 28 days | Settling down:
|
1 to 3 months (Sometimes longer) |
Establishing normal:
|