Lakewood Addiction Treatment Centers

A survey in 2012 found that 27% of California’s drug treatment admissions were for marijuana abuse, while 35% were for stimulant abuse, including cocaine and meth.¹ In Los Angeles County, in which the city of Lakewood sits, thousands of people struggle with methamphetamine abuse and addiction.

Over the decades between 1986 and 2013, domestic seizures of methamphetamine have increased 1159%.² Although the peak wave of domestic meth production was in the early 2000s, Mexican drug cartels are now smuggling this potent, dangerous stimulant across the border into California. This led to a spike in new meth seizures by law enforcement in 2012 and 2013 in Los Angeles County; between 2008 and 2014, emergency room admissions for meth increased 295%, and longer-term hospitalizations from associated harm increased 178%.^1,2

Meth abuse is associated with several harmful health outcomes, including HIV infection from needle sharing or unprotected sex; hepatitis C infections; heart attacks and heart failure leading to death; strokes; suicide attempts due to delusions or uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms; depression, schizophrenia, psychosis, and other mental illnesses; Parkinson’s disease; dental problems called meth mouth; and harm to unborn children, including low birth weight and preterm birth.³

Deaths from methamphetamine abuse rose 475% between 2000 and 2014, so the danger is still relevant.² This makes it important to get evidence-based medical treatment for meth addiction to safely detox and then enter a rehabilitation program, before overdose leads to death. Access the resources on this page to research your options.

1. Obama White House Archives. California Drug Control Update.
2. County of Los Angeles Public Health. Substance Abuse Prevention and Control Medical Director’s Brief. Methamphetamine Misuse/Abuse and Consequences. December 2016.
3. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Methamphetamine: What Is Methamphetamine?