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Meow Meow Addiction Help & Treatment
The effects of mephedrone addiction are severe. It’s a substance that inflicts intense lows after the high. It also has many serious side effects that many users simply aren’t aware of.
Mephedrone seizures increased by 21% in the UK in 2020.[1]
While the popularity and widespread use of meow meow has decreased overall since 2010 (when it was made illegal in the UK), the University of Liverpool reported that in 2019, many people were being sold cathinones (the drug family meow meow is in) under the impression that it was ecstasy.[2]
When people develop problematic use, drug addiction treatment is essential. Finding the right place for help makes all the difference to a successful recovery.
What is Meow Meow?
Meow meow is mainly used as a party drug. It’s one of the synthetic stimulant drugs that are made in backstreet sweatshops. Originally it was considered one of the “legal highs” being sold in the UK as “plant food” or “plant fertiliser” (in the US as “bath salts”) with a label stating, “not for human consumption”.
Its most common form is a white powder, or yellowish powder, although it does sometimes come in tablet form.
Users tend to report that it smells like cat pee or car fumes and it’s renowned to alter a person’s body odour, especially in the immediate days after use.
It’s a cathinone stimulant; cathinones are “cousins” of amphetamines (i.e. speed and MDMA). It’s “proper” name is mephedrone or 4-methylmethcathinone.
In the UK it’s now a class B drug after being made illegal in 2010. It was hugely popular around 2007-2009 when it swept through teenage and young adult populations. Nowadays it’s mainly found in the gay chemsex scene.
What is mephedrone also known as?
Other names for mephedrone include:
- M-CAT
- Drone
- Meow meow
- Meph
- White magic
- Bubbles
How do people take meow meow?
Meow meow is most usually snorted, although it can be swallowed in tablet or “bomb” form. A “bomb” is where a person wraps a little bit of the powder in tobacco paper and swallows it. Mephedrone can also be injected.
At Rehab Recovery, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it can be to change your relationship with addiction.
For more information about meow meow addiction, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.
What does meow meow do?
Mephedrone is an incredibly powerful stimulant. It’s often compared by users to other psychoactive drugs, namely, cocaine and MDMA. This, along with how cheap it is (around £10 a gram) made it very popular in the past.
The short-term effects and risks of meow meow
Of course, every psychoactive substance has a direct impact on the functioning of the brain. As well as this, there are physiological and physical changes that occur. Mephedrone is very strong.
The effects and risks include:
- Dilated pupils
- “Gurning” (grinding teeth)
- Heart palpitations
- Increased heart rate
- Increased body temperature
- Fluctuations in blood pressure
- Loss of appetite
- Nose bleeds
- Urge to need to defecate
- Seizures
- Heart attack
- Stroke
The psychoactive effects of meow meow include:
- Feeling alert and energetic
- Feeling confident and chatty
- A sense of euphoria
- Increased sexual arousal
- Feelings of restlessness, anxiety, and paranoia
- Dizzy spells
- Hallucinations
The severe mephedrone “comedown”
A comedown refers to the severe low that comes after the “high” of drug use. It can feel both physical and psychological. This is linked to the depletion of “happy chemicals” in the brain.
Research reports that mephedrone users experience physical aches and pains, negative moods, and fatigue within the two days after taking it.[3]
There are other common side effects included in what’s often felt to be a rapid comedown. Many users keep taking meow meow because the comedown can hit the same night it was being used.
Other effects are:
- Insomnia
- Low mood and feelings of depression
- Anxiety, paranoia, and severe panic attacks
Long-term use of mephedrone
The effects of mephedrone use are even more concerning with long-term use. Due to the extreme highs the substance gives it can be very addictive.
Regular users are likely to experience the following:
- Weight loss
- Poor concentration
- Mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and psychosis
- Damaged nasal passages and skin sores
- Damage to veins where the substance is injected
Does regular meow meow use affect brain functioning?
Using meow meow regularly does, indeed, affect brain functioning. It causes insomnia.
Interestingly, getting good sleep is linked to a healthier memory (humans consolidate learning and memory during sleep) and mephedrone use actually leads to a loss of short term memory.
As with all psychoactive drug use, there’s also the impact the substance has on neural pathways and brain structure.
Using drugs often changes thought patterns and thereafter behaviours. As well as this decision-making becomes impaired. Reduced dopamine and serotonin levels also affects mood.
What are the symptoms of meow meow addiction?
There are lots of symptoms that will clarify whether you have a meow meow addiction.
While many people experiment with it on the party scene, in clubs, and at festivals, it’s also combined with other drugs on the chemsex scene, and for some recreational use can turn to problematic substance abuse.
Symptoms of meow meow addiction include:
- Taking meow meow more often, or taking larger doses. This is because tolerance has built up and you need more to feel an effect
- Thinking about the substance a lot and prioritising it over other things
- Becoming secretive and hiding behaviours linked to using MCat
- “Ticking”, stealing or manipulating to get money to fund your habit
- Participating in risky behaviours when under the influence
- A strain on relationships with people close to you who are worried about your mephedrone use
- Not taking care of usual responsibilities, having a low motivation or desire to do usual healthy activities
- Experiencing withdrawalsymptoms when you stop using the drug
At Rehab Recovery, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it can be to change your relationship with addiction.
For more information about meow meow addiction, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.
Mephedrone withdrawal symptoms
Meow meow addiction leads to intense withdrawal symptoms. These are psychological in nature meaning that people usually feel extremely anxious and low.
This, along with how the substance impacts brain chemistry and hormonal balances means that it’s very common to experience severe cravings.
Fatigue is also very common. This, along with panic attacks, can be incredibly unpleasant for the user.
What to do if someone you love is addicted to meow meow
If someone you love is displaying signs of mephedrone use or addiction it’s important not to ignore this. Being able to begin and maintain an open dialogue with your loved one about their substance use is key.
For the majority of people in recovery, their close relationships are instrumental in their ability to think about recovery and in being successful in navigating it. This is not to say that you’re responsible for, or have any control over, their use.
If someone you love has an MCat addiction, try to maintain communication with them, explain your concerns, and identify and make it clear what your boundaries are around their use and your relationship with them.
Find out about mephedrone, its effects, and how to keep your loved one safe. As well as this, it’s useful to know what local treatment options there are for the moment recovery might get brought up in conversation.
Above all, look after yourself and maintain a healthy level of self-care. It’s easy for enabling and codependent relationships to develop where substance use exists but this isn’t healthy for you or your loved one (this is why boundaries are essential).
At Rehab Recovery, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it can be to change your relationship with addiction.
For more information about meow meow addiction, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.
Mephedrone addiction treatment methods
There are various treatment options for mephedrone addiction. It’s beneficial to know what each of them is. What’s best suited for you will depend on the level of your addiction (i.e. mild, moderate, or severe), what your lifestyle is like, your personality and tastes, general health, budget, mental health, and the level of input you need.
NHS treatment options
In every town throughout the UK, there are NHS drug services. These are held in a centre where you find drug and alcohol workers. It’s a service that serves anyone in the community who has an addiction no matter the severity.
What that means is that some people will go for harm reduction advice and to exchange needles, while another person might go to every group on the weekly time table from SMART recovery sessions through to Preparation For Change groups.
It’s important to note that NHS drug services are stretched and one-to-one therapies aren’t as easy to access as they are in private treatment.
A bit about Narcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous is a 12 Step organisation that offers peer-led groups to people throughout the world who are addicted to narcotics. This basically means “all drugs”.
Groups are held in most towns throughout the UK and in some there can be around three sessions a week in different locations. This is useful for those who want to experience regular sessions and a community approach to addiction and recovery.
Sessions follow the 12 Step format starting with the acknowledgment that you have an addiction. The aim is to find a “higher power” that you can put your faith in as a way of finding meaningful value through healthier ways of living.
At Rehab Recovery, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it can be to change your relationship with addiction.
For more information about meow meow addiction, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.
Therapies, treatments, and activities at a private rehab
At a private clinic, there are various therapies and activities that included on your treatment plan. The reason private clinics are so effective at helping people to become sober is because of the varied approaches that tackle different aspects of the addiction.
It’s important your mental, emotional, and physical health are all considered. Rehab treatments include:
- Motivational interviewing is offered to help you get to the bottom of your drive to recover. This is important especially for people who might feel they’re mainly going to rehab because someone has been pushing them towards it.
- Counselling is a regular occurrence and is especially useful at helping people develop self-confidence and self-awareness. This is key in providing a basis for healing
- Cognitive behavioural therapy is an evidence-based treatment which means it’s proven to effectively treat people to quit substances and to remain sober. Here you learn skills and techniques to manage cravings, triggers, and to develop healthy habits.
- Holistic therapies take place every day and offer a relaxed and positive space where you can grow in the “mind-body” connection. You might try mindfulness, yoga, reiki, art therapy or equine therapy etc
- Family therapy might be offered if your family dynamics are under particular strain and you all need support to develop positive communication
- Group sessions including 12 Step and SMART approaches make up a huge part of your time in rehab. They’re incredibly effective in providing learning and development through peer understanding and support
In relation to physical health, some residents might also be provided with anxiety medication depending on what the in-house doctor deems as suitable.
How to get the help you need for meow meow addiction
If you’re addicted to meow meow, then you’ll want to access treatment services that you’ll respond to. This is in terms of workers, approaches, and, quite simply, what you like.
Throughout the UK there are rehab clinics that specialise in treating mephedrone use as well as addictions to other substances, rehabs specialising in different levels of addiction, and different effects.
On top of this, some clinics provide a detox-heavy approach, whereas others might offer more holistic approaches.
Finding the right place takes a little research. If you want help with this, the Rehab Recovery team can guide you through this. Contact us today for a chat.
At Rehab Recovery, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it can be to change your relationship with addiction.
For more information about meow meow addiction, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.
Meow meow addiction FAQs
Below, we outline some frequently asked questions about Meow-Meow addiction:
What is meow meow?
Meow meow is a psychoactive stimulant drug that affects the central nervous system. It’s in the “cathinone” family of drugs, which are known as the “cousins” to amphetamine drugs (such as MDMA and speed).
Can mephedrone cause anxiety?
Yes, mephedrone use can cause anxiety when under the influence, during the days after use, and during withdrawal. It’s known to cause severe panic attacks as well.
Is there treatment for addiction?
Yes, there is treatment for addiction. An addiction is a brain disease and is usually treated with behavioural therapies, counselling, addiction therapies, and where appropriate medications to support a person to detox and become substance-free.
What happens if addiction is not treated?
If meow meow addiction isn’t treated, the person struggling will experience ongoing mental, emotional, and physical health effects. These become increasingly severe as time goes on. This can result in substance-related illnesses, diseases, and in some cases, death.
At Rehab Recovery, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard it can be to change your relationship with addiction.
For more information about meow meow addiction, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 088 66 86.
References
[2] https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2022/06/08/covid-19-and-brexit-caused-sharp-rise-in-copycat-ecstasy/
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