- Can Abuse and Addiction to Bath Salts Be Treated?
- Do I Need Addiction Treatment?
- Types of Treatment
- Dual Diagnosis Treatment: What to Expect
- How to Choose the Best Bath Salt Addiction Treatment
What is Bath Salts Addiction?
The term bath salt refers to a group of designer drugs, named for their resemblance to Epsom salts. Though drug formulations vary, bath salts tend to have stimulating effects similar to amphetamines such as cocaine.Because these drugs are new on the scene, formulations vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. This makes the high an unpredictable one and means that every time you try bath salts, you're putting yourself at risk.

Can Abuse and Addiction to Bath Salts Be Treated?
Over time, bath salts change the way your brain and body function, nurturing a dangerous dependence.
Bath salts addiction can turn you into a person you don't even recognize.
Many addicts become violent under the stimulating effects of these powerful drugs; others become so fixated on bath salts that they're willing to do anything, including steal from loved ones, to get another fix. When your mind is altered by these drugs, or when your life has been wrecked, it's tempting to fall into self-loathing, convinced your addiction is your fault.
Therapists are Standing By to Treat Your Depression, Anxiety or Other Mental Health Needs
Over time, bath salts change the way your brain and body function, nurturing a dangerous dependence. Once you become chemically dependent on these drugs, stopping can feel nearly impossible. Because bath salts can cloud your judgment, it's especially hard to have hope when you're high.
But addiction is highly treatable, and treatment can give you the willpower you need to resist the draw of these powerful drugs.
Addiction to bath salts is especially prevalent among teenagers, who often benefit from group treatment in a residential setting. Therapy, medical detox, and 12-step programs can also help you get sober.
Do I Need Addiction Treatment?
Most experts agree that recreational use becomes addiction when addicts become chemically dependent on a drug.
If you feel like you can't function or be normal without bath salts, it's a good sign your body has grown dependent.
Many bath salts addicts also find themselves experiencing intense rage.
Some even become abusive toward people they love.
Some other indications that you have an addiction include:
- Lying to yourself or to others about your reliance on bath salts.
- Relying on bath salts to help you stay awake or alert.
- Suffering health problems, especially cardiovascular issues or changes in weight, because of your use of bath salts.
- Mistreating people you love under the influence of bath salts, or in a quest to gain access to them.
- A prior history of abusing drugs, or of relapsing and abusing bath salts again.
If you feel like sobriety is impossible or feel miserable without bath salts, it's time to get treatment.
Types of Treatment
Dual Diagnosis Treatment: What to Expect

If you have a mental illness alongside your bath salt addiction, the clinical term for this is dual diagnosis. Because bath salts are stimulants, they're especially attractive to people with depression and ADHD, but anyone can develop an addiction.
Mental illness complicates your treatment because quitting bath salts may trigger more symptoms. Additionally, some of the drugs used to treat your condition may be similar to bath salts. For instance, ADHD is commonly treated with stimulant drugs.
Many bath salt users suffer from underlying psychiatric conditions and the symptomatic effects of bath salts may be due to the concurrent psychiatric medications they are taking. Research from case studies has showed that serotonin toxicity may be exacerbated in bath salt users who have an underlying psychiatric condition for which they are currently on a medication. The antidepressant bupropion was effective in treating comorbid depression and bath salts dependence in one case study.
If you have a mental illness, dual diagnosis treatment can help you find healthy ways to manage both your addiction and mental illness--without allowing either to destroy your life. You'll get:
- Comprehensive therapy.
- Help determining whether you need to take medication.
- Medical assistance to manage withdrawal.
- Lots of education about your dual diagnosis.
If you have a mental illness--or think you might--alongside your drug addiction, don't neglect either symptom. Call 1-888-993-3112Who Answers? for more information about comprehensive help for dual diagnosis issues.
How to Choose the Best Bath Salt Addiction Treatment
Just as no two addicts are alike, no rehab facility can help everyone. You need to find a place where:
- Your values are supported.
- Your needs are met.
- You feel safe and comfortable.
Take some time to interview treatment facilities, and be sure to ask the following questions before making a decision:

- What, if any, evidence-based treatments does your facility use?
- Do you have experience with dual diagnoses?
- How long will treatment take?
- How much will treatment cost?
- Do you have statistics available on relapse rates or treatment effectiveness?
- Do you specialize in or have experience with bath salts addiction?
- What specific services does your program offer?
- What steps do you take to help me work toward sobriety as I prepare to leave your program?
There is no shortage of good treatment options when it comes to bath salt addiction, especially since poison control centers field hundreds of calls about this dangerous drug each year.
The key is to do your research, then select a program that feels right for you.
