Angel Dust: Effects, Risks, and How to Find Help

If you or a loved one is struggling with angel dust, or PCP, you don’t have to struggle alone. This powerful drug can feel like it’s taken over your life, but there is hope. At We Level Up Washington, we’ll take you through what angel dust is, how it impacts your body and mind, and what you can do to heal from drug abuse.

What Is Angel Dust?

Angel dust, or phencyclidine (PCP), is a dissociative white crystalline powder that disconnects you from reality. It was developed in the 1950s as a surgical anesthetic, but doctors stopped using it when patients showed side effects like hallucinations and violence.

Some people now use it recreationally, pursuing its mind-altering high without knowing the destruction and psychological effects that it can bring.

Angle dust is white powder or embalming fluid with a bitter taste. It comes in capsules, tablets, or even colored powders. It is snorted, swallowed, injected, or smoked, and is commonly mixed with marijuana or tobacco.

Street names such as “rocket fuel” or “supergrass” reflect unpredictability about what may happen after taking it. Knowledge of what angel dust is can help you identify its dangers and get help if it is taking over your life.

How Does the Angel Dust Drug Work?

When angel dust is in your body, it affects your brain signals. It interferes with neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which control your thoughts and senses. A small amount is all it takes to make you feel as though you are floating outside of your body.

Depending on the amount you take and how you take it, the effects of PCP will last 4 to 6 hours, and you will be left confused and disoriented.

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The Effects of Angel Dust: What You Might Feel

The angel dust drug also has a strange spectrum of effects, ranging from tranquility to intense fear. That all depends on your dosage and your body’s chemistry. Here’s an overview of what can happen.

Low to Moderate Doses

• Numbness spreads to your toes or fingers.
• Your speech is slurred, and your movements become clumsy.
• Your eyes jerk involuntarily or lock into an empty stare due to loss of coordination.
• Sounds, lights, or textures warp into something unreal.
• Paranoia or anxiety sets in, whispering that danger is near.

High Doses

• Your blood pressure and breathing slow to a crawl.
• Nausea strikes, or you drool uncontrollably.
• Balance vanishes, leaving you dizzy and unsteady.
• Hallucinations twist your reality into nightmares.
• Aggression flares, or you become violent.
• Seizures, coma, or death can be very real possibilities.

These experiences can frighten you and put everybody around you in danger. A negative trip on PCP angel dust could trigger panic or irresponsible decisions.

If any of this resonates, your body is crying out for help. You don’t have to go through it by yourself.

Why Angel Dust Is a Growing Problem

Angel dust is a public health crisis in specific communities. Washington, DC, is one such community whose popularity has increased in leaps and bounds. Statistics from the Arrestee Substance Abuse Monitoring Program indicate that nearly 12% of men arrested there test positive for PCP, significantly more than less than 1% in other urban centers. Emergency room visits due to angel dust skyrocketed over 400% between 2005 and 2011, according to the Drug Abuse Warning Network.

This rise is usually followed by violence. In Washington, DC, arrest rates for violent crimes, for murder or assault of PCP users, have risen 45% over the past decade. The cause of this epidemic is not well understood, but the harm is. Wherever you are, seeing this trend supports the need to stop angel dust use.

Recognizing Angel Dust Addiction

Angel dust is an addictive drug that gets you hooked quickly. What started as experimenting with a drug can easily turn into a habit as your tolerance builds. You require more to achieve the same high, and before you know it, quitting feels totally impossible. But addiction is not about willpower; it is a disease that can be treated with the right kind of help.

Signs to Watch For

Be on the lookout for these signs in yourself or your loved one.

• Mood swings hit with force, or anxiety lingers.
• Memory loss and confusion envelope your thoughts.
• Work, school, or family obligations fall through.
• Time and money vanish while constantly pursuing PCP.
• Friends fall away, or you distance yourself from family.
• Your heart rhythm is abnormal, or your pressure drops.
• Flashbacks haunt you, reliving previous journeys.

Long-term use causes deeper scars. Depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia-like psychosis may move in.

Your body may become weakened, with muscle damage or seizures adding to the damage. If you recognize these symptoms, don’t delay. Recovery is within your grasp, and you are worthy of it.

PCP Angel Dust Intoxication Diagnosis

Suspecting angel dust is the cause of someone’s behavior? Physicians can determine that, but it requires attention. PCP intoxication appears as other conditions, like schizophrenia or a cocaine high, so they rely on symptoms and labs to pinpoint it.

A urine drug screen is standard, picking up PCP 2 to 4 days since use, or longer if you are a long-term user. Hallucinations, agitation, or confused thinking typically lead to the test. Early identification stops harm and is the route to recovery.

Treating Angel Dust Intoxication

If angel dust has you or someone you know in its grip, immediately seek medical help. Treatment starts with stabilizing your temperature, pulse, and breathing. If you’re agitated or confused in psychosis, doctors will give you sedating medications such as benzodiazepines.

For physical symptoms, such as low blood sugar, they administer dextrose or thiamine. Now and then, they must restrain or sedate you to keep you from injuring yourself. The focus is on riding out the storm of the drug until it subsides.

Long-Term Care for Angel Dust Addiction

Overcoming angel dust addiction is more than one rough night of detox. It’s about understanding why you use it and building a life without it. At We Level Up Washington, we provide treatment that heals addiction and the underlying mental illness that often comes with it, such as depression or anxiety.

What We Offer

• One-on-One Therapy: Unpack your triggers with a therapist who knows you.
• Group Support: Share with others who have been through it.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Change the thoughts that are controlling your use.
• Holistic Healing: Address the root cause for comprehensive healing.
• Aftercare Plans: Stay strong with a plan for life after treatment.

We offer in-house detoxification. Our goal? Your lasting freedom from angel dust.

Why We Level Up Washington Helps You Succeed

We see lives changed for good at We Level Up Washington in Spokane Valley by angel dust. We integrate mental health and addiction treatment in a relaxed setting. We welcome you where you are, without judgment.

Our specialists use proven methods to help you regain your life. Struggling with addiction, mental health, or both? We’re here to help.

To schedule a confidential consultation or receive a complimentary mental health check-in, please call (509) 348-4077. That first step starts it all.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Angel Dust Treatment

Summary

Call today to speak with our team and learn more about our programs. We Level Up Washington: (509) 348-4077. Your next step starts here.