Addiction to methamphetamine is growing at a rapid rate. Because the drug creates a dependency so quickly, it is often difficult for users to quit their habit without help from drug rehabilitation. Consequently, jail cells in counties across the nation are filling up with addicts.

In response to this troubling trend, many states have adopted alternative sentencing programs for individuals who have multiple arrests for meth-related charges.

For example, one state in the Southeast recently set up a system in which drug offenders are given the option to plead guilty to their charges and enter a two-year program of addiction treatment and counseling, according to the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Program officials told the news source that more constructive efforts were needed to address the overcrowding of prisons with meth addicts. They said that the program has yielded promising results for helping drug addicts recover and end their habits.

Despite efforts like these, meth use continues to spread. During the past decade, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency reports a steady climb in the number of arrests for meth-related charges and in the volume of drugs seized.