Last Drug News, Drug Articles, Information About Drugs..

Addiction Treatment Curbs Crystal Methamphetamine Abuse Among Gay and Bisexual Men

Addiction Treatment Curbs Crystal Methamphetamine Abuse Among Gay and Bisexual Men

Behavioral therapy can help gay and bisexual men (GBM) reduce crystal methamphetamine abuse and risky sexual behaviors and sustain these gains for 1 year, NIDA-funded researchers report. By the end of a 16-week trial of four different behavioral therapies, study participants’ stimulant-positive urine samples fell 31 percent, and their number of past-month sexual partners fell more than 50 percent—outcomes that regressed little at the followup visits. Symptoms of depression also improved.

Dr. Steven Shoptaw and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles and the Friends Research Institute recruited 263 crystal methamphetamine-addicted Gay and Bisexual Men throughout Los Angeles County, particularly in Hollywood, where HIV prevalence is especially high. Of these, 162 completed the requirements for entering the addiction treatment phase of the study, which were to attend six assessments and participate in at least two of four group sessions on abstinence skills during a 2-week “baseline period.” Men who met the requirements reported less severity and shorter duration of methamphetamine abuse than those who did not, despite having abused methamphetamine for 5 years and having spent $293 on the drug in the past month, on average. Half had engaged in unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) with someone other than their primary partner in the past month, and 84 percent of these men linked the behavior to methamphetamine abuse. Most participants (73 percent) reported symptoms of depression, with about 30 percent describing these as moderate to severe.

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, alcohol detox, amphetamine, behavioral treatment, crystal meth, crystal methamphetamine, depression, detox, detox program, drug abuse, drug rehab, inpatient drug rehab, intervention, interventions, meth addiction, methamphetamine, patient, recovery, rehab, relapse, symptoms, therapy, treatment

New Jersey Drug Problems

There are approximately 40,000 drug rehab and addiction treatment center admissions in New Jersey each year, however, due to the high relapse rate of many traditional drug rehab programs most families are searching for something that works.

The Solution

Drug rehab and alcohol rehab that addresses the individual through a holistic approach is the most successful method. Our philosophy is to refer you to the best possible drug rehab center that can help handle the problem for good. We will refer you to drug rehab and alcohol rehab programs that will meet each person’s individual needs.

New Jersey Drug Situation

Cocaine is considered a significant drug threat to New Jersey. Powder cocaine is readily available throughout the State and crack cocaine is available in urban population areas. Cocaine is the drug most often associated with violent crime in the State. Cocaine is generally sold in ounce and pound quantities in New Jersey. Crack use is declining but remains available in the larger metropolitan areas of New Jersey.

Club drugs, which are mostly synthetic substances, are increasing in availability and use in New Jersey. LSD in liquid form is readily available in the metropolitan areas of New Jersey. During 2001, 34% of those surveyed in New Jersey reported lifetime usage of MDMA. 4.5% of those surveyed reported usage of MDMA within the past 30 days. The average user age was 17.3, and the average age of first time use was 15.9 years.

Heroin - The most common types of heroin available in New Jersey are Mexican black tar heroin and brown powdered heroin. New heroin users in New Jersey are often young adults who smoke or snort the drug rather than inject it. This is due to a misconception that this practice is safer and less likely to lead to addiction.

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, alcohol rehab, alcohol rehab program, amphetamine, club drugs, crack cocaine, crystal meth, crystal methamphetamine, drug rehab, drug rehab center, drug rehab program, drug rehab programs, mdma, methamphetamine, oxycodone, recovery, rehab, rehab center, rehab programs, relapse, treatment, vicodin

New Jersey’s Drug Addiction Issues

New Jersey contains both an international airport and major commercial shipping centers. Consequently, the state presents an attractive transportation hub for drug organizations, as well as a major challenge for law enforcement entities combating this illicit activity. While Colombian and Dominican drug organizations predominantly control heroin and cocaine trafficking, recent intelligence indicates that Mexican traffickers from the West Coast are now moving cocaine shipments into the New Jersey and New York areas. There continues to be a significant drug abuse problem in New Jersey. In urban areas such as Newark, Elizabeth, Trenton, and Camden, widespread crack cocaine and heroin use continue. Drug rehab and addiction treatment programs have sprung up to treat the drug addiction problems throughout New Jersey.

New Jersey Heroin Addiction: Since the terrorist attacks in New York City on September 11, there has been an increase in the availability of heroin in New Jersey. This has been primarily attributed to the increased law enforcement presence in New York. Narcotics officers have reported large amounts of narcotics are being rerouted to New Jersey before distribution in New York. County narcotics task force commanders have reported an increase in heroin related deaths. Intelligence indicates drug traffickers may be shipping narcotics in cargo containers to the port in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Heroin distributors are also reportedly utilizing two way pagers with text messaging to communicate with each other. Heroin Addiction is a treatable illness in an addiction treatment program or drug rehab. If you need help,let us help you locate an addiction treatment program in the New Jersey area.

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, addiction treatment program, addiction treatment programs, amphetamine, centers, crack cocaine, crystal meth, crystal methamphetamine, drug abuse, drug addiction, drug rehab, heroin addiction, meth addiction, methamphetamine, recovery, rehab, treatment

Young Gays Are More Likely To Take Drugs

New York City) Two new studies suggest that the use of so-called party drugs is more prevalent among young gay men than their straight counterparts.

The first study was of 3,492 men aged between 15 and 22 who had sex with other men. It found that almost one in three used substances such as crystal meth, ecstasy, marijuana or cocaine at least once a week. A further two-thirds had used drugs during the previous six months.

The lifetime use of cocaine among gay men was nearly double the level among heterosexuals.

“Effective gay drug addiction prevention and gay drug rehab programs … are urgently needed for young men who have sex with men, a population with a high rate of illicit drug use,” the report concludes.

The results of the four year study appear in the American Journal of Public Health.

The second study was done in the UK and examined the mental health and social well being of more than 2,200 gay men, lesbians, heterosexuals and bisexuals in England and Wales.

The report, published in Mind, said: “Levels of substance-use disorders were higher among gay men and lesbians, who were more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to have used recreational drugs.”

The research backs up suspicions that LGBT healthcare workers have had for a number of years. Previous research studies have shown a link between the use of party drugs and unsafe sex (story).

Tags: addiction, addiction prevention, crystal meth, drug addiction, drug rehab, gay drug rehab, gay rehab, lgbt, mental health, recovery, recreation, rehab

Gay Men and Crystal Meth Addiction

In the summer of 2006, the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) undertook a project to investigate the causes and extent of crystal meth-amphetamine use among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), options for treating crystal methamphetamine addiction, and how best to get crystal meth-amphetamine-dependent gay men into appropriate addiction treatment, as well as to explore other issues and controversies associated with these issues.

Project staff analyzed available scientific literature on crystal meth-amphetamine use by gay men and conducted focus groups in five cities in which crystal meth-amphetamine use among gay men is thought to be widespread. The focus groups were made up of addiction  treatment providers experienced in treating gay men for methamphetamine dependence, clinical researchers, and health policy experts who have studied crystal meth-amphetamine use.

Purpose of Addiction Treatment Study

The purpose of the study was to provide guidance to healthcare providers, medical and public health institutions, and policymakers about how best to respond to the issue, and, more generally, to comment on media and general societal responses. This included clarifying understanding of the problem of crystal meth-amphetamine - both the magnitude of the problem and how it manifests itself in the gay community - as well as prevention tactics, addiction treatment strategies, and general cultural attitudes about crystal meth-amphetamine.

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, amphetamine, crystal meth, gay rehab, methamphetamine, rehab, treatment

Gay Addiction Treatment, HIV and Crystal Meth

Health experts and policymakers are searching for ways to release crystal meth’s stranglehold on Long Beach and urban and rural communities across the map.Some say the solution requires more collaboration among addiction treatment providers of substance abuse and HIV prevention. Some contend it lies in addiction treatment designed specifically to serve gay men.

One of the first legislative targets: expanding a California law that prohibits any retailer from selling a customer more than three packages of products, like many common cold medicines, containing pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient in crystal meth.

The bill, which cleared the Senate judiciary committee July 28, would put cold pills containing pseudoephedrine behind the pharmacy counter and restrict the amount a person can buy to 7.5 grams a month.

Various health agencies in Long Beach have programs to tackle crystal meth addiction and its link to HIV and other STDs. The Comprehensive AIDS Resource Education (CARE) program at St. Mary Medical Center and the Gay and Lesbian Center have gay addiction treatment counseling services for addicts.

Merrill L. Irving, director of addiction treatment programs at the Long Beach Gay and Lesbian Center, has teamed up with city activist John Kirby and HIV specialist Todd Stevens to design a task force that he hopes will do just that. The group would address the problem of gay crystal meth addiction in Long Beach’s gay community.

“I know the statistics and know how closely tied (crystal meth) is to HIV and the gay community” Irving said. “There’s a gap within our own programs.

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, addiction treatment center, addiction treatment program, addiction treatment programs, alcohol rehab, alcohol treatment, counseling, crystal meth, drug addiction, drug rehab, drug rehab program, drug rehab programs, gay addiction treatment, gay rehab, intervention, interventions, mental health, meth addiction, recovery, rehab, rehab programs, substance abuse, treatment, treatment center

Miracles Happen In Drug Rehab

Sometimes it is so easy to be negative. When talking about alcohol rehab and drug rehab programs it gets easy to slip into discussions about the “odds” of success. The best ways to prevent relapse. What to do when relapse occurs. Crystal Meth came onto a already crowded drug and alcohol scene and made it worse. The emotional and financial cost or drug addiction and alcohol addiction are staggering. Dealing with the cost of drug rehab and how to finance it, are daily struggles for the people working in this field.

Tags: addiction, alcohol addiction, alcohol rehab, alcohol rehab program, crystal meth, drug addiction, drug rehab, drug rehab program, drug rehab programs, rehab, rehab programs, relapse

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Crystal Meth Addiction

Crystal Meth Addiction Still A Problem For Gay And Bisexual Men: Gay and Lesbian Medical Association Responds to Press Reports Downplaying Prevalence of Meth Use

SAN FRANCISCO (June 23, 2006)– The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) today expressed concern over recent media coverage of a study which downplays the extent of crystal methamphetamine use in the U.S.

A widely published June 14 Associated Press article reported on a recent study which found that 0.2% of Americans are regular users of crystal meth. The study, “The Next Big Thing? Crystal Meth amphetamine in the United States,” was carried out by the Washington, DC-based Sentencing Project. Neither the study nor media coverage about it addressed crystal- meth- amphetamine abuse by gay and bisexual men.

Tags: addiction, alcohol rehab, amphetamine, centers, crystal meth, crystal methamphetamine, drug rehab, meth addiction, methamphetamine, recovery, rehab

Drug Rehab; A Catch all Phrase

Drug rehab, or rehab is “industry slang” for drug rehabilitation. It is the “catch-all” term used for any treatment of chemical dependency, including alcoholism, cocaine, heroin, “manufactured” drugs, such as methamphetamine (also referred to crystal meth or meth), MDMA (Ecstasy), and prescription pills.

Rehab may also be used for treatment of nicotine addiction (smoking). A drug rehab center is the facility where groups of people are treated for chemical dependency or substance abuse.

Most drug rehabs attempt to treat not only physical substance dependency, but also include addiction treatment, or drug rehab, for psychological substance dependency.

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, alcohol rehab, alcoholism, amphetamine, chemical dependency, crystal meth, detox, drug rehab, drug rehab center, drug rehab program, drug rehab programs, drug rehabilitation, drug rehabs, dual diagnosis, gay drug rehab, mdma, methamphetamine, patient, recovery, rehab, rehab center, rehab programs, rehabs, sober living, substance abuse, treatment

Crystal Meth and Brain Chemistry

What are the short-term impacts of crystal meth on brain chemistry? Each time you get high, crystal floods your brain with serotonin, (your happy “mood” chemical) and dopamine (your “pleasure” chemical). But once the crystal wears off, your serotonin and dopamine levels drop, often below their normal levels. This is why you feel so lousy, and often depressed, during your crash. Given enough time between highs, most brains will “restock” their normal chemical levels naturally. But if you get high again, these levels will surge back up and crash again.

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, addiction treatment program, crystal meth, drug rehab, rehab, treatment