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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

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

Perceived Need for Addiction Treatment vs. Actual Need

A SAMHSA study showed that of the estimated 21.1 million individuals who need addiction treatment for drugs or alcohol abuse in 2004 did not receive addiction treatment (Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). 94.2% of these individuals felt that they did not need addiction treatment. This is an interesting phenomenon. Is this demonstrative of the power of denial involved with addiction? It seems important to ask how much our society contributes to this denial. How much education have these individuals had on when addiction treatment is necessary? While we value treating medical problems from birth, we are not encouraged to get any sort of mental health “check up” unless major symptoms begin to surface. 3.7% felt they needed addiction treatment but did not make an effort. There could be many reasons for this, but the one that instantly comes to mind is the utter hopelessness and despair that result from addiction, especially in its late stages. Interventions would be most useful in such circumstances. 2.1% of these untreated substance abusers actually made an effort but were not able to receive addiction treatment for a variety of reasons. Almost half of this group named cost and insurance barriers as the block to addiction treatment. A quarter said they had decided they were not ready to stop using. Other major factors cited were the stigma of entering an addiction treatment program, lack of knowledge on where to go for drug addiction treatment, feeling that they could handle the problems in ways other than addiction treatment, lack of time and lack of faith in the addiction treatment process. These result show the reality of how difficult it is to access individuals who could benefit from help. The managed care system continues to discourage the use of mental health benefits through discrimination against those who have been in addiction treatment as well as through the continual decrease in coverage for mental health treatment. This contributes to the stigma around mental health.If you are looking for an addiction treatment program, go to www.lakeviewhealth.com or call the national addiction treatment helpline at 1-800-511-9225.

Tags: addiction, addiction treatment, addiction treatment program, alcohol abuse, drug addiction, health treatment, intervention, interventions, mental health, recovery, substance abuse, symptoms, treatment

Crystal Meth and Gay Men

Treatment Curbs Methamphetamine Abuse Among Gay and Bisexual Men Research Findings
Vol. 20, No. 4 (March 2006)

By Lori Whitten, NIDA NOTES Staff Writer

Behavioral therapy can help gay and bisexual men (GBM) reduce 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.

Tags: Amphetamine, Depression, Drug Abuse, Intervention, Interventions, Methamphetamine, Patient, Relapse, Symptoms, Therapy, Treatment

How effective is drug addiction treatment?

In addition to stopping drug use, the goal of treatment is to return the individual to productive functioning in the family, workplace, and community. Measures of effectiveness typically include levels of criminal behavior, family functioning, employability, and medical condition. Overall, treatment of addiction is as successful as treatment of other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma.
Treatment of addiction is as successful as treatment of other chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma.

According to several studies, drug treatment reduces drug use by 40 to 60 percent and significantly decreases criminal activity during and after treatment. For example, a study of therapeutic community treatment for drug offenders (See Treatment Section) demonstrated that arrests for violent and nonviolent criminal acts were reduced by 40 percent or more. Methadone treatment has been shown to decrease criminal behavior by as much as 50 percent. Research shows that drug addiction treatment reduces the risk of HIV infection and that interventions to prevent HIV are much less costly than treating HIV-related illnesses. Treatment can improve the prospects for employment, with gains of up to 40 percent after treatment.

Tags: Addiction, Addiction Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Addiction Treatment, Drug Treatment, Intervention, Interventions, Methadone, Methadone Treatment, Patient, Treatment