A qualitative study of methamphetamine users' perspectives on barriers and facilitators of drug abstinence.

To better understand methamphetamine (MA) use patterns and the process of recovery, qualitative interviews were conducted with adult MA users (n = 20), comparing a sample that received substance abuse treatment with those who had not received treatment. Respondents provided detailed information on why and how they changed from use to abstinence and factors they considered to be barriers to abstinence. Audio recordings and transcripts were reviewed for common themes. Participants reported a range of mild/moderate to intensely destructive problems, including loss of important relationships and profound changes to who they felt they were at their core; e.g., "I didn't realize how dark and mean I was … I was like a different person." Initial abstinence was often facilitated by multiple external forces (e.g., drug testing, child custody issues, prison, relocation), but sustained abstinence was attributed to shifts in thinking and salient realizations about using. The treatment group reported using more and different resources to maintain their abstinence than the no-treatment group. Findings indicate individualized interventions and multiple, simultaneous approaches and resources were essential in reaching stable abstinence. Understanding long-term users' experiences with MA use, addiction, and abstinence can inform strategies for engaging and sustaining MA users in treatment and recovery.

Poly-drug and marijuana use among adults who primarily used methamphetamine.

This study examines health and legal problems associated with use of commonly reported substances and combinations of substances in a sample of adults with long histories of methamphetamine (meth) use. Data are from a 2009-11 eight-year follow-up interview in an intensive natural history study (N = 373). Respondents who had not used illicit substances in the year preceding the follow-up interview (38%) were compared to users of marijuana-only (16%), meth-only (7%), and poly-drug users who used meth + marijuana but not heroin or cocaine (19%), and poly-drug users who used heroin and/or cocaine (20%). Multinomial regression results indicate that compared to drug-abstinent individuals, greater depressive symptomatology was reported for poly-drug users of meth + marijuana (p = .001), and arrest rates were higher for poly-drug users who used heroin/cocaine (p = .006); no differences in health, mental health, or criminal involvement were observed for meth-only users compared to abstinent individuals. Users of marijuana-only and poly-drug users of heroin/cocaine experienced poorer physical health status than those who were abstinent. To further explore this finding, use of marijuana for medical reasons was examined by drug use group. Overall, health and criminal outcomes varied based on type and combination of substances used, and these differences should be considered when planning treatment strategies.

Using facebook to maximize follow-up response rates in a longitudinal study of adults who use methamphetamine.

This study examines the process and effects of using facebook (FB) to locate and re-contact study participants targeted for follow up in a longitudinal study of adult methamphetamine users (N = 649). A follow-up interview was conducted in 2009-11 approximately 8 years after previous study participation. Our paper describes re-contact efforts involving FB, including IRB regulatory issues and the effectiveness of using FB compared to mailings and phone calls. A total of 48 of the 551 surviving non-incarcerated participants who agreed to be contacted for follow up studies were contacted via FB, of whom 11 completed the follow-up interview. Those contacted through FB were more likely to be younger, female, relocated out-of-state, and reported somewhat higher rates of anxiety and cognitive problems compared to those not located on FB. Although participants contacted through FB are likely to differ demographically from those contacted by phone or mail, FB provides a potentially effective means to expand conventional methods of correspondence for contacting hard to reach participants.