Any form of substance abuse treatment can help gay men reduce meth use

New research suggests that any form of substance abuse treatment can help gay men battling meth addiction.

According to a press release from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), recent studies have shown that gay men “are disproportionately more likely than the general population to use methamphetamine.”

Related:

Two common medications may treat meth addiction effectively when used together

Attempts to use existing meds meant to decrease cravings have not been successful, but after researchers combined two of the drugs into one effective treatment, they say they’ve made “significant” progress.

But a new study published last month by the Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment looked specifically at the impact of substance use treatment on the frequency of meth use among men who have sex with men and found that it works regardless of whether the treatment is specifically for meth addiction.

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Lead researcher Allison D. Rosen, an epidemiologist at UCLA, and her team tracked outcomes for 285 cisgender men in Los Angeles. They found that of the participants who reported using meth frequently, 65 percent of those who received any form of substance abuse treatment reduced their meth use, compared to 33 percent who did not receive treatment. Participants receiving any form of treatment also reported longer periods of abstinence from using meth.

In a press release, Rosen said that the study “speaks to the fact that even though treatment options for methamphetamine are limited, it’s important to be able to try and increase access to treatment for people and increase treatment options.”

Rosen added that “treatment of some kind seems to work. We can’t really say what the mechanism is, but maybe just being connected to the treatment system is valuable in itself.”

“These findings are groundbreaking in showing that people reduce their frequency of methamphetamine use following substance use treatment,” said Steven Shoptaw, with the David Geffen School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine. “The health benefits to reducing methamphetamine use include lowering risks for drug-related physical adverse effects and improving odds for better social, economic, and mental health status. These data provide strong evidence supporting the significance of outcomes to substance use treatment beyond requirements for complete abstinence.”

Rosen also noted that the study is unique in that researchers tracked meth use in the real world over nearly a decade, between 2014 and 2022. “What’s really important here is that we’re providing some evidence outside of the very controlled clinical trial setting that substance use treatment may be able to help folks reduce their methamphetamine use,” she said.