LGBT Drug Treatment Blog

Substance Abuse: What It Is and How to Quit

Why do people use alcohol and other drugs? Basically, people use substances such as alcohol and other drugs because they like the way these substances make them feel. Pleasure is a powerful force. Your brain is wired in such a way that if you do something that gives you pleasure you will probably want to do it again. All drugs that are addicting can activate and affect the brain’s pleasure circuit.

What is drug addiction?
Addiction is a disease that affects your brain and your behavior. When you become addicted to alcohol or other drugs, your brain actually changes in certain ways. Someone who is addicted uses drugs without thinking of the consequences, such as problems with health, money, relationships and performance at work or at school.

What drugs can cause drug addiction?
People can become addicted to illegal drugs and to drugs that doctors prescribe. People can also become addicted to things they may not think of as drugs, such as alcohol and the nicotine in cigarettes or smokeless tobacco.

Are prescription drugs safe?
When prescription drugs are taken the right way, there is much less chance that you will become addicted to them. But prescription drugs can be dangerous if they are abused (for example, taking too much, taking them when they’re not needed or mixing drugs).

How do I know if I have a problem?
You have a problem with drugs or alcohol if you continue to use them even when they cause problems with your health, money, work or school, or with your relationships. You may have a problem if you have developed a tolerance to drugs or alcohol. This means you need to use more and more to get the same effect.

Can drug addiction be treated?
Yes, but addiction is a chronic (going on for a long time), relapsing disease. It may take a number of attempts before you can remain free of drugs or alcohol.

What substance abuse treatment is available?
Substance abuse treatment can include counseling, medication or both. Your doctor will help you find the treatment that is right for you.

How can I quit abusing drugs or alcohol?
The first step in breaking addiction is to understand that you can take control of what you do. You can’t control all the things that happen in your life or most of what other people do, but you do have control over how you react. So use that control. The following are the next steps to breaking your addiction:
Commit to quitting. Once you decide to quit, make a plan to be sure that you really do it.
Get help from your doctor. Your doctor can give you support and help you find a drug treatment program that meets your needs. Your doctor can also treat withdrawal symptoms and other problems that you may have as you recover from your addiction.
Get support. Ask your family and friends for support. You can also contact one of the organizations listed in the column on the right. These groups can give you the tools and support you need to break your addiction and move on with your life.

George Kolodner, a board-certified addiction psychiatrist, said his clinic saw an increase in crystal meth addiction beginning about two years ago, but the trend has not accelerated since then. He said crystal meth users are the most difficult patients to treat because there is no medication to prevent craving or treat the protracted post-use symptoms, such as dysphoria, or depressed mood. “‘With other substances,’ said Kolodner, ‘we can help people get off and keep off by decreasing their cravings. With crystal meth and cocaine, we don’t have that.’”

What are the differences in how crystal meth affects the body from cocaine, and, from a medical perspective, is it more damaging than cocaine?

George Kolodner: Crystal Meth and cocaine affect the body in very similar ways. in lab studies, people can not usually tell the difference. except that the effect of meth usually lasts longer than does cocaine. Medical effects and legal consequences are very separate issues.

What factors besides sexual orientation, such as harsh religious upbringing or social isolation, might factor into an individual’s vulnerability to crystal meth abuse? Does sexual orientation alone cause increased risk?

George Kolodner: Genetics has been documented as a significant factor contributing to vulnerability to alcohol and nicotine dependence. I am not aware of specific studies looking at the genetics of stimulant addiction, but I expect that this is the case and will probably be documented in the future. I do not think that sexual orientation has been documented as a factor contributing to vulnerability.

My sister has become addicted to meth. It’s a difficult situation, as she has a schizoaffective disorder as well as substance addiction. There really isn’t a lot to do if she doesn’t want to be treated; involuntary commitment is merely a very temporary palliative. We’ve had her parental rights terminated and have tried so hard to get addiction treatment for her.
How can people in rural areas advocate for a public-health response to the growth of meth use in our communities? It just seems that each family is on its own.

George Kolodner: Some national organizations exist that may provide some assistance. I would suggest that you contact Partnership for a Drug Free America and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Do you provide addiction treatment differently for Meth than you would for other drugs? How addictive of a substance is it, and compared with other illegal drugs? How difficult is it for someone to get clean once they’re on Meth?

George Kolodner: Like most other drug treatment programs, we treat all of the drugs similarly. The only difference with crystal meth is that there are currently no medications to assist us, as there are with alcohol, opioids, and nicotine.

Meth is highly “addictive” in that it is very reinforcing — once someone starts to use it, they tend to keep using it until it is gone, especially because it keeps people awake rather than puts them to sleep. On the other hand, there is no significant physical withdrawal syndrome when one stops so that medical detoxification is not necessary.

Right now, it is one of the most difficult substances from which to get clean. We are all looking for ways to improve our success and hoping for new medications to help us in this pursuit.

Aftercare in a Drug Treatment Program

Once a person has gone through all the stages of the drug treatment program in substance abuse treatment and is ready to transition back to the ‘real world’, aftercare is like a kind of insurance on newfound sobriety. Before a person leaves either an inpatient addiction treatment program or an outpatient addiction treatment program, the counselor will most likely encourage him/her to set recovery and life goals. By creating this type of plan this newly sober person will have continued motivation and points on which they must focus during their transition. Planning for aftercare will also involve a renewed interest in relapse prevention and what to do in situations when a person wants to use or drink again.

In many cases patients have had ‘home visits’ or ‘passes’ during substance abuse treatment on which they would have attended 12-step meetings or sought out other forms of support. Drug treatment programs often suggest that patients get phone numbers of other sober people so that when they feel like drinking or using they have people who they can contact. While in drug addiction treatment, the individual’s counselor will usually suggest writing an aftercare plan consisting of a sober plan of action and goals for early sobriety. The plan will also address triggers for using such as going to bars or places where old friends hang out, and it will also have reminders as to what activities are centering or helpful to remain serene within a chaotic environment.

Drug Addiction Rehab

A well thought out aftercare plan is essential for initial success after a drug treatment program or drug addiction rehab. A newly sober person is at a great advantage when he/she understands the risks and problems involved in recovery. Drug addiction rehab counselors and other staff members work closely with each patient to make sure that the best aftercare plan is created. Drug treatment program counselors often draw from their own experiences and also suggest that patients ask people who have already left drug addiction rehab and are continuing a sober lifestyle how they achieved their goals. A drug addiction rehab is dedicated to providing quality care both during and after substance abuse treatment and maintains contact with many patients after their stay is completed.

Drug Treatment Programs

It’s likely that most people who abuse drugs, and are looking into finding a drug treatment program or drug rehabs, have heard of the twelve step program or other traditional methods of drug treatment. But many people who have tried these drug treatment programs will probably say that they don’t feel like these drug treatment works.

Ultimately, the final goal for drug addiction treatment is to allow a drug abuser to attain a lifelong ability to avoid drugs, but the pressing and immediate goals of any successful drug treatment is to taper off any drug abuse, develop and restore the drug abuser’s skill and ability to live and function without the use of drugs, and minimize any and all medically and socially related complications that may arise through ending the use of drugs and throughout the withdrawal process. Similar to those people who have diabetes or heart disease, people who have a drug addiction and are in drug treatment will need to adapt their behavior and lifestyle back to the way things used to be when they were living a much healthier lifestyle. If drug abuse has been a lifelong behavior, then drug treatment should aid them in becoming a productive and positive citizen, and give them the tools necessary to live in world that is not based on drug use, and socially unacceptable behavior.

In 2004, approximately 22.5 million Americans aged 12 or older needed treatment for substance (alcohol or illicit drug) abuse and addiction. Of these, only 3.8 million people were able to receive the drug treatment they needed. (Statistic from NSDUH 2004)

For those who have tried several different drug treatment programs, there is good news. Many researchers have come up with new alternative methods of drug treatment that have a much higher success rate. Many of the newer drug treatment centers have counselors who themselves were drug abusers. Most believe that when learning to live life without drugs, talking to someone who knows the life of a drug abuser is much easier to talk to than someone who just thinks they know. It’s hard to trust the advice of someone who can only claim to know what it’s like to be addicted to drugs.

The basis for effective drug treatment programs has been scientifically researched since the 1970s. This research has shown that drug treatment centers are aids for many people in helping them achieve change when it comes to their destructive behaviors, avoiding future relapses, and successfully allowing drug abusers to permanently remove themselves from the life they currently know that is filled with substance abuse and drug addiction. Drug treatment teaches recovery and though can end well for drug abusers, it is a long-term process. Drug treatment commonly requires numerous phases of treatment. Based on the scientific research that has been done on the effectiveness of drug treatment in drug abusers, key values have been pin-pointed that usually make up the foundation for any successful drug treatment program.

Essentials for a Quality Drug Treatment Center:
• No one drug treatment center is correct for all and every drug abuser
• A drug treatment center needs to be readily accessible
• Effective drug treatment centers pertains to several needs of the individual drug abuser, not just the drug addiction itself
• An individual’s drug treatment and attack plan must be reevaluated often and customized to meet the individual drug abuser’s ever-changing needs throughout the drug treatment and rehabilitation
• Remaining in a drug treatment program for a sufficient length of time is critical for lasting and effective drug treatment and rehabilitation
• Counseling and other behavioral therapies are significant parts of practically all successful drug treatments attacking addiction
• For some drug abusers with particular addiction, medications are sometimes needed, and are an important aspect of drug treatment, especially when the medication is in combination with counseling and other behavioral therapies
• People who have addictions or are abusing drugs and have previously existing mental disorders as well should have both disorders treated in an incorporated way. This is dual diagnosis treatment.
• While going through the withdrawal stage of drug treatment, medical supervision of the withdrawals I very important, as drug treatment is not as effective in eliminating long-term drug use when used alone
• Drug treatment does not need to be entered voluntarily to be effective in its outcome
• If there is a possibility of continuing drug use during treatment, it must be constantly monitored
• Drug treatment programs should offer health assessment for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases, and should coincide with counseling to help patients alter or adjust their behaviors that allowed themselves to put them, or others, at risk of infection
• Similar to other chronic or relapsing diseases, the recovery from drug addiction will usually be a long-term process, and in general requires multiple phases of drug treatment and continued care
Finding a drug treatment center with drug treatment that would cater to your specific needs is a process that may take some time. Often, it is someone close to the drug abuser who is the one looking into drug rehab centers and their drug treatments. Knowing which drug the individual is abusing is an important factor in which kind of treatment will be most effective.

Drug detoxification is only the first step in getting clean and sober. Learning how to reenter into the world as a contributing citizen is another important aspect that drug treatment centers are trying to incorporate into their drug programs. Most drug abusers live day to day with their lives revolving around lies and other dishonesties in order to satisfy their need for drugs. Learning that there is a more productive way to live to life is important in the recovery of drug abusers, and a greater possibility of life-long soberness.

Knowing yourself and what you feel you need to be clean and sober is also so important when beginning drug treatment. No one knows you like you do, and it’s important that you are ready to leave the life of a drug abuser. A drug treatment center can help you so much; you have to be ready and willing to do the rest. Accepting help from a drug treatment center may not be easy, but after time, most likely you will feel much happier with yourself as a productive part of your community.

Some users who have sex while high on crystal can stay active for hours. Others experience the inability to get erect. Often, men will use crystal in combination with Viagra to get or keep an erection. This can potentially raise your blood-pressure to dangerously high levels which can take you steps closer to an overdose or give you a really long lasting erection that can permanently damage the muscles and tendons in your penis.
The inability to get an erection can often lead someone who usually tops to bottoming. And in whichever position, some guys report dispensing with using a condom from the start. Remember: unprotected anal sex is the leading cause of HIV transmission.
If you are HIV positive• If you are HIV positive, you should know that Crystal speeds up the rate of HIV replication.
• Crystal reduces the effectiveness of HIV meds (HAART).
• Some protease inhibitors like Amprenavir (Agenerase) increase the amount of amphetamine in your blood stream, putting you at risk for an overdose.
• The lifestyle connected to crystal meth use can exhaust your immune system and affect your ability to take medications as prescribed.
• Using crystal meth may affect your decisions. You may decide not to use condoms. If you have sex without a condom, you are likely to transmit the virus to your partner(s).
• These findings make it even more important for you to take better care of yourself and to reconsider your use of crystal.
If you are HIV negative:• Research has connected the rise of HIV infection rates amongst gay men to crystal use
• Crystal meth is known to impair judgment and can lead to unsafe sex… and HIV.
• Crystal meth is known to reduce inhibitions allowing men to engage in rough sex, or bottom.
• Crystal meth can complicate your decisions on condom use
• These findings make it even more important for you to take better care of yourself and to reconsider your use of crystal
Safer Sex Tips• Stay mindful of your sexual limits. Identify ways to ensure you use a condom.
• Tops need condoms too. Protect yourself. Topping without a condom still holds significant risk for HIV transmission.
• Remember to reapply lube frequently to prevent the condom from drying out and to prevent the lining of your rectum from tearing, both of which increase the risk of HIV transmission.
• Condoms wear out. Change the condom during extended sessions.
• Lube keeps condoms from breaking.
• Discuss your HIV status with your sex partners.
Health Concerns to Remember
• Crystal is highly addictive. Use may change from snorting to smoking or slamming — or from using socially to using alone.
• Binging postpones the end of the party but will make the crash worse.
• Tolerance develops quickly. You will need more and more crystal to get high.
• Crystal meth addiction will decrease your desire for food.
• Crystal meth addiction will impact your perceived need for sleep.
• Crystal meth adiction can cause exhaustion and dehydration.
• Crystal meth addiction can lead to depression and cause temporary psychosis.
• Agitation and anxiety are common when using crystal.
• Crystal meth adddiction treatment is available in drug rehabs everywhere

Meth and the Gay Community
According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, crystal methamphetamine-related emergency room visits between 1991 and 1994 increased by 258 percent, from 4,900 to 17,400. Meth-related deaths in several cities nearly tripled, from 151 to 433. Most of these deaths were in combination with at least one other drug, most often alcohol. (30 percent), heroin (23 percent), or cocaine (21 percent). Three cities- Los Angeles (134), San Diego (115), and Phoenix (76) accounted for 325 of the reported fatalities, and crystal meth use remains most prevalent in the west. But the survey also documents an eastward movement. Atlanta, Minneapolis Paul, St Louis, and Washington DC, all had more then a 50 percent increase in emergency room cases. In New York City the increase was 31.3 percent, while Denver cases jumped by 160 percent.

Meth, or ’speed,’ is swallowed in pill form, snorted as powder, or smoked (’ice,’ ‘crystal,’ ‘glass’), and is increasingly the drug-of-choice for all injecting drug users. The government reports growing popularity at raves (all night dance parties). In the Rocky Mountain Region, public health officials note that Meth is making a comeback among white, middle-class residents, with women’s use on the rise, and the average user’s age as 30.5 years. For lesbians/gays/bisexuals there’s more to the story.

In the West, some lesbian/gay substance abuse program staff call methamphetamine the gay man’s second drug of choice, and see it gaining popularity with lesbians. In his 1995 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) monograph article, Michael Gorman, Ph.D., of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute at the University of Washington, cited a report from San Francisco’s Operation Concern that ’speed’ has replaced alcohol as the most common drug mentioned by addiction treatment-seeking gay/bisexual men. And NIDA’s Three Community Study of Methamphetamine Use (Morgan 1993,1994) found that injection is the primary mode for over half of gay/bisexual respondents, compared to 33 percent in the overall sample. Jay Paul, Ph.D., and Ron Stall, Ph.D., at the University of California, San Francisco, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, assessed the effectiveness of San Francisco’s lesbian/gay substance abuse treatment program, 18th Street Services, and found that among male clients who had injected meth, 65 percent were HIV-positive upon entering the program.

Much of meth’s attraction to gays is its initial aphrodisiac effects. Gay men in both abstinence-model and harm-reduction programs who have injected the drug describe almost non-stop sex marathons lasting from 12-16 hours to as long as 3 to 4 days. But those seeking help to break free of meth also confirm that continued frequent use reverses the sexual effect physically, although the obsessive desire for sex remains. What is certain to increase even more than the meth user’s sexual appetites is the risk and the opportunity for viral transmission. The powerful ’speed’-induced urge for sex frequently involves multiple partners, together or serially, often paid sex workers. (Besides the practice of addicts offering sex for drugs or money to buy them, some sex workers are said to push meth, since the drug creates a demand for their services.) Even more alarming: past users echo a 1993 report that gay methamphetamine users had difficulty recognizing risks of HIV from using drugs and having unprotected sex.

Last year, Dr. Gorman began alerting lesbian/gay activist and substance abuse agencies to the shocking results of his review of July 1994 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) AIDS figures. That 59 percent of the cumulative AIDS caseload (then nearing 400,000) were men who had sex with other men (MSMs) wasn’t news. But the discovery that about 11 percent of these men had a history of injected drug use struck Gorman as crucial information that he had never heard discussed. He went on to analyze the CDC total of IDU-AIDS cases and found that 20 percent were MSM’s. Among male-only IDU-AIDS cases, MSM’s accounted for 26 percent, just over one-fourth.

Last October, CDC, NIDA, and NIAAA, held a 2-day “Drug Use, Men Who Have Sex With Men, and HIV Infection” meeting. Other researchers confirmed and underscored Gormans concerns. Richard J. Wolitski, a visiting researcher at CDC reported a comparison study of HIV risks of nearly 1,800 MSM and non-MSM injecting drug users in Dallas, Denver and Long Beach. Among the MSM’s who had male only anal sex with someone other then their main partners, 96 percent reported having sex within the last 30 days; only one-third used condoms on the last such occasion.

Apart from its role in unsafe sex, methamphetamine use can have other adverse effects. Some, such as hyperthermia, convulsions, and cardiovascular problems may lead to death. The drug can also cause irreversal damage to the blood vessels in the brain, resulting in strokes.

All this terrible news has some health professionals calling for a national meth campaign. Others are reluctant to call wider attention to a problem still confined to relatively small groups of fast-lane users. As one health professional said, “With the best intentions, the media and those of us trying to prevent drug abuse, may have helped promote new substance abuse trends to audiences who might not have been attracted to them without the attention we generated”.

Meanwhile, workers in substance abuse services, lesbian/gay organizations and HIV/AIDS agencies are urged to be aware of the growing meth problem. Too many young lesbians/gays/bisexuals organizations don’t understand the link between substance abuse and HIV/AIDS. They must learn that sex under the influence increases their risk of rape and sexual assault, unsafe sex and possibly the transmission of STD’s, including HIV/AIDS, and negative impact of these drugs on the immune system. For bisexuals/heterosexuals, unwanted pregnancy is also a danger and continuing substance abuse can harm an unborn child. Everyone must avoid-needle sharing of any drug likely to interfere with their commitment to their own health or the health and safety of others.

Ecstasy Addiction Treatment
MDMA (3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), commonly referred to as Ecstasy, is a psychoactive drug possessing stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. MDMA possesses chemical variations of the stimulant amphetamine or methamphetamine and a hallucinogen, most often mescaline.
MDMA was first synthesized in 1912 by a German company possibly to be used as an appetite suppressant. Chemically, it is an analogue of MDA, a drug that was popular in the 1960s. In the late 1970s, MDMA was used to facilitate psychotherapy by a small group of therapists in the United States. Illicit use of the drug did not become popular until the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Ecstasy is taken orally, usually in tablet or capsule form, and its effects last approximately four to six hours. Users of the drug say that it produces profoundly positive feelings, empathy for others, elimination of anxiety, enhancement of the senses, and extreme relaxation. Ecstasy is also said to suppress the need to eat or sleep, enabling users to endure two- to three-day parties. Consequently, Ecstasy use sometimes results in severe dehydration or exhaustion. While it is not as addictive as heroin or cocaine, ecstasy can cause other adverse effects including nausea, hallucinations, chills, sweating, increases in body temperature, tremors, involuntary teeth clenching, muscle cramping, and blurred vision. Ecstasy users also report after-effects of anxiety, paranoia, and depression. An ecstasy overdose is characterized by high blood pressure, faintness, panic attacks, and, in more severe cases, loss of consciousness, seizures, and a drastic rise in body temperature. Ecstasy overdoses can be fatal, as they may result in heart failure or extreme heat stroke.
Ecstasy is most often distributed at late-night parties called “raves,” nightclubs, and rock concerts. As the rave and club scene expands to metropolitan and suburban areas across the country, ecstasy use and distribution are increasing as well. Ecstasy is often used in combination with other substances. Once a person begins using Ecstasy or begins frequenting events where Ecstasy is widely used, a vast array of drugs become accessible as well. Ecstasy users often seek to increase their high by combining their pill with a dose of marijuana, LSD, ketamine, GHB, amphetamines, cocaine, or heroin. This experimentation can lead to addiction.

The effects of long-term ecstasy use are just beginning to undergo scientific analysis. In 1998, the National Institute of Mental Health conducted a study of a small group of habitual ecstasy users who were abstaining from use. The study revealed that the abstinent users suffered damage to the neurons in the brain that transmit serotonin, an important biochemical involved in a variety of critical functions including learning, sleep, and integration of emotion. The results of the study indicate that recreational ecstasy users may be at risk of developing permanent brain damage that may manifest itself in depression, anxiety, memory loss, and other neuropsychotic disorders.
What is ecstasy? MDMA or ecstasy is a Schedule I synthetic, psychoactive drug possessing stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. Ecstasy possesses chemical variations of the stimulant amphetamine or methamphetamine and a hallucinogen, most often mescaline.
Commonly referred to as Ecstasy or XTC, MDMA was first synthesized in 1912 by a German company possibly to be used as an appetite suppressant. Chemically, it is an analogue of MDA, a drug that waspopular in the 1960s. In the late 1970s, MDMA was used to facilitate psychotherapy by a small group of therapists in the United States. Illicit use of the drug did not become popular until the late 1980s and early 1990s. Ecstasy is frequently used in combination with other drugs. However, it is rarely consumed with alcohol, as alcohol is believed to diminish its effects. It is most often distributed at late-night parties called “raves,” nightclubs, and rock concerts. As the rave and club scene expands to metropolitan and suburban areas across the country, ecstasy use and distribution are increasing as well.
How is Ecstasy Used?Ecstasy is most often available in tablet form and is usually ingested orally. It is also available as a powder and is sometimes snorted and occasionally smoked, but rarely injected. Its effects last approximately four to six hours. Users of the drug say that it produces profoundly positive feelings, empathy for others, elimination of anxiety, and extreme relaxation. Ecstasy is also said to suppress the need to eat, drink, or sleep, enabling users to endure two- to three-day parties. Consequently, ecstasy use sometimes results in severe dehydration or exhaustion.
Where does ecstasy come from?
Clandestine laboratories operating throughout Western Europe, primarily the Netherlands and Belgium, manufacture significant quantities of the drug in tablet, capsule, or powder form. Although the vast majority of ecstasy consumed domestically is produced in Europe, a limited number of ecstasy labs operate in the United States. In addition, in recent years, Israeli organized crime syndicates, some composed of Russian émigrés associated with Russian organized crime syndicates, have forged relationships with Western European traffickers and gained control over a significant share of the European market. The Israeli syndicates are currently the primary source to U.S. distribution groups.
Overseas ecstasy trafficking organizations smuggle the drug in shipments of 10,000 or more tablets via express mail services, couriers aboard commercial airline flights, or, more recently, through air freight shipments from several major European cities to cities in the United States. The drug is sold in bulk quantity at the mid-wholesale level in the United States for approximately eight dollars per dosage unit. The retail price of ecstasy sold in clubs in the United States remains steady at twenty to thirty dollars per dosage unit. Ecstasy traffickers consistently use brand names and logos as marketing tools and to distinguish their product from that of competitors. The logos are produced to coincide with holidays or special events. Among the more popular logos are butterflies, lightning bolts, and four-leaf clovers

Trapped in a crystal meth nightmare, a gay meth addict faced a gruesome decision as his health was rapidly deteriorating and his violent outbursts were wiping out any hope of rational thoughts: “On any given day, I could have hurt somebody,” reported Will. This dreadful delusional frenzy came to an end as he entered a drug rehabilitation center.

Trois-Rivieres, Canada, April 30, 2006 — Today’s society is oppressed with several urging issues, yet the drug addiction problem and the substantially increasing abuse of crystal meth fails to rank as a major concern. Although the general perception of an individual who is afflicted with a drug addiction is one of disdain and of worthlessness, they still deserve to be cared for. These individuals simply fell under the grasp of a vicious and ruthless drug, ridding them of any lucid judgment and of their conscientious perception of life. It has been reported on numerous occasions by former gay addicts that crystal meth, a highly toxic and addictive substance, has this unconditional power to “hook” someone only after their first use. Yet what could push someone to try such a hazardous drug?

The enthralling and promising side effects, notably increased energy, a reduced need to eat or sleep, super focus, increased productivity and euphoria, make a crystal meth high appear very satisfying. Nevertheless, crystal meth is anything but a harmless drug. Created from toxic chemicals, the deadly side effects include an increased heart rate, insomnia, shakiness, fever, chest pain, paranoia, confusion, psychotic episodes, violence and death. Many crystal meth addicts report having difficulty quitting, since their body’s need for the drug is so incredibly strong.

Will, a former crystal meth addict for 2 years now, gave a thorough testimony demonstrating the difficulties he encountered while under the influence of the drug and the several obstacles he faced to overcome his crystal meth addiction: ‘I couldn’t admit that I was a junkie. I couldn’t admit that I had a problem. Everybody said, “You’re turning into a junkie Will,” and I would respond, “I’m fine, I’m alright.” But then my behavior started to change and the days got longer. The weeks ended up being actual full weeks.’

Before going into the drug rehab center, Will witnessed how he had changed both physically and mentally, due to the crystal meth: “When people are on crystal meth, they eventually become very volatile and they can hurt people. They can snap very easily for no reason. On any given day, I really could have hurt somebody, supremely bad, but my choices were either to hurt somebody or get high.”

Fortunately, there is a drug rehabilitation and drug treatment center that is capable of treating a crystal meth addiction. This 100% natural drug rehabilitation program, is an effective and proven method, renowned worldwide, for helping individuals overcome their drug addiction. If someone you know and care for is affected by crystal meth, don’t hesitate to contact 1-800-511-9225 or go to www.lakeviewhealth.com.

As a gay man suffering from a heroin addiction and alcoholism I really didn’t think there was much hope for me. I felt ashamed to be a gay man and more ashamed to have a heroin addiction. I went to alot of LGBT support groups and while they helped me with some of my feelings about being gay, they did nothing for my drug addiction and alcoholism.

I looked at drug rehabs in New York, Connecticut and Maryland all who said they treated the LGBT, but few of the drug treatment programs really had a substantial treatment services for the LGBT. I didn’t want an all gay drug rehab. I wanted a drug rehab where I would be treated like everyone else, but had groups I could attend to deal with problems I had that I thought I would do better dealing with in “gay groups”.

I found that at Lakeview Freedom Rings. Thank you so much for everything.

Patrick S.

Janetta Astone-Twerell, PhD,
Shiela M. Strauss, PhD,
Corrine Munoz-Plaza, MPH
National Development and Research Institutes, Inc.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common chronic blood-borne infectious disease in the United States, with nearly 4 million people infected. In addition to the physical challenges HCV presents, this illness carries with it a stigma that negatively impacts the quality of life for infected individuals. Some of these negative consequences include reduced self-esteem, diminished mental health, less access to medical care, and fear of disclosing a positive status, with the latter often resulting in limited social support at a time when it is sorely needed. This disease-related stigma is also likely to contribute to hesitancy on the part of some medical providers to treat people infected with HCV.

In attempting to understand such stigma, it is useful to refer to Goffman4 who has written extensively on the subject. He, along with other researchers, has developed a list of attributes for those diseases that have the greatest level of stigma. Included in this list of attributes is that: (a) the disease is progressive and incurable, (b) the symptoms cannot be concealed, (c) the public is not adequately informed about the disease, and (d) a person with the disease is perceived to be responsible for having it. Using this list of attributes, Herek argued that HIV is one of the more highly stigmatized illnesses, because it possesses each of these attributes. Certainly, the very same argument can be made with regard to HCV. First, HCV is a progressive disease, and current pharmacological therapy (a combination of pegylated interferon and ribiviran) does not successfully clear the virus in all individuals who complete treatment. Second, although HCV can remain asymptomatic for decades, the most severe consequences of the virus are often difficult to conceal. Third, community awareness of HCV is unfortunately quite low. Even many health care providers and substance abuse treatment staff who frequently interact with those dealing with HCV-related issues have little knowledge about the virus and remain unaware of the true impact and implications of the disease. Fourth and finally, many people who have HCV infection are judged to be immoral and are blamed for having the disease. The “blame” and “immorality” associated with HCV is primarily a result of the fact that most cases of infection now occur through the sharing of contaminated injection drug use equipment. In fact, injection drug users (IDUs) constitute nearly two- thirds of those with new HCV infections.

The implicit connection between HCV infection and drug use causes HCV-positive people to often be viewed as having made poor choices: that is, they are seen as having “chosen” to engage in illicit and dangerous behaviors that resulted in their contracting a serious illness. Subsumed under the label of “drug user,” these individuals are deemed immoral and tainted. Notably, this debilitating stigma impacts HCV infected people regardless of how they actually contracted the virus, whether through contaminated blood products, the reuse of unsterilized equipment, accidental needle prick, through sex, or through the use of injection drugs during a season of life that has long since past. What’s more, people who contracted the virus via drug injection and continue to use drugs are marginalized and discriminated against on the basis of their drug use as well as their HCV status. This “double” discrimination leads to social isolation, stress, and increased barriers for individuals who need to access critical HCV education, testing and medical care and support.

Also troubling is that this “double stigma” occurs among drug users who are addressing their addiction by attending a substance abuse treatment program. This disturbing fact was illustrated through in-depth interviews with staff and clients at 11 drug treatment programs throughout the United States conducted by the STOP HEP C project. This project, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), examined what drug treatment programs are doing for their clients concerning HCV. During an interview at one of the participating programs, a client unwittingly raised the specter of this “double stigma” when he referred to HCV as the “junkie disease.” Many other clients at these programs raised the issue of this dual stigma, reporting that even though they were addressing their addiction and complying with the rules of recovery, they were still experiencing discrimination from practitioners outside of the treatment program. While the 2002 NIH Consensus Statement on hepatitis C clearly states that drug users should not be denied HCV treatment solely on the basis of their addiction, medical providers who have not been trained in the addictions field are unlikely to understand that drug users can often benefit from HCV treatment. In fact, a number of HCV-positive clients who participated in the STOP HEP C project described occasions in which practitioners in the community discriminated against them because of their drug use history. Even within the treatment program, many clients who identified as HCV-positive associated feelings of “embarrassment” and “shame” with their disease. This further decreased their sense of self-worth and self-esteem, preventing or delaying many of them from disclosing their aerostats to the treatment staff. In addition, clients were concerned that having their HCV positive status disclosed would result in alienation by their peers. Further compounding the problem, some clients told us that they had specifically avoided using available HCV services at their drug treatment programs in order to keep their status unknown, while still others described staff who seemed unknowledgeable and apathetic about their HCV-related concerns.

What makes testimonies like these so regrettable is the fact that drug treatment programs are among the few places where underserved clients have access to information about HCV and to HCV-related services. The good news is that some clients had positive experiences with staff at their drug treatment programs who they believed genuinely cared about them and were committed to helping them with their HCV-related concerns.