Crystal Meth Addiction and Gay Men
Breaking the Grip: Treating Crystal Meth
Addiction Among Gay and Bisexual Men
Recent studies indicate wide usage of crystal methamphetamine by gay and bisexual men. Many healthcare providers, however, are not well equipped to recognize crystal meth use by their gay and bisexual male patients and lack sufficient knowledge about treatment options and how best to refer these patients to culturally competent treatment programs. For this reason, GLMA is currently conducting a study entitled Breaking the Grip: Treating Crystal Meth Addiction Among Gay and Bisexual Men, that is examining crystal meth use in the gay and bisexual male community.
A central part of GLMA’s mission is to ensure that all healthcare providers have the skills they need to provide culturally competent care to LGBT patients. Through Breaking the Grip, we seek to disseminate unbiased information about the risks of crystal meth use and to equip healthcare providers to recognize crystal use among their gay and bisexual male patients and to be able to refer these patients to appropriate care.
Our study has two parts: first, we are conducting focus groups in five cities where crystal methamphetamine use is thought to be widespread. The focus groups will be made up of healthcare providers who see a large number of gay and bisexual male patients. Second, we are analyzing the scientific literature to distill and summarize what’s currently known about crystal meth use by gay and bisexual men.
The focus groups and literature review aim to answer the following questions: (1) How serious a problem is crystal meth use among gay and bisexual men? (2) What are the most promising options for treating crystal meth addiction among gay and bisexual men? and (3) What can and should health care providers do to get gay and bisexual men who are addicted to crystal meth into treatment? The outcome of the study will be a white paper that addresses these questions.
For additional information on gay drug addiction refer to www.recovery connection.org or call 800-511-9225.
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