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June 15, 2021
Between 2011 and 2017, deaths dueto methamphetamine overdose increased more than fourfold. Law enforcement officials in many cities haveidentified the drug as the biggest problem among their citizens. Yet, almost all public discussion of drug useis about the opioid epidemic. Federal and state funding has accordingly been focused primarily onmeasures to aid opiate users, at the expense of other categories of drugs.
If meth is threatening our publichealth, why haven’t public officials put together plans to aid users? Part of the reason may be that, despite theincrease in meth use, opioids cause about four times as many deaths fromoverdose yearly. But, there are many other factors that have contributed to thesilent rise of meth use.
Despite the heavy focus onincreasing heroin use nationwide, the use of psychostimulants, a class of drugsthat includes meth, has also increased between 1999 and 2016.
Heroin has a higher averageoverdose rate—but overdose is not the only way to quantify rates of druguse. In fact, any comparison betweenmeth and heroin should take into account that meth users are much less likelyto die of an overdose than are opioid users. While opiates carry similar dangers for all users, meth overdose occursin lower levels among young adults, its most frequent users. It is telling that, in those cases where methuse is fatal, there’s often an unexpected culprit: contamination by fentanyl, asynthetic opioid that is also responsible for opiate overdoses.
Because of the disparity inoverdose rates, examining rates of hospitalization due to drug use may providea more complete picture of how drug use habits are changing. And, in fact, comparisons of meth and heroin are turned on their head whentaking this information into account.
Between 2008 and 2015,meth-related hospitalizations increased by 245%. This timeframe saw only a 46% increase inopiate-related hospitalizations. InCalifornia, the disparity in popularity between meth and heroin has flippednational averages on their head, with deaths due to meth overdose increasing127% between 2008 and 2013. In this sametime period, overdose deaths attributed to opioids grew only 8%—despite thefact that opiate users are much more likely to fatally overdose.
Shocking numbers like theseshould draw national attention, but the national conversation is still centeredmostly around opioid addiction. With somany overdose deaths due to heroin and its ilk, none can argue that thisattention is unneeded. But, why hasAmerica failed to recognize the rapidly-rising meth use rates at the same time?
The answer may lie in regionaldifferences in drug use, where heroin and meth have an inverserelationship. Overdose rates (deaths per100,000) for meth hit their ceiling at 3.9 in the West, compared to a rate ofonly 0.5 in the Northeast. Heroin is theexact opposite, with rates reaching a high of 6.3 in the Northeast compared toa low 2.4 in the West.
The Northeast is the seat of ourfederal government, and plays host to many of our nations highly-respectedmedia institutions. Every day, residentsof DC and the surrounding areas see the effects of opioid addiction in theirtowns and cities; meth use, in comparison, is nearly invisible in theseareas. Though this does not absolve thefederal government and national media of their ignorance of rising meth use, itat least offers an explanation—and may provide a framework for groups in searchof federal help.
While scientists are routinelyfinding new ways to treat opiate addiction, meth users do not have equivalentoptions for medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Despite administering several clinicaltrials, scientists have struck just asmany dead ends. Part of the trouble indefining successful MAT approaches has to do with the effects of the drug; users may simply have troubleremembering to take their medications regularly. Another factor is the interaction betweenmeth and the human body. While opioidsaffect humans by bonding with a single receptor, meth has no single point ofexposure for medications to target.
Instead, meth users must detoxwithout the help of medication, and afterward rely on therapy and groupsessions to reinforce sobriety. Researchers are examining the effects of Mirtazapene, ananti-depressant, and Naltrexone, a drug used to help stem cravings for alcohol,but neither has been studied in a wide or longitudinal fashion. Specialized treatment programs includingcognitive-behavioral therapy (also known as CBT) and contingency management mayhelp meth users kick the habit, but long-term studies have shown that over 80% or meth users relapsewithin five years after leaving treatment.
With meth considered “easilyavailable” by a majority of survey respondents in both the Pacific andSouthwest regions of the US, California is in the middle of a high-supplyzone. Meth lab crackdowns have drivenproduction out of the United States and into Mexico; rather than stop meth use,this has simply led to increased drug smuggling across the Southwesternborder.
In fact, Riverside County isconsidered the largest distribution center for illegal drugs in the US, anddespite the ongoing opioid epidemic, the vast majority of seizures are of methrather than heroin. In the period from2012 - 2014, the DEA estimates that Riverside County was home to nearly 25% of the meth confiscated by the agency.
Accordingly, of all RiversideCounty residents who attended a rehab program between 2000 and 2008, meth wasthe #1 cause cited. Statistics gatheredin Orange County between 2011 and 2013 tell a similar story, with meth use wasthe leading cause of admissions. Thisdata shows that meth use is more than twice as prevalent as heroin use, whichonly prompted 20% of admissions (as opposed to the 44% due to meth).
With meth use increasing inSouthern California, successful rehab and sober living programs must be readyto deal with the realities of recovering from a meth addiction. We are committed to providing top-notchsupport to meth users in our care. Ourteam is always learning from the newest and best science around rehabilitationfor former meth users, and our strong community gives the lasting supportneeded to maintain sobriety after a meth addiction.
Contact us today at (323)942-9996 to learn more abouthow we can help meth users recover and begin a happy, sober chapter of theirlives.