title: Amphetamine-related harms and treatment preferences of regular amphetamine users in Sydney, Australia.
abstract: Amphetamines remain a popular illicit drug among young adults in Australia and a number of other countries, particularly by injection. A significant increase in the number of people presenting to drug treatment services with a primary amphetamine problem in Australia and the US has occurred in recent years. A survey of 200 regular amphetamine users was conducted in Sydney to determine the treatment issues and preferences of this population. Substantial harm associated with the use of this drug was found, most notably psychological problems, physical health problems, dependence and financial problems. A perceived need for amphetamine-specific treatment was evident. Popular treatment options requested by users included pharmacotherapies, natural therapies and counselling. While regular amphetamine users can attend existing treatment services, the efficacy of these treatments for amphetamine problems has not been evaluated. There is also a need to develop and evaluate amphetamine-specific interventions in order to attract this population into treatment.
authors.affiliation: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hando
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Topp
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000661:Amphetamine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology; D010552:Personality Assessment; D015397:Program Evaluation; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D000661:Amphetamine