Characteristics of regular amphetamine users and implications for treatment

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Abstract
Sixty‐four regular users of amphetamine were recruited in Newcastle, a regional city of New South Wales, Australia. A structured interview was conducted, comprising background information, the Opiate Treatment Index, Severity of Dependence Scale and a stage of change measure. Key variables common to the present study and previous Australian studies were also compared. Sixty‐two subjects (96.9%) reported having injected drugs in the month prior to interview. Amphetamine was nominated as the main drug of choice for half (50.0%) of the sample, followed closely by opiates (42.2%). Just over one‐fifth (21.9%) of the sample were at the precontemplation stage for quitting or reducing amphetamine use, 37.5% were at the contemplation stage, 23.4% were at the preparation stage and 17.2% were at the action stage. Over one‐third of the sample (39.1%) were enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT), indicating that interventions for amphetamine use may need to be provided within MMT programmes. Interventions should also be available to regular amphetamine users in primary care and community settings. Services need to adopt a harm reduction approach as few users wished to reduce or abstain from all drug classes. Different interventions are indicated according to stage of change for amphetamine use, employment opportunities, gender and concurrent tranquillizer use.