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Crayden said immediate access to treatment and aftercare support remained among the biggest gaps in the system.<\/p>\n
Drawing on analysis from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Crayden said methamphetamine use was closely linked to mental health issues.<\/p>\n
“People who reported having been diagnosed with, or treated for, a mental illness in the previous 12 months were 3.9 times as likely to have used methamphetamine and amphetamine in the previous 12 months,” she said.<\/p>\n
But Crayden said the human story behind methamphetamine use was often misunderstood, particularly in regional communities.<\/p>\n
“Methamphetamine use in regional areas is highly stigmatised, but meth use occurs in a context which often involves socioeconomic disadvantage, trauma etc.,” she said.<\/p>\n
“It can be used as a way of coping with life.”<\/p>\n
“I haven’t yet met anyone who has used, with the intention of becoming a meth user.”<\/p>\n
Crayden said focusing solely on the drug risked overlooking broader drivers of harm, including trauma, mental ill health, housing instability and poverty.<\/p>\n
She said stigma itself could become a barrier to treatment.<\/p>\n
“People tend not to seek treatment for meth use as there is so much discrimination and shame attached to using the drug,” she said.<\/p>\n
“In regional communities there are fewer treatment options, longer wait times, limited housing, transport barriers, and less access to mental health care.<\/p>\n
“Meth use can become more prevalent as there are fewer ways to step out of crisis once patterns escalate.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
METHAMPHETAMINE use remains significantly higher in regional Australia than in capital cities, with a Northern Rivers rehabilitation provider saying local support services are under increasing pressure. The latest report from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program found regional communities continued to record significantly higher methamphetamine consumption per person than capital cities, […]<\/p>\n