This paper describes trajectories of methamphetamine (MA) use among participants in a longitudinal study in rural Arkansas and Kentucky. Thirty-nine baseline qualitative interviews were conducted with active MA users. Twenty-four participants were interviewed again from 12 to 24 months later. At follow-up, 13 participants reported quitting MA use, six had reduced MA use, and five were using the drug at approximately baseline levels. Two participants had changed modes of administering MA. Health, legal, and family issues, or a combination of these factors, were linked to quitting or reducing MA use. Sixteen participants had made positive changes without drug abuse treatment, one used professional inpatient treatment, and two utilized faith-based programs. Willpower, self-isolation, staying busy, family support, and using substitute drugs were cited as strategies for avoiding MA use. The study findings have important implications for understanding rural MA use careers, guiding future research, and informing intervention strategies.
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Summer 2008
Drug Abuse|
June 24 2008
Trajectories of Methamphetamine Use in the Rural South: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study
Rocky Sexton;
Rocky Sexton
1
Department of Community Health, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
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Robert Carlson;
Robert Carlson
2
Center for Interventions, Treatment, and Addictions Research, Department of Community Health, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
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Carl Leukefeld;
Carl Leukefeld
3
Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, University of Kentucky
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Brenda Booth
Brenda Booth
4
Department of Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
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Human Organization (2008) 67 (2): 181–193.
Citation
Rocky Sexton, Robert Carlson, Carl Leukefeld, Brenda Booth; Trajectories of Methamphetamine Use in the Rural South: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study. Human Organization 1 June 2008; 67 (2): 181–193. doi: https://doi.org/10.17730/humo.67.2.h457132482255391
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