New Website Provides Positive Treatment for Amphetamine Users

A new free online service has been launched by Griffith University to overcome negative impacts and provide treatment for amphetamine users.

In Australia, males aged between 20-29 are currently the biggest group of people experimenting with amphetamines (6.8% in 2010),  with women in this age  range  also using at high rates (5%) and  WA seeing the highest prevalence within Australia. The website, beatingtherush.com.au,  provides five free online sessions for participants aged 14 years and older who are looking for confidential and effective treatment.

“We have found that people who are concerned that their amphetamine use is becoming a problem  put  off  seeking  help  due  to  concerns  regarding  confidentiality,”  says  Eliana Hirakis  from the  School of Applied Psychology.  “For example, especially in rural  and remote  areas of  Australia  where  there  may  be  very  tight-knit  communities,  people  have told us of their embarrassment when seen at or near drug counselling centres. “The demand for evidence-based online services for amphetamine users which are similar to  those  available  for  alcohol  abuse  has  been  gaining  momentum  and  so  we  have developed beatingtherush.com.au  in response to this demand.

“This population of people are commonly in their 20s and 30s and  are  very familiar with using  online  services.  Coupled  with  the  fact  that  amphetamine  use  is  often  shrouded  in shame, we are looking to determine whether online treatment services are an effective way of assisting this group.

“Additionally  we’re  using  a  reward-based  approach  to  further  encourage  people  to  seek help.  The  program  provides  vouchers  for  online  department  stores  at  various  stages  in order to maintain motivation and to encourage positive change regarding drug use.”

The  online  sessions  include  strategies  such  as  developing  refusal  skills,  identifying alternative coping mechanisms, dealing with cravings and triggers for use.

Beatingtherush.com.au  can be used as  an enhancement to other forms of drug counselling and does not have to be used as a replacement, says Ms Hirakis. “Face-to-face counselling is also important and beatingtherush can be useful   in combination with this.  Alternatively, people  can  be  directed  to  further  counselling  options  through  the  Alcohol  and  Drug Information Service (ADIS).”

On  completion  of  the  five  weekly  online  sessions,  it  is  hoped  that  users  of beatingtherush.com.au  will either be using amphetamines more safely, have reduced their use or have ceased use altogether, says Ms Hirakis