Clyde Davis, a former addict who battled methamphetamine and heroin addiction for over nine years, found hope and success through a new contingency management program at the Rimrock Foundation in Montana. This innovative program utilizes positive reinforcement as a behavioral treatment for stimulant addiction, offering rewards such as small-value gift cards or vouchers for submitting clean urine drug tests.
Despite decades of research demonstrating the effectiveness of contingency management in treating stimulant addiction, its widespread implementation has been hindered by policy barriers and stigma. However, for individuals like Davis, the program has been life-changing.
Davis shared that the combination of rewards and counseling provided by the program gave him the motivation and support he needed to overcome his addiction. He successfully completed the 12-week program and has remained drug-free ever since, now working as a rehabilitation technologist at the Rimrock Foundation.
The Growing Concern of Stimulant Addiction
Stimulants, a class of drugs that can lead to increased alertness, energy, and euphoria, have become a significant concern in the national overdose crisis. The misuse of stimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine is associated with various negative effects, including agitation, hostility, and even suicidal tendencies.
Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals a troubling trend of increasing overdose deaths involving stimulants. In 2021 alone, over half of the 106,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States involved a stimulant.
The Need for Effective Treatment
With the rise in stimulant-involved overdose deaths, experts emphasize the urgent need for effective treatments for stimulant addiction. While medication-based therapies exist for opioid addiction, there are currently no FDA-approved treatments specifically for stimulant addiction.
Michael McDonell, a professor of community and behavioral health, highlights the dangers of the increasing potency of stimulants and the concurrent use of stimulants and opioids. The mixing of these substances can lead to unintentional overdose and underscores the importance of addressing both types of addiction simultaneously.
Katie Chiasson-Downs, lead clinician for addiction services at West Virginia University, emphasizes the challenges posed by concurrent stimulant use disorder in individuals recovering from opioid addiction. Finding effective solutions to address both types of addiction is crucial in combating the ongoing overdose crisis.
