DON’T METH WITH METH –
May 20, 2022 – When 50-year-old meth addict Brian Groh was sentenced to jail last month, he went through a severe withdrawal.
“When I first got here, I was really bad,” he said, describing how he was put in solitary confinement and strapped to a chair to keep under control. “I mostly don’t remember my first week.”
Although initially quite intense, Groh said his symptoms were slowly subsiding as his body adjusted to functioning drug-free.
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant where use is associated with a range of health harms, including psychosis and other mental disorders, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most addicts ingest 1-2 grams of meth a day, at a cost of $100 per gram, according to Vondra and the county’s drug enforcement detectives. This cost can quickly erode a person’s financial stability and it is also common for users to resort to crimes and drug dealing in order to maintain their habit.
Before going to jail, Groh was making around $700 a week selling meth to a group of acquaintances. Peter Bucci, chief clinical officer at Harbor Hall, a substance abuse treatment facility with locations in Petoskey, Cheboygan and East Jordan, said he has seen a significant rise in meth addiction from previous years. Of their 300 total patients, 30-40 percent are detoxing from meth, said Bucci, and the amount of patients who relapse has doubled.
Specifically, after 2019 there has been a noticeable drop of opioid clients and an upswing in meth use.
Bucci says a reason for the increase in meth use is due to a decrease in the availability of prescription opioids.
“A few other factors gathered from sessions over the last three years tells me that the need to work, cash on hand, and getting rid of depressive symptoms, all contribute to the shift,” he added.
When asked if he saw a difference in outcome for those who are mandated to participate in the sobriety treatment by the court system versus those individuals who initially make a personal choice to participate, Bucci said, ”There is a difference in clients that seek treatment on their own without being forced, however many do not ‘get it’ without knowing what is at risk. Meaning that a person’s life or their way of life is at risk, and this is what motivates the change. If there were no consequences almost none would stop.”
