This webinarwill present views and perceptions of people who use methamphetamine as contingency management as a treatment for dependency.
Methamphetamine dependency can be notoriously difficult to treat. With no currently approved pharmacotherapies, people seeking treatment for their dependency often find themselves in long waiting lists for residential rehab and/or are told by an equally frustrated clinician that their treatment options are few. Contingency management has the potential to change this. This treatment model has been used in the US and UK, and studies have shown it to be an effective tool to help people cut-down on their substance use. Broadly, contingency management uses an increasing rewards system to incentivise abstinence: for each consecutive drug-free urine test an individual provides, they are given a reward that increases in value until a cap is reached. This present study explores the feasibility and acceptability of implementing contingency management as a treatment for methamphetamine dependency in Australia. 30 individuals who use methamphetamine were interviewed about their thoughts and feelings on contingency management as a treatment option and what an attractive model of contingency management looked like for them.
About the speaker
Simon Clay is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales. His research focuses on the relationship between drug use and expressions of well-being among marginalised individuals with a particular focus on community, risk, and identity. Simon's work extends into mental health and substance dependency, STIs & HIV, drug trends within minority communities, definitions of health, and examining how community organisations enact public health policy. He has a background in sociology, criminology, gender studies, and public health, and specialises in qualitative research methods and research ethics in relation to 'vulnerable' populations.